Rhinebeck, New York
Sinterklaas Festival Day
Rhinebeck, New York
"...just a smile away from Whoville with a hint of It's a Wonderful Life."
—Huffington Post
In case you can’t get to Rhinebeck in time or not at all we have made a record of this amazing project in this gallery. Scroll through all 18 years of Honored Animals, see each diorama’s artist. Click the images to enlarge them!
Ability to move through life’s obstacles with grace ~ Gentle peaceful nature ~ Sensitive ~ intuitive ~ Imbued with childlike innocence
Artist ~ ISABEL PRONTO BRESLIN inp6@cornell.edu
While most of my art has taken the form of pencil or ink drawings, I have always loved creating vignettes either through dioramas or with decorative objects. I chose the deer for this diorama because it is an animal that I feel a connection to. I decided I’d create a more naturalistic scene for it to reside in, but one that still felt cozy and comfortable, like a soft bed of moss in the midst of a cold winter forest sparkling with ice and snow. — Isabel
Teaches us to spend the winter in deep learning about ourselves, our family, and the Earth.
Artist ~ KAREN CULBRETH culbrethkaren@gmail.com
Hibernation
Lightly sleeping
This time of darkness is brief
Cubs awakening to the light that continues to shine from the joy of the season
I work in various medias. Ceramics is a love of mine connecting me to Mother Earth directly so I felt compelled to create our Bear Mama from clay. But I covered her in a cozy quilt to connect her to our human creature comforts and my connection to my ancestral quilters. —Karen
Teaches us to fly high with good will toward all ~ Song ~ Shared Communication ~ Transition
Artist ~ JENNIFER BRESLIN jennicolebreslin@gmail.com
Snow Goose – First Frost
This diorama is a 3D collage of the work of Charles Burchfield, a NY painter from the early-mid 1900s whose vivid depictions of nature I find deeply engaging and beautiful. I also have been wanting to make automatas for ages and this diorama was an opportunity to bring together an artistic inspiration and a bit of mechanical fun (with the help of Norm Magnusson – thank you!). I selected the birch grove as the setting of first frost as it was a lovely complement to black and white of the snow goose, about to embark on its migration at first frost.
—Jennifer
Turtle Island on whose back the Earth was formed ~ Home ~ Patience for oneself and other ~ Careful ~ Respite
Artist ~ FRANC PALAIA francpalaia.com
The Stega-Turtle
I usually work in a mixed media technique where I make simulated urban walls that combine painting, sculpture and photography. With my Sinterklaas diorama I used similar materials to fashion, paint, glue, and Styrofoam. My selected animal, the Turtle, which I named, “Stega Turtle” and I placed him in a prehistoric setting climbing my simulated stone mound. His shell is a plastic hardhat complete with miner’s light and he is getting close to a black and white poisonous snake which will probably be his lunch.
— Franc
Shapeshifter ~ Lawmaker ~ Dreams ~ Omen of Change ~ Possibility ~ Bringer of Light
Artist ~ MICHAEL MCGRATH mmcgrath.com
Power ~ Grace ~ Beauty ~ Nobility ~ Strength ~ Freedom
Artist ~ TINA KINSBOURNE IG @tinakinsbourne
My diorama invites the viewer into a soft and cozy atmosphere in which two horses, perhaps mother and child, are spending the cold, winter days together in a warm and homey environment. There are small details that suggest the presence of another figure, such as the farmer’s tools, the books and the hat. Does somebody come in to read to the horses to keep them company? That is up to the viewer to decide! The hand of Sinterklaas coming to greet them is a nod to his everlasting presence and the open doors of the unknown future. The horses are fascinated by the star and comforted to know Sinterklaas has come to visit them and are looking forward to joining him once again.
— Tina
Master of camouflage ~ Magic ~ Shape-shifting ~ Invisibility ~ Adaptability
Artist ~ NORM MAGNUSSON aPointedStick.blogspot.com
Fox – Nostalgia
In many cultures, the fox is a symbol of cunning and adaptability, two traits that are especially helpful when dealing with change. This sculpture is about the change that Rhinebeck has undergone in the last few years, symbolized by the “galloping” fox and by Stickles, our recently departed, beloved and timeless “five & dime” store. Two things we can always count on is the romanticization of the past and the inevitability of change.
