In a rare off-season winter event early in the year, we convened for Nous: A Musical Rite (“Luring with Sound, but Aiming For Something Deeper” – The New York Times). Summer began with a double bill: Baltimore-based experimental rock band Horse Lords, and a debut Hudson performance from Berlin-based electronic artist Lucrecia Dalt with local favorites Palm. Our very own Freak Flag Day goth club returned with Shannon F at its helm and a few special guests to boot. We forayed into new musical territory with our launch of the 24-Hour Dronefest at the Le Guess Who? festival in the Netherlands. AND, the ultimate highlight of our year: the fourth annual Basilica SoundScape provided a sold out audience with a tightly crafted lineup of music, art, and community events. (more…)

We expanded our visual art programming this year. World renowned artist, Sterling Ruby, collaborated with us for Basilica SoundScape and created a backdrop for the stage in acid reds, yellows, and deep black which snaked up our factory walls. We also partnered with visiting galleries such as Zach Feuer of Retrospective Gallery and James Fuentes Gallery, and launched a long-dreamed-of exhibition of whale bones by Maine-based brothers, Frank and Dan DenDanto. In the shadows leading up to our annual Basilica SoundScape weekend of music and art, artist Kelie Bowman (pictured above!) of Cinders Gallery painted a large-scale mural, assisted by a team of able volunteers. Jim Krewson’s notable EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH portrait of Marina Abramovic was a hit over the weekend as well. And, thanks to the New England Foundation for the Arts, we were fortunate to kick off the season with a project close to our hearts: ECLIPSE, a work by choreographer Jonah Bokaer and avant-garde visual artist Anthony McCall.
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