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Sweetheart's Dolls
Region: Saratoga
Description: Q&A: Lions and tigers and dolls, oh my! KEVIN GOODWIN, The Saratogian11/29/2005 Carolyn Isenberg ä Business: Sweetheart's Dolls ä Position: Owner ä Phone: 584-6362 ä Location: 368 Broadway (between The Shoppe and Impressions) second floor, rear suite 18 ä Web site: www.sweetheartsdolls.com ä Hours: Holiday hours Thursday and Friday 4 to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Also, she "is available almost anytime it is convenient to the customer." How long have you been in business? Six years now. Have you always been at this location? Yes, I am expanding my space, though. Do you make the dolls here? No, I go to trade shows and meet artists. Once you know an artist, they e-mail you and are in contact year-round. They'll let me know when they come out with new dolls. How many artists do you deal with? I represent about 30 artists and manufacturers. How many dolls do you have on hand for display? Between 200 and 300, but I have more in my inventory. I also have an assortment of Wizard of Oz dolls. One set is by Virginia Turner. They are licensed dolls and I have set No. 3 out of 50. All of the dolls are 35 inches tall and have bendable fingers. The Cowardly Lion comes with his badge of courage, the Tin man has his heart clock that ticks, Dorothy has her basket with Toto and the Scarecrow has his diploma in hand. I think they belong in the Children's Museum or in the library. How much does one of these dolls cost? It ranges from $15 to $3,500. There is something for everyone. Is most of your business over the Internet? Yes, but I'm increasing my business in the store. I ship all over the world. My customers become my friends, because I don't use a cart on my Web site. I'm in contact through e-mail so I get to know them. Using a cart is too impersonal and dolls are very personable to me. I think people buy dolls with their hearts. How did you get interested in this business? I started collecting and it grew and grew. How did you come up with your name? Sweetheart's Dolls reflect my inner child. I love when people come in because it's like I'm showing of my grandkids. I love what I do. How would you describe the looks of the dolls? They are all unique; I try to have a doll that reflects to everyone. Do you have a specific client base? You don't have to be a doll collector to have dolls. They are a work of art. Who would these dolls be a good gift for? It's the best gift you can give yourself because it's a gift to your inner child. Do you have any interesting stories about your dolls? The movie "The Skeptic" that was being filmed in town was looking for an antique doll because it has a roll in the movie. I don't carry antique dolls, but in the movie the doll has to fall down stairs. They came to me for a body doll double so I gave them a vinyl doll to use. Is there anything you'd like to add? I'll be open for the Victorian Streetwalk Thursday night. ©The Saratogian 2005
Contact: Carolyn Isenberg
Phone: 518-584-6362
e-mail: carolyn@sweetheartsdoll.com
www: http://www.sweetheartsdolls.com

Gallery 100
Region: Saratoga
Description: New Broadway gallery taps top talent. MAE G. BANNER, For The Saratogian November 01, 2001 What: New gallery opening with ''Landscapes Here & Now,'' works by six regional artists. Where: Gallery 100, 445 Broadway, 2nd floor, Suite A, Saratoga Springs. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Open until 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Walk around downtown Saratoga Springs. Your strong first impression probably will be of a town permeated with art. Outdoor walls are covered with murals, shop windows frame avant garde glass vases or antique silver pitchers. Even the coffeeshops do double duty as art galleries, opening a new show on the first Thursday of every month. So, why would anyone decide to open another art gallery on Broadway? ''If it really comes down to it, there aren't that many art galleries in Saratoga Springs,'' said Jim Lowe. Lowe and his partner, Deborah Martin, are remedying that by opening the door today to a new retail and commercial fine arts gallery. Called Gallery 100, it's upstairs at 445 Broadway, a couple of doors south of Soave Faire. Their first show, opening with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. with the artists, will be part of the city's monthly First Thursday art openings. A check of the listings in the Yellow Pages shows that Martin and Lowe are right when they say Gallery 100 fills in a missing piece in the downtown art scene. Of a dozen listings under Art Galleries, six are outside the city limits or in Washington County; two are primarily framing businesses; one is an antique shop; one is an art supply shop; and one is open only in August. That leaves only one art gallery downtown. Looks like Gallery 100 is opening just in time. ''We're going to be showing original, quality work by regional artists. We think Saratoga is ready for a real art gallery,'' Lowe said. The inaugural show, ''Landscapes Here & Now,'' features oils, gouaches, ceramics