When David Lyons visited the 25-acre Maryknoll campus in Ossining for the first time a decade ago, “I literally heard angels in my head.”
Those angels were telling him he had found the spot for the arts center he’d envisioned: One that would provide a safe and welcoming space for a wide range of ages and creative disciplines.
Lyons, who runs a real estate management company, donated $2.7 million to buy the property, including a 44,000-square-foot building, expansive lawns and wooded acreage to create the Bethany Arts Community.
“It was an accumulation of many experiences in my life and the desire to create a safe space for connection and for kids to experience the arts,” BAC’s founder said recently.
Lyons has seen his vision grow into a community that nurtures a nearly boundless array of multidisciplinary creators and allows some 20,000 visitors a year to not only enjoy but become part of the artistic process.
The former Sisters of St. Dominic’s Bethany Rest House is now home to hallways filled with paintings and sculptures, art and dance studios, a makerspace with a 3D printer and lathe, a kitchen for culinary programs and a theater.
Residencies for artists and poets, workshops for adults and children, music and theater performances, summer camp, open mic nights, drink and draw, and partnerships with local school districts touch on just some of what transpires on the campus.
Bethany partners with institutions like the Guggenheim Works & Process and Chicago Mosaic School to expand its creative footprint, said Executive Director Bonnie Bradley.
The grounds encompass gardens shared with community groups; a mediation trail stretching into the woods and rotating exhibits of contemporary sculptures.
“Our motto is ‘What can’t we do?’ which is really saying we can do anything, and I truly believe that,” said Lyons, who grew up in Croton-on-Hudson and lives in Sleepy Hollow. “At Bethany we try not to be centric to anything but open to everything.”
Bradley noted that artists-in-residence are encouraged to invite the public into their studios. “We weigh heavily the community aspect of their residencies,” she said.
Development Director Nancy Zallo said giving the community a window into the creative process during open studio days was “one of the magic things that happens here.”
“The artists discuss their projects and sometimes that informs their work,” Zallo said. “It allows them to share and get feedback, and that’s something you don’t see when you go to a gallery or a museum. Here, you’re watching something as it’s being created and that’s very exciting.”
Among Bethany’s most weil-attended events have been Black History Month exhibits and presentations curated by Ossining Village Historian Joyce Sharrock Cole. Two original plays based on Cole’s research — one covering the life of Sojourner Truth; the other recounting events leading to the death of the only Black woman executed at Sing Sing prison — have been staged in Bethany’s theater.
Growing forward
Bethany is marking the10th anniversary of its founding this year, although the first exhibit opened in ealy 2018. Planning is underway for a November gala celebration.
Two popular, family friendly events returning this year are WoodFest (May 3) and ARToberfest (Oct. 4). Both offer craft demonstrations, live music and food vendors.
The nonprofit’s funding comes from donors, grants and memberships, plus revenue from renting out facilities for outside functions. Event ticket prices are typically under $30; fees for courses and workshops are higher.
Lyons marveled at BAC’s growth: “It’s seven years since we opened our doors, minus a pandemic.”
He added: “We went from almost accepting anyone who came to our door with an idea, to now we are a year out in our performance space. We’re a year and a half out in our gallery space, we have a waiting list for the studios, we have many residencies already lined up, we’re doing a poetry residency right now, we have a fellowship coming up.”
On a walk around the property one April morning, kids from Little Leaf preschool greeted Lyons by name as he showed a visitor the orchard he had replanted with apple, peach and pear trees.
“We are working on a wildflower meadow, a meditation labyrinth,” he said. “The meditation trail that goes into the back part of the property, we hope to add sculptures along the way and outdoor learning spaces.”
Pausing along the mediation trail, Lyons reflected on what has been accomplished since his first visit to Bethany a decade ago.
“This was the vision I was given and the tools to make it happen, and the true gift being given to me is to be able to bring this on line,” he said. “More art, more openness, more of as many good things as possible into this world.”
Bethany Arts Community
40 Somerstown Road, Ossining
info@bethanyarts.org
