Colored cotton canvas at BES
Meg Musgrove 
Photo by Bryant Musgrove

Colored cotton canvas at BES

Painter and printmaker Meg Musgrove will be showcasing a selection of her color studies on raw cotton canvas at BES on Main Street in Millerton, starting with an opening reception on Saturday, Nov. 11, from 5 to 8 p.m. 

With meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to quality, every piece is made with the utmost care, from the selection of the water-based inks and 100% cotton fabrics to the construction and finishing. 

Born in Los Angeles, Musgrove exhibited widely under her maiden name, Berk. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from New York University in 2001, and in 2008, she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute. 

Her work, which was narrative and personal in nature, shifted when she started a family. Musgrove explained, “When I had kids, I stopped painting so much and turned to printmaking as a way to keep my practice going.” After working for a time doing surface design for wallpaper companies, Musgrove started her own textile company (megmusgrove.com). She clarified, “Freelance just stopped being fun.”

More recently, Musgrove reignited a passion for painting by exploring color. This experimentation has led to the wall hangings, which Erica Recto, owner of BES, saw and immediately wanted to show in her shop. Musgrove emphasized: “Erica, apart from being a great person, comes to people whose work she loves and whose practice she’s interested in and puts a lot of trust in them to bring their best work to the shop. She has put a lot of trust in me in terms of what I want to bring to the shop and in doing this show. That means a lot.”

In BES’s introduction to the show, Recto writes that the work “emphasizes intuition and joy while avoiding pattern and resolution.” When asked about this idea as it relates to her process, Musgrove shared: “I always try to stop before they’re finished. There’s an uneasy feeling, and that makes it more accessible to people.” 

Her inclination to leave a touch of ambiguity invites viewers to engage with her work, she said: “Things that are too well resolved don’t leave any space for people to get into them.”

Musgrove is continuing her exploration of textiles and is excited about a journey that is leading her to find better, more sustainable materials. She said, “There’s this blurred line between the commercial textiles and my studio work, which is uncomfortable but good.” 

As she finds her way back to her narrative work, creating new stories through the intersection of her two distinct bodies of work, she mused: “They’re coming together. It’s working itself out.”

Latest News

Home field advantage holds true for Webutuck softball and baseball

Olivia Wickwire, no. 2, tags out a runner at first base. The Webutuck Warriors varsity softball team beat the Germantown Clippers 14-7 at home Friday, April 25.

Photo by Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Webutuck girls varsity softball beat visiting Germantown 14-7 Friday, April 25.


Keep ReadingShow less
Historians and neighbors celebrate Revolutionary War veterans at old Amenia Burying Ground

Tim Middlebrook, President of the Columbia Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, left, Amenia Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, center, and Amenia Historical Society President Betsy Strauss unveiled a new historical marker at the Old Amenia Burying Ground on Saturday, April 26. The marker commemorates revolutionary war veterans buried at the cemetery where the Red Meeting House once stood on Mygatt Road.

Photo By Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Tim Middlebrook of the Sons of the American Revolution and Amenia Historical Society President Betsy Strauss unveiled a new historical marker honoring Revolutionary War vets in the Amenia Burying Ground.

Rain all morning had threatened the event, but historical society members, lovers of history and sons of the revolution persisted and the rain let up just in time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton ends Earth Day week with film and talk on pervasive plastics

From left, Deborah Maier, moderator, Megan Wolff, Nicole Clanahan and Olivia Skeen.

Photo by John Coston

MILLERTON — The Climate Smart Task Force celebrated the end of Earth Day week on Sunday, April 27, with a free showing of “Plastic People,” a documentary about humanity’s relationship with plastic, cosponsored by The Moviehouse.
The award-winning film portrays a pervasive role plastic plays in our lives and explores its effect on human health, especially as microplastics.

Microplastics have found their way into human organs and even into the placentas of new mothers. The film is a call to action by science journalist Ziya Tong, who talks with scientists and undertakes self experimentation to prove her points.

Keep ReadingShow less
Amenia Planning Board calls for more detail in Keane Stud subdivision covenant study
Amenia Town Hall
Photo by John Coston

AMENIA — A report from the town’s visual impact consultant in connection with the application submitted by developers of the proposed Keane Stud subdivision led to discussion of the type of detailed information needed to satisfy local requirements at the regular meeting of the Planning Board on Wednesday, April 23.

At the April 9 meeting of the Planning Board, Keane Stud subdivision’s Senior Planner Peter Sander of Rennia Engineering had reviewed plan changes that had reduced the number of lots planned from 27 to 23 with a corresponding reduction in total acreage from 704 to 605. Changes had been made to protect the viewshed from DeLaVergne Hill, Sander said.

Keep ReadingShow less