For much of my professional life, I created allegorical animal paintings; currently, I’m a painter, sculptor, muralist, performer and host of “Correct Me if I’m Norm” on RadioFreeRhinecliff.org which is a live weekly interview show featuring folks who live or work in Rhinebeck, many of whom, I’m sure, remember Stickles as fondly as I do.
—Norm
Joy! ~ Lightness of Being ~ Playfulness ~ Bringing Folks Together ~ Resiliency ~ Sweetness
Artist: JENNIFER BRESLIN jennicolebreslin@gmail.com
Hummingbird — Illuminated Nature
In search of flowers to feed our honored and wondrous hummingbird, I turned to those found in the borders of illuminated manuscripts – an art form I adore. I created an illuminated nature book – the volume on hummingbirds – which comes to life. As the books opens, pages fall, and the gilded hummingbirds become three dimensional. The viewer is invited to an augmented reality experience – a medium I have been experimenting with for place making and community building – where the hummingbird joins the viewer on the sidewalks of Rhinebeck. Some magic from the hummingbird to you.
—Jennifer
Family ~ Community ~ Generosity ~ Sweetness ~ Productivity ~ Abundance ~ Organization ~ Wisdom ~ Love ~ Life
Artist ~ JAY BELL jbelldesigns@gmail.com
For the bees, inspired to reach the kid’s mind, the “house” represents their industry: the making of honey. “Inside” represents the bee’s dream of life as a continuum of collaboration.
—Jay
Wisdom ~ Mystery ~ Insight ~ Intuition ~ Night ~ Silence ~ Watchfulness ~ Listening ~ Fearlessness ~ Secrets ~ Dreams
Artist ~ ALYSSA GREENWAY aiz4art@gmail.comm
Owl – Winter Wings and the Warmth of Winter
Alyssa’s usual mediums are acrylic paints and charcoal, though she works digitally and sculpturally as well.
The Owl is seen as a wise and mysterious creature, often symbolic of transformation and magic. When I started I had a very different vision for what I wanted the outcome to be. A as I started building the owl and its space really started to take on its own personality of resting and resetting in the warmth of a home.
Doing the small thing to make magic often gets overshadowed by grander gestures, but it’s the small things that keep the magic alive.
—Alyssa
Family love ~ Long Life ~ Compassion ~ Deep Communication ~ Intelligence ~ Memory ~ Royalty ~ Strength ~ Altruism
Artist ~ SARAH BISSONNETTE-ADLER
Paper cutouts are my primary art form, though I also enjoy exploring other forms of artistic expression. For this piece, I incorporated my primary medium of paper cutouts into a diorama inspired by my love for elephants, my favorite animal.
The diorama contrasts a natural exterior with an opulent interior, serving as both a shrine to honor the elephant and a reminder of its role as a living, breathing creature in our natural world. Through this work, I aim to celebrate the beauty and majesty of elephants while reflecting on their connection to the environment.
—Sarah
Powerful Transformation ~ Metamorphosis ~ Renewal ~ Lightness of Being ~ Freedom ~ World of the Soul ~ Magic of Believing
Artist ~ JOANNA HESS artstudioviews.com
Longevity ~ Regal ~ Vitality ~ Deep Awareness ~ Luck ~ The Sacred Feminine ~ Endurance ~ Higher Self
Artist ~ STEVE MILLER IG@cabin19
Since my very first visit to the Museum of Natural History on a grade school field trip. I was completely mesmerized by those remarkable dioramas! I still am. They are just spectacular. So when asked to create one for a Sinterklaas Honored Animal, I knew exactly what tone and form my sturgeon would be brought to life in. It’s an homage really.
I wanted it to be as much about the riverbed environment that the fish calls home as the animal itself. I wanted it all to be a little bit magical but also representative of a world we are not privy to, that to me feels like the truly transfixing place a diorama can take us, and nobody gets there as fully and quickly as a child.
—Steve
Healer ~ Selflessness ~ Taking Care of Others ~ Change ~ Challenge Negativity
Artist ~ AUDREY FRANCIS audreyfrancis.com
When we pull pool together, we can do anything. —Kermit The Frog.
Diorama Medium: Photo collage/vintage illustration. Cut paper. Lights.
Brave ~ Hopeful ~ Modest ~ Enduring ~