and sculptures by six artists, including Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Harry Orlyk and three-time Yaddo resident Laura Von Rosk. Also showing their work are Dana Clancy, David Gordon, Robert Moylan, and Regina Wickham. The landscape theme encompasses a broad range of artistic viewpoints. Orlyk, who lives in Salem, paints the hills and barns near his home, creating sensitively rendered landscapes that appear placid at first glance, but that often reverberate with an environmentalist's cautionary eye for industrial intrusions on these quiet places. His oils on linen are mounted on board and are unframed, by choice, as if to tread lightly in the gallery setting. In contrast to Orlyk's quiet, but provocative vistas, Von Rosk paints bold dream landscapes in strong browns and greens, layering her oils with glazes to create a hard, shiny surface. Her works may stem from places she remembers, but she remakes her memories into surreal compositions of dips and ditches, tree stumps and smoldering fires. In all, there are 45 paintings, sculptures and ceramic or paper artifacts displayed in the roomy 700-square-foot gallery with its 11-foot high ceiling and two cathedral-like arched windows facing onto Broadway. The refurbished space has one brick wall and a newly-painted wood stove that Martin says they plan to use when winter sets in. Together, Martin and Lowe have the experience needed to run a viable art gallery. Martin, a painter and printmaker, is a former board member of the Saratoga County Arts Council and was head of the gallery committee at The Arts Center. Lowe was a marketing executive with a love for art. They say that Gallery 100, five years in the planning, is not a hobby or a sideline, but a full-time commitment. They have signed a three-year lease and will be open from Wednesday through Sunday with evening hours on Thursday and Friday. Exhibiting artists have signed contracts that permit Lowe and Martin to keep their work for one year, making it available for purchase by individuals, corporations, as well as builders and interior decorators, who choose original artworks to furnish model homes. ''We're trying to develop a group of artists that we can represent and support,'' said Martin, who has drawn on her first-hand knowledge of regional artists' work to plan and curate the inaugural show. ''Everyone I asked was anxious to show in Saratoga,'' she said. ''We have shows planned till next September.'' December's show, Saratoga Scapes, will include Stu Eichel's rugged paintings of local facades and David Gordon's colorful scenes. Gallery visitors can expect to find paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures and ceramics. ''Our main focus is painting, but the idea is to always have as many different kinds of artists as we can. When people walk up the stairs, they need to have a lot to look at. It's not a minimalist gallery,'' Martin said. ''We certainly hope to have a positive effect,'' Lowe said. ''Our attitude is the more galleries the better.'' Two beautiful minds: Deborah Martin and James Lowe enjoy life as artists, business partners MAE G. BANNER, For The Saratogian March 16, 2002 They met five years ago at an August porch party on Union Avenue. Deborah Martin, an artist in oils and handmade artists' books, and James Lowe, then a corporate marketing executive, have been partners ever since, in business and in life. The most recent fruit of their partnership is Gallery 100, a large, light-filled upstairs room at 445 Broadway that specializes in group shows in many media. The gallery opened in November with a wall-to-wall party of more than 300 potential art buyers who were moved by the landscapes of Harry Orlyk and the wood sculptures of John Van Alstine. ''We sold 30 paintings during that first show,'' Martin said. ''Our accountant says we're doing really well.'' The artists' connection began in a casual way, as they turned over the idea of starting a summer gallery on Lowe's porch at 100 Union Ave. ''We thought we'd do it as an August thing,'' Lowe recalled. Then, over the next few years, their lives changed drastically, and their partnership strengthened and became more focused. Sitting in the sunny front office of Gallery 100, Lowe recounted his passage from the corporate world to the quieter and more spiritually rewarding world of working with artists. ''I had a heart attack, bypass surgery and a stroke,'' Lowe said. ''My career as a corporate marketing executive ended.'' After the heart attack and surgery in 1997 and the stroke in 1999, Lowe said he had to re-evaluate his life. ''I went to Sunnyview Hospital in Schenectady, where they completely changed my life,'' he said. ''I couldn't walk, couldn't talk. They rehabbed me. I did 'constraint therapy,' where they immobilize your good side to force you to use the weaker side, which is my left side.'' Lowe said he still can't do fine finger tasks like tying his shoes, but coming from a family that included artists, he was ready to pursue the idea of opening a retail and commercial art gallery. ''Deb and I had been thinking more about the gallery. We