Upstream Gallery Celebrates 20 Years with a Blend of Past and Present

Twenty years ago, a group of local artists were sitting together in an apartment when the seed of an idea for the Upstream Gallery was planted. 

"The artists felt they wanted a less commercial way to show and share their work," said Upstream's current president Mitch Goldberg.

What developed was an artists' cooperative in which each member has a task to keep the space and the gallery operating and a chance to show his or her work. The gallery began with a space in Hastings—followed by a brief stint as a gallery without a permanent space. Now, Upstream Gallery is nestled comfortably at the bottom of Main Street in Dobbs Ferry—directly facing the Hudson River.

This weekend, Upstream Gallery's Reunion Exhibit "20 Years of Making Art," opened, showcasing the works of both current and past gallery members. 

"The dynamic of the group hasn't changed at all in 20 years," said Yonkers resident Arlene Simon, one of the few founding members still with Upstream. "We were younger then, but just as passionate and enthusiastic." 

Simon contributes to the gallery by painting the walls every few years to keep the space looking bright. 

Susan Markisz was also a founding member—20 years ago she was a burgeoning photographer and described her three years with Upstream as very important for her career.

"I had just been diagnosed with breast cancer at the time," Markisz said. "The people at Upstream Gallery were so supportive."

What Markisz remembers most was sitting with other members one night—as if they "were around a campfire"—discussing one artist's work for eight or nine hours. 

"It was such an intense experience for her and for us," Markisz said. "But we all grew so much as artists because of it."

Since leaving Upstream, Markisz has worked as a freelance photographer for the New York Times and Daily News and more recently as a staff photographer for the United Nations and UNICEF.

"I felt I needed to pursue some more financially lucrative work," Markicz said. "But being an artist here 20 years ago was a wonderful experience."

Paul Greco, whose contribution to the gallery is hanging the artwork for exhibits, creates works based on ancient Sumerian writing.

"I'm very interested in space and the cosmos," Greco said, as he showed his piece done with acrylic paint on rag paper. "Historically, people said they were visited by gods, but in reality I believe it was by extraterrestrials." 

Despite the economy, Greco is determined to tough it out as a full-time artist.

"It's 100 percent harder to sell art now," he said. "But it's my life and has been since I was 3 years old."

Lisa Samalin is a collage artist and muralist with her own studio at 145 Palisade Street in Dobbs Ferry.

"I feel like my collages are complete little universes," she said. "I'm so touched by the response they've gotten here."

Irvington resident and Upstream alumna Naomi Goldfarb is exhibiting a piece about something she describes as a "life-changing experience:" her tinitis.

"I tried showing visually what I hear in my head," she said. "It shows the repetition—how the sound never ends."

Arlene Simon said being a member of Upstream Gallery has been an integral part of her life. For years, she always showed her work with Lanny Lasky—a woman she described as creating "the most fantastic collages ever to be seen."

Lasky recently passed away, so Simon will need a new "partner" with whom to show her work.

Simon recommended other up-and-coming artists submit works to Upstream's next juried show.

"You don't have to be young; you don't have to be anything," she said. "You just have to be proud of your work and want to show it off."

Upstream Gallery is located at 26 Main Street in Dobbs Ferry. The Reunion exhibit will run through Oct. 9.