NEWSLETTER
January 24, 2026, 12-5 PM with Ribbon cutting at 1 PM
Wassaic, NY — Wassaic Project is pleased to announce the reopening of the Art Nest, the free, drop-in artmaking space for families, now located on the ground floor of Maxon Mills in a fully ADA-accessible, renovated space. The renovated Art Nest features new built-in furniture offering expanded seating, as well as upgraded amenities, including a slop sink and refrigerator to better support hands-on creative activities. The Art Nest serves as both a creative hub and a supportive gathering place for youth and families in the region, and is home to Wassaic Project’s summer camps, workshops, and field trips, with free drop-in hours every Saturday, 12-5 PM year-round.
To celebrate the reopening, Art Nest Lead Educator Emi Night will lead participants in a special new activity where families can create their own mini bird nests. Visitors are also invited to explore the space independently and use the wide range of available art supplies. Children and families can take part in the Winter Exhibition Scavenger Hunt throughout the day, with special prizes for those who discover all the hidden items.
Wassaic Project has prioritized accessibility and inclusivity in this renovation, ensuring that families of all ages and abilities can fully engage with the space and creative opportunities. Relocating the Art Nest to the ground floor ensures that children, caregivers, elders, and visitors with disabilities can enter and participate without barriers, making the space more welcoming and accessible for everyone. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 1 PM, and light refreshments will be provided. The Wassaic Project welcomes community members of all ages to join in celebrating this newly enhanced creative space.
Jill Winsby-Fein, Wassaic Project’s Education Coordinator, states, “We are proud to expand accessibility to the Art Nest, because true empowerment of students begins with inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcomed, seen, and supported.”
The Art Nest renovation and relocation was made possible thanks to generous support by Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Foundation, M&T Charitable Foundation, Hinton Phillips Family Fund, Dutchess County Youth Opportunity Union (YOU) Drop-in Center Grant, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), and Robert Wilder.
January 24, 2026 from 12-5 PM.
Ribbon cutting at 1 PM.
Location: Wassaic Project, 37 Furnace Bank Road, Wassaic, NY 12592
About Wassaic Project
Wassaic Project is a contemporary arts institution that has been a cornerstone of upstate New York’s cultural landscape since 2008, fostering positive social change through art and education. It brings together emerging artists and local communities through world-class contemporary art exhibitions, vital education and public programs, and a highly regarded year-round artist residency program.
Based in the historic Maxon Mills—an 8,000-square-foot, seven-story former grain elevator transformed into a vibrant arts space—Wassaic Project serves as a dynamic incubator for new voices in contemporary art. Since its founding, it has welcomed more than 45,000 visitors, 1,200 artists, 145 musicians, 52 dance companies, and 38 filmmakers. Annual programming includes the residency, monthly open studios, ten major community events, and three exhibitions. Its arts education programs reach more than 1,000 students each year through after-school art clubs, summer camps, mentorship opportunities, and the free family drop-in space, the Art Nest, is open every Saturday from 12–5 PM. The gallery is open 12-5 PM Thursday-Sunday when an exhibition is on view.
The residency program and exhibitions give emerging artists time and space to experiment and grow their practices. In recent years, Wassaic Project artists have gone on to exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, MoMA, the New Museum, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Bronx Museum of Art, El Museo del Barrio, the International Center of Photography, MASS MoCA, and many others.
Wassaic Project’s programs are made possible by the generous support of our board of directors, many individuals, as well as the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, A G Foundation, Arison Arts Foundation, Arts Mid-Hudson, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, Dutchess County's Department of Community and Family Services, Dyson Foundation, Foundation for Community Health, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation's Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, Low Road Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Peleh Fund, Starry Night Fund of the Chicago Community Foundation, The Cecily & David Murphy Majerus Foundation, The Cowles Charitable Trust, and Wolfensohn Family Foundation.
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