began to work with the West Side Artists Studio Project (now called FISH) and then, we stumbled on this space,'' Lowe said. ''It was the right place at the right time.'' Martin had been co-director of the West Side venture to establish an arts district on Beekman Street, but stepped away to launch Gallery 100. The mid-downtown space had been a beauty salon and then a combined studio and storage area. ''The landlord carted away many wagonfuls of stuff,'' Martin said. Martin, who has taught painting at Skidmore College and Green Mountain College in Vermont and won awards in group shows from Lake Placid to Cooperstown, called on her artist friends offering to show their work at the new Gallery 100. At the same time, Lowe put his entrepreneurial skills to work to organize the business end of their joint enterprise. They plan monthly shows around broad themes, such as landscapes, figurative work or gardens. This allows them to show work in many media -- oils, acrylics, watercolors, sculpture, prints -- by as many as half a dozen artists. They chose this broad-gauged approach as the best way to connect people to art and artists. ''I think the most important thing is to educate our customers about the artists, their world, what they're trying to do,'' Martin said. ''We like the art buyers to meet the artists, to talk with them and ask questions about their work.'' Many of the artists will be present for the April 6 opening reception of ''8 From the Series/In Art's Footsteps,'' a show of contemporary landscape paintings that connects today's artists with the territory of the Hudson River School painters of the late 1800s. The show, which features Adirondacks landscapes by Saratoga Springs-based artists Anne Diggory and Catherine Minnery, grew from an idea by New York Times reporter Kirk Johnson, who wanted to find the ''lost places'' in the Catskills and Adirondacks where Thomas Cole and Frederic Church made their vigorous scenes of mountains, lakes and waterfalls. For one of his stories, Johnson accompanied Minnery and Diggory deep into the Adirondacks, backpacking six miles into the High Peaks Wilderness Area to find the Flume, a rocky spot near the Opalescent River, where Alexander Helwig Wyant came in the 1870s to paint the waterfalls and rapids. Interestingly, Wyant, like Lowe, was recovering from a stroke when he made his Flume paintings. He had to relearn to paint, working with his left hand instead of his right. Johnson's 10-part series, ''In Art's Footsteps,'' culminated in a group show at a New York City gallery, which included Diggory's large-scale acrylics of the Flume and Minnery's charcoal drawings of nearby Lake Colden. Lowe and Martin read the New York Times articles, sent a friend to the city to see the show, and knew they needed to bring it home to Saratoga Springs. ''This is our most important show,'' Lowe said. ''I believe these landscapes, done in sharply differing styles, are a collective tribute to a powerful idea -- the idea that art connects us all. ''Art connects these artists to each other and connects them through time to the Hudson River painters because the contemporary painters are painting the same places as the Hudson River School, but in a different way,'' he said. ''They walked where the Hudson River painters walked, painting where they painted. ''I believe art connects us all, across time and space, to the earth and the imagery that's as vibrant today as it was when Cole and Church were painting.'' Lowe always has had an affinity with artists. But, he says, Martin has taught him how to see. ''Deb taught me about negative space (the space around the painted shapes). She taught me to look and really see colors, lines, brush-strokes,'' he said. Martin knew she was an artist when she was in the third grade. ''We had this project about animals. I did this enormous drawing of hibernating bears. My teacher put it up and said, 'This is so wonderful,' and then I knew,'' she said. With degrees in studio art and painting from Skidmore's University Without Walls and SUNY Albany, Martin has exhibited in dozens of group shows and solo shows. Her artists' books, fashioned from handmade paper and filled with her prints and poems, were part of a recent exhibition, ''Book/Ends Conference'' at the Albany Center Galleries. It was Lowe who taught Martin she could write poetry. ''Jim changed the way I make things,'' she said. ''Together, we have made healing books. The paper, I make from plants in my garden: echinacea, poppies, herbs. (She took the course at Cornell to become a certified Master Gardener.) You touch the paper, look at the prints, read the poems.'' Lowe treasures Martin's book about ''them taking my heart out of my body. She made her own paper, the prints, the poetry. I said, 'Nothing I could write would be as good as what you could write,''' Lowe said. ''We have collaborated on other artists' books. One was called 'Lust,' because lust can be healing.'' ©The Saratogian 2002
Contact: James Lowe and Deborah Martin
Phone: 518-580-0818
e-mail: deb@gallery100.net
www: http://www.gallery100.net

Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery
