‘Studio Around The Corner’ Premieres in Brewster

Less than one year after it failed to pass a critical $3.8 million bond by a slim margin, the Town of Southeast Cultural Arts Coalition is back on its feet with renewed energy.

The nonprofit took a discouraging blow last November when the residents of Southeast and Brewster voted against a proposed bond that would help revitalize and renovate the Old Town Hall on Route 6. The Coalition envisioned a cultural center for community-based events to fill the empty space of Southeast’s former town hall, including the museum that occupies the second floor.

Mindful that people were facing tough economic times, board members Bob Zubrycki and Judy Marano realized many people had been in favor of passing the bond—and it was up to them to do something about it. Thus, The Studio Around the Corner was born.

“We had our grand opening on Founders Day,” Marano said. “There was a lot of sentiment and excitement about the Studio—that we’ve done something and we’re moving forward—and you could really feel it in the room.”

The multi-use art gallery welcomed nearly 200 guests during Brewster’s annual street fair, with its renovations newly in place. The Studio received help from Frank Funigiello of Confident Home, Inc., who donated his time and services to give the space the look and appeal of a New York City gallery.

“It was simply taking down the ceiling, painting and installing the LED lights,” Marano said. “We didn’t take down any walls, we didn’t do anything structural—it was all purely cosmetic.”

Hanging artwork is a large departure from the Old Town Hall’s original purpose. Before the Southeast Town Board held its meetings there, residents would come to pay traffic tickets, as it served as the town’s traffic court.

Local artists can display their artwork for a small donation. The space will also double as a multi-purpose workroom, where community members can host workshops, lectures and other programs.

“We foresee having art on the walls at all times and having many events here,” Zubrycki said. “We want a full calendar of use.”

For now, however, the Studio does not require any fees to showcase one’s work. Based solely on donations and a membership program, Marano and Zubrycki have relied on public enthusiasm to drive the Studio into existence.

“Once you add a price to it, you make it inaccessible to many people,” Marano said. “You’ve excluded so many people that could potentially use it, and we don’t want to do that—it’s a community space.”

With the gallery set into place and interest growing amongst local artists in the community, Zubrycki and Marano hope to extend their efforts up to the third floor of the former town hall. With the ability to seat about 325 people, they hope to one day restore the building’s theatre, adding a central communal space for the residents of Putnam—something uncommon within the borders of the county.

“When I was a high school student, we used to come perform here at the Old Town Hall,” Zubrycki, a professional violinist, said. “It made quite an impression on me, and when I moved to Brewster in 1999, I was shocked to find it was closed.”

Hoping to build a broader relationship with the community, the Coalition hopes that both the studio and a potential theatre will one day become a permanent fixture in Brewster and Southeast.

“I want it to be off the tips of people’s tongues,” Marano said. “I would like [the Studio] to be the place where people go to do something new and different in Brewster—I want it to be that place.”

Adam Stone

Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.