15 Dec Live 4 Art with Ned Reade

There’s an art gallery in Pawling, perfectly situated between McKinney & Doyle and the Book Cove, where weekend visitors and art lovers can see a new exhibit by a variety of artists just about every month.  We recently met up with gallery owner Ned Reade to learn more about it.

      Ned Reade is well-known around Pawling–his beautiful watercolor paintings can be found on the walls of many local businesses and organizations.  In 2020 Ned retired from a 45-year teaching career at Trinity-Pawling, where he steadily grew their art department into the flourishing program that it is today.  Ned is also President of the well-regarded Pawling Concert Series, a position he’s held since 1976.

      Like a few other local businesses here in Pawling (NicolJoeNY Boutique, T & M Rustic Home), the Live 4 Art Gallery opened during the COVID pandemic in  2020.  Ned’s wife Maria suggested that he rent the newly empty storefront in the Dutcher House to be an art studio and gallery, because he was about to retire from Trinity-Pawling and was planning to paint full-time.

        Ned and Maria signed the lease in June and spruced up the gallery, painting the walls and installing crown molding for hanging works of art.  One of the rooms in the back is dedicated to storing and framing Ned’s paintings.

       “So the first month, I hung some of my watercolor paintings, and every weekend I would dutifully sit in the gallery for eight hours a day.  But of course, we were only allowed to have two people in the gallery at a time, and we couldn’t hold any art openings.  The following month, I hung some of my oil paintings and did the same thing, and it was really mind numbing. I realized I needed to come up with another model for the gallery.”

        Ned decided to open up the gallery to other artists, renting it out on a monthly basis, and it has been a thriving cultural hub ever since.  The artists are responsible for hanging and marketing their own shows and for staffing the gallery during open hours.  Sometimes groups of artists will rent the space, other times it’s all the work of one artist.  Ned never asks for a commission for the art that is sold, and loses a little money each month paying the utilities and other expenses, but he is happy to do so, considering it a way to support the arts and contribute to the community.

         Ned says that some of the artists do quite well, earning $5,000 – $7,000 from a show, if they are aggressive about selling and keeping the gallery open plenty of hours. The gallery not taking a commission is unusual, and helps the artists earn more for their work.

          “When I’ve sold my work at galleries in Connecticut, they’ve taken 40% commission—and some galleries in New York take 60%,”said Ned.

          Ned enjoys discovering new artists from near and far, and is proud of the diversity of art featured at the gallery.  Last year the gallery hosted a show by two artists from Afghanistan, featuring multi-layered paintings and pottery. On the day we visited, the gallery was showing oil paintings by Hudson Valley artist Forrest Shepard. Recently they hosted a sculpture show, featuring the work of three local sculptors.

           Ned continues to paint and show his own work, too–not just in Pawling, but also in Vermont, where he and Maria have a second home.  He’s involved in a similar gallery in Vermont and also participates in the music scene there as well, so Ned is active in supporting visual arts and music in both places.  Seeing the tremendous amount of work Ned puts in, organizing and promoting both the Pawling Concert Series and the Live 4 Art Gallery in Pawling, and his similar efforts in Vermont–it’s impossible not to admire the cultural gifts that he’s brought to his two communities and the exposure that he’s given to so many artists and musical performers.

          In addition to all of Ned’s other “retirement” activities, he teaches watercolor painting classes at the gallery during the winter months.  Because January and February are slow in Pawling, Ned doesn’t rent it out for those months, leaving the annual Holiday Show in December up until March.  During that time, Ned teaches in-person watercolor classes at the gallery that are also live-streamed by a friend who is a professional videographer, allowing him to work with students from all over the country and the world.

           Speaking of the annual Holiday Show, the 6th Annual Holiday Show, featuring the work of ten artists, will have an opening Friday December 5  from 5 -7 p.m.  The show will display art suitable for holiday gift giving, including paintings, photography, jewelry, glass, hand-painted tote bags, and hand-crafted wooden cutting boards. Participating artists are Gretchen Abene, Bill Prickett, Lonna Kelly, Jacob Burruby, Frana Baruch, Doreen O’Connor, John Colontuono, David Morrison, Kathleen Heidemann,  and Ned Reade.  The gallery will also participate in Pawling’s popular Champagne Stroll on December 13th, so be sure to stop by.

           Before leaving the gallery, we had to ask Ned one last question–where did the name “Live 4 Art” come from?

            “It’s my license plate, “ Ned laughed, “Maria came up with the idea–for the license plate, not the gallery, and we decided to use it for the gallery, too.”

             To learn more about Live 4 Art visit their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Live4ArtGallery

–by Amy Emke