Region: Saratoga
Description: The innovative exhibitions and programs serve as cultural experiences and educational exchange between the Skidmore College campus and the community. The museum's director and curator work to address and deconstruct the conventional barriers within museums, displaying and combining all kinds of media and artifacts from different eras. MATT LIEBOWITZ, For The Saratogian October 12, 2001 We're pushing the boundaries of what a museum can be,'' says Charles Stainback, director of the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College. The Tang, a geometrically striking building, opened 10 months ago, and has drawn nationally renowned exhibits which have not attracted as many local visitors as hoped. Perhaps because of the museum's unusual appearance, Stainback says, ''People have preconceived notions about what the Tang will be like.'' But he urges people to set aside any hesitation, stressing that ''Once inside, you see a beautiful, warm space.'' Admission to the Tang is free and open to the public, but even this, according to Stainback, seems to have kept visitors from exploring the museum. ''People think there's less of a value because we're free,'' he says, but continues by defending the reputation of the new museum. ''I'm not lowering the bar just because I'm in Saratoga Springs,'' he said. Stainback is no stranger to the artistic community. He spent 15 years working at the International Center of Photography in New York City, moving to Saratoga Springs to head up the Tang in October, 2000. He proudly considers his new venture, ''as important a museum as in any major city.'' The variety of exhibits at the Tang is something Stainback is truly proud of, citing in particular the Paradise Now exhibit, subtitled ''Picturing the Genetic Revolution,'' which opened Sept.15 and continues until Jan. 6, 2002. The Tang showcases many engaging and different kinds of work, often incorporating interactive as well as highly technological elements, in addition to world-class pieces of art. According to Stainback, the Tang is not merely a stopover for important exhibits from major cities. Rather, many exhibits are developed at the museum, then travel to other better-known hubs of the art world, such as Montreal and New York City. Unfortunately, some preconceptions about the museum have, in Stainback's opinion, kept the local community from exploring the Tang's rich resource of diverse exhibits and programs. He feels that the Saratoga community hasn't fully embraced the museum because they think it's primarily for Skidmore students, or that it is a museum that doesn't need the support of the community. ''If the community is not involved, then the Tang is a failure,'' he said. In addition to featuring world-class art exhibitions, the museum also is the site of musical performances, such as summer's on the roof-top concerts, and provides a platform for some renowned speakers and authors -- one this summer came from best-selling author Joyce Carol Oates. The cost of regular advertising is an expense Stainback feels he can creatively avoid. He feels that exposure and community involvement will provide very important advertising in itself. He''s proud of the word of mouth that has spread about the Tang, referring to children who come on field trips, (the Tang has a partnership set up with schools in Schuylerville). ''They get enthused about what they see and tell their parents,'' he said. Stainback believes this is a great starting point for increasing interest and bringing in the local community, who may not realize ''There's a good resource right down the block,'' he said. Understandably, the first year of the Tang was somewhat of a building experience, but Stainback is confident of the role his museum will play in the future of Saratoga Springs. ''We're still trying to break into the lives of everyone in Saratoga,'' Stainback said. Noting the obvious tourist draw of Saratoga Springs, Stainback remains hopeful and confident that over the next eight months, the Tang will become just as much a part of everyone's routing as going to the track in the summer. ©The Saratogian 2001
Contact: Charles Stainback, Barbara Schrade, Susi Kerr
Phone: 518-580-8080
Fax: 518-580-5069
e-mail: bschrade@skidmore.edu
www: http://tang.skidmore.edu/

Attractions

Champlain Canal Tour Boats
Region: Schuylerville
