Arts & Culture
Layered Bare Reception, 287 Main Gallery. 2023
SEEC recognizes the power of arts and culture to unite our community, fostering connections through shared appreciation while celebrating the uniqueness of each individual—like distinct tiles in a grand mosaic.
Through strategic partnerships with organizations across Schoharie County, SEEC is committed to creating opportunities for artists of all kinds, encouraging everyone in the community to discover and embrace their creative inspirations.
Gallery at 287 Main
SEEC is proud to open its doors and walls to the local artist community. In collaboration with Schoharie County Arts Council, the SEEC headquarters at 287 Main Street, Schoharie is host to revolving gallery exhibits, featuring 3-4 different artists each year.
287 Main Gallery Exhibit
Collage and Assemblage by Jeanne Strausman and Leslie Yolen
Jeanne Crane Strausman
As a child, Strausman cut, pasted, and accrued various papers, photos, and pictures to make collages for family members. In the years that followed she explored fabric collage, then experimented with vintage and and antique paper ephemera after meeting an interesting gallery owner and antique dealer. Changing her own outlook and direction, she now uses only papers from long ago, paired with old pen and ink handwriting, pressed leaves and other natural finds, threads, stamps, and labels. A lifelong resident of New York State, Ms. Strausman has been living and working in the Hudson Valley for more than thirty years. Strausman’s collages are in many private collations throughout the region.
Phone: 518.944.4146
Email: theoldcat7@gmail.com
Yolen lives and works in the Helderberg Mountains of Eastern New York. She has worked predominately in clay until recently when painting and sculpting became her more predominant mediums. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Bennington College, and a Master of Science Degree in Visual Arts Education from the College of Saint Rose. She continues to study with renowned artists in workshop settings. Her career in arts education has provided a broad perspective in how meaning is made from the visual experience, and what that contributes to our shared humanity. When not in the studio, she spends time in her glorious gardens, with her husband, two great danes, and two kittens.
Phone: 518.514.8998
Email: lyolen7@gmail.com
“48” & “No.20651 Snowdrops” by Jeanne Strausman
“Time Frame” by Leslie Yolen
Artist Feature
Casey Beal, a textile and fine artist based in Middleburgh, NY who draws inspiration from the flora and fauna of our rural upstate New York environment. Her work, ranging from hand-painted hiking bags to block-printed organic cotton clothing, explores the deep connection between humans and the natural world. Through her art—including community murals, paintings, and illustrations—Casey celebrates the beauty of the outdoors and inspires active preservation.
Casey Beal, a Middleburgh, NY native, earned her BFA in Jewelry/Metals/CAD-CAM and k-12 Art Education certification from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. As a professional artist and owner of Casey Beal Designs, her work is available online and in various regional shops, farmers’ markets, and juried art shows. This September, a collection of her paintings will be on display at the Schoharie County Arts group show, “Collective Visions: Art of Schoharie County,” at CREATE Gallery in Catskill.
Casey is this year's artist for the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council Conference, and a 2024 CREATE Arts Education Grant recipient. In 2023, she was a Digital Marketing Grant recipient through one of SEECs Offerings for local entrepreneurs, and has been using this resource to build her business’ online presence, and focus her creative efforts where they will make the most impact. This fall, Casey will teach a Printmaking on Fabric Workshop at Middleburgh High School, and a Nature Journaling Workshop through the Schoharie Library. To stay updated on her classes and events, be sure to join her mailing list on her website!
Resources
A Schoharie Economic Enterprise Corporation (SEEC) ally, Schoharie County Arts, promotes cultural and arts-related activities, advances individual artists and arts organizations, and contributes to the cultural and economic growth in the County.
Schoharie County’s art community is vibrant with cultural traditions and innovative engagement. From theater to choral groups, painters, singers, instrumentalists, to crafters – Schoharie County has them all. SCA offers a cohesive organization to develop and strengthen the arts through promoting cultural and arts-related activities. Their board of directors is diverse in backgrounds, but has a common goal: To advance individual artists and arts organizations and support arts education, while contributing to the cultural and economic growth of our county.
