Beacon studio hosts Night of Authenticity

The principals of Silica Studio 845 are waist-deep in running a business, but eight months ago, they decided to host a Night of Authenticity designed for locals.

"This gives people who live here something to do during the week and helps build community," says co-partner Daniela Rzepnicki. "We love the tourists, but on the weekends, you can't find your friends. And there are a lot of people who moved here in recent years, so we also want to welcome them."

On the third Thursday of every other month (next up: Sept. 18), working with singer Leah Valentine, they transform the pottery studio into a salon. Around 70 people attended in July. The suggested admission is $10, and beer, spiked seltzer and mixed drinks (especially the spicy margaritas) flowed freely. Vendors plied wares, people swapped clothes and a tattoo artist worked on Rzepnicki's ankle.

Only a few of the seven pottery wheels overseen by the other Silica Studio partner, Rachel "Ranch" Miller, got a workout. MJ DiMartino, 27, threw for the first time. "I feel creative and happy," he said. "It's a cool spot, and it's nice to make new connections. I came for the music but got so much more out of it."

When the mood lighting clicks in, Valentine grabs the mic. A couple of months ago, singer-guitarist Jessica Simkovic headlined and sang an ode to cannabis, along with the whimsical ditty "Dennis Kucinich Slept in My Bed." Before the set concluded, friends joined in and delivered three-part harmony on a Gillian Welch song.

Accompanied by bass ace Nate Allen, Juliet Strong showcased original tunes on keyboard, some of which conveyed an Irish lilt. During the performance, she praised the "listening room environment," likening it to a jazz club where people pay attention to the music.

For this month's gathering, it's Strong's turn to headline and recruit an opening act (Lea Serras, who will be the next headliner and choose her opener). Strong praised the "warm vibe" of the July gig: "I come from the folk music tradition, and it felt so intimate, like a house concert."

The location, Silica Studio's third-landing spot, opened last summer and occupies the pottery room of the old Beacon High School, now the KuBe Art Center. The space, much larger than their previous place, is spic-and-span because inhaling pottery dust (the silica) can be harmful.

Along with a well-organized wall panel holding implements for making clay sculptures or vessels from the wheel, another one hidden in a corner contains power drills and other hand tools. The partners built out the interior and are "always fixing or constructing things," says Rzepnicki, 28. "We have a pro account at Home Depot."

She created and designed the studio's logo, a "bleeding blossom that represents the dark side of femininity," she says, rendered in a twisted white neon light that is the centerpiece of a mural on the studio's long wall that features flowers and homages to ancient Japanese water waves.

Beyond seeking ways to expand their enterprise, the duo pursues individual artistic directions. Rzepnicki, a glassblower, is constructing a birdbath so large that she had to break down the kiln and rebuild it around the piece to fire it up. Besides her ceramic work, Miller is an illustrator.

"Dani and Ranch are cool young whippersnappers," says Strong. "I like being one of the old people in the room. It's great to see earnest artists and entrepreneurs going about their business without airs and making it happen."

Silica Studio 845, in Studio 109 of the KuBe Art Center at 211 Fishkill Ave. in Beacon, is open daily except Tuesday. See silicastudio845.com. For tickets to the "Night of Authenticity" on Sept. 18, see dub.sh/silica-sept-18.