Description: Ride the tour boat SADIE through Champlain Canal Lock 5. The lock is one of the highest on the Champlain Canal System. Parking and Boat Tour are approximately 10 minutes north of Schuylerville, NY. Look at NYS canal system for more information about the state system. Foster's cruises are local getaway: Staff reports, The Saratogian November 06, 2001 Bob Foster's business gives boat tours on the Champlain Canal in Schuylerville. CLARK BELL/The Saratogian Business Q & A: Bob Foster Position: Founder/owner of Champlain Canal Tour Boats LLC, Lock 5, Schuylerville. Are you a Schuylerville native? I lived most of my adult life in the Boston area. I discovered Schuylerville while bringing a boat up from Atlantic City to Vermont as a favor for a friend. That introduced me to the canal system and the Hudson River. I thought it was very unique, and I've planned ever since then to find a way of getting up here and starting a little business. Is there something in your background that prepared you to be a tour boat captain? I was a civil engineer and went into marine construction. I started as a design draftsman, but worked my way up to a position where I was responsible for scheduling tugboats and barges. I felt an obligation to know more about boat operations, so I began training on the boats as an operator. I eventually sat for my captain's license and got it. Did you also boat for pleasure? Oh yeah, I've been a pleasure boater all my life. When I was a kid, my father had a little tugboat. I would go with him whenever he would let me. How long have you been here? I came up in August 1997 and started this business with the small boat, the Sadie. I had begun negotiations with the New York Canal Corporation in October of the previous year to see if we could find a place up here that they would allow us to lease. How did you get started? First I had to find a boat that fit the canal system. Bridge clearance is the main problem. The Sadie was built by a small company in Victor that had been in the fiberglass business and decided to try building boat hulls. They built the Sadie in response to a request by Disney that boat designs be submitted for consideration in a new tour boat project. They didn't win the contract, so they advertised it for sale. I thought it would make a good starter boat for the purposes I had in mind. What about the larger boat? We had the Sadie for three years and the business was coming together pretty well. We had known all along that we would need to have something that could handle a busload of people. We also wanted to offer food service, have restrooms onboard and give passengers room to wander around. The Caldwell Belle was the next logical step. I found the Caldwell Belle in West Monroe, Louisiana. It has a lot of eye-appeal because it's a genuine paddle wheeler and has a nice old-fashioned look to it. What are the capacities of the two boats? The Sadie can hold 18 passengers; the Caldwell Belle can hold 60 passengers. Are you open year-round? We open on Mother's Day and close down a week or two after Columbus Day. Are the boats inspected? The boats are inspected by the Coast Guard once a year, and I have a certified captain's license that I recertify every five years. ©The Saratogian 2001 Byway through area gets national attention JENNIFER MAPES, The Saratogian June 15, 2002 The Lakes to Locks Passage, which includes Route 4 from Waterford to Whitehall, has been named an All-American Road, one of only 33 in the country. The 234-mile byway encompasses roads along the Champlain Canal, Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River in Quebec, running from Waterford to Canada. Locally, its features include the Saratoga Monument, Saratoga National Historical Park, Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery and the General Schuyler House. Lakes to Locks joins byways including Oregon's Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, California's Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway and Louisiana's Creole Nature Trail as newly-designated All-American Roads. To become an All-American Road, the road must be archaeologically, culturally, historically, naturally, recreationally and scenically significant. The road must be a ''destination unto itself,'' according to the Federal Highway Administration. Thirteen All-American Roads were announced Thursday by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. An additional 23 roads were named National Scenic Byways, a designation that had less stringent requirements than the All-American Roads. ''America's Byways are roads to the heart and soul of America,'' Mineta said in a statement to the press. The National Scenic Byways Program was established by Congress in 1991 as a means to preserve byways and promote tourism and economic development. While there's no official monetary award for winning the All-American Road designation, local member of the Lakes to Locks Passage steering committee Cindy Allen said the passage will become eligible for National Scenic Byways funding. The passage will also be marketed nationally by the federal government. The National Scenic Byways Program Web site, www.byways.org, already features a detailed description of Lakes to Locks. More importantly, Allen said the designation should bring in a new crop of tourists to local destinations along the road. ''They are going to see a sharp increase in the people who are requesting information,'' she said. Shops and monuments won't be the only ones to benefit from the road's new status. ''I think the biggest impact is to make residents realize how important their resources are,'' Allen said ©The Saratogian 2002
Highlights: Watch the locks in full operation.
Contact: Captain Robert Foster
Phone: 518-695-5609
Fax: 518-695-5229
e-mail: rlfcanal@capital.net
www: http://www.champlaincanaltours.com