ShoutOut Saugerties (SOS) was born out of concern for the fate of arts funding following the 2016 presidential election. Suzanne Bennett, Jeremy Russell, and Kevin Freeman formed a committee in the spring of 2017 to address budget cuts threatening the national foundations for the arts and humanities. "We were concerned about what was going to happen to the arts with a president who didn't evince any concern for the arts," says Bennett, a theater professional, who is also the executive director of the volunteer organization.
The organizers agreed that one of the best ways to keep the arts and humanities alive is to ensure that they’re an essential part of community life. "We switched our focus from a national one to a community-based one," says Bennett. "We wanted to bring attention to the large number of artists working and living in Saugerties and support what we had at home."
Now entering its sixth season, the festival launched in October of 2017 with 35 events: a pop-up gallery; outdoor concerts featuring local high school bands, rockers, and Cuban blues; a public interview with celebrity cartoon artist Joe Sinnott at Dutch Tavern; a performance by legendary performance artist Linda Montano; a discussion of food-growing by Farmers Market farmers at the public library; a series of workshops in writing, ink transfers, jewelry-making, belly dancing and yoga. The festival concluded at the Reformed Church with a moderated discussion among townspeople about ways the arts could enhance the community. To date, SOS has presented nearly 400 free or low-cost events across art disciplines at over 20 venues.
This year's season includes dozens of events and it kicks off on March 26 with a concert by violinist Lara St. John at the Reformed Church of Saugerties, to benefit a workshop performance of the opera "Penelope and the Geese" in June.
Other events throughout the summer include: Darrah Cloud's young adult play "What's Buggin' Greg?" performed by Theater of Wonder (April 9 at the Orpheum Theater); workshops, readings, and personalized haiku by Will Nixon and Sari Grandstaff in April in honor of National Poetry Month; "Harvey Fite: Let the Stone Tell the Story," an exhibition of smaller sculptural works by Opus 40's creator (Emerge Galley and Lamb Center, June 3-July 10); a workshop performance of the new opera "Penelope and the Geese" by composer Milica Paranosic and librettist Cheri Magid (White Feather Fam, June 24); Language in a Time of Crisis, selected historical speeches read by local residents (July 4, Library Green; Jazz on the Beach, music curated by Pam Pentony (dates TBD); and a village exhibition of portraits of Saugertesians by Joanne Pagano Weber in July and August. More information on the events in the SOS 2022 line-up will be released in the coming months via their website and Instagram.