Fifteen
years after O+, the organization that hosts the annual O+ Festival celebration
of art, music, and wellness in October that has revitalized Kingston and inspired
similar events in other cities, is moving its headquarters—but sticking close
to home. On June 13-14, the group will celebrate the grand opening of the new O+
Exchange space in Uptown Kingston.
At
the corner of Wall and Front streets in the historic Kingston Stockade, the new
site is located just blocks away from O+’s prior offices on Main Street.
Reflecting the association’s mission of linking independent artists and other
underserved people with the assistance of conscientious healthcare providers, the
new facility will house the O+ Exchange Clinic along with an art
gallery; pop-up music and event venue; wellness workshops, services and
lectures; an O+ merch store; storefront window project space, and more.
The
inaugural festivities jump off on June 13 with the opening of a new exhibition of
works by O+ alumni artist duo BoogieREZ, followed by a “HO+usewarming” dance
party (8-10pm) with DJ Mr. Chips, the host of Radio Kingston’s “Dollar Bin
Radio.” Refreshments will be available during the event. On June 14 at 11am, O+
staff will offer a 90-minute guided tour of the murals that have been created by
O+ artists over the years, and the new O+ Exchange storefront location will open
to the public for its first full day (the space’s weekly hours will be noon to 6pm,
Thursdays through Saturdays; submissions for new wellness clinic providers and
instrcutors are now open).
“As
the neighborhood continues to change,” say O+’s organizers, “we are proud to
remain a homegrown nonprofit organization providing access to wellness for
artists, and the broader community, while making more folks aware of the
interconnectedness, creative energy and culture of care that has been
cultivated in our hometown over the last 15 years.”
The
grand opening of the new O+ Exchange space will take place on June 13 and 14 in
Kingston. Visit the O+ website for more information.
This article appears in June 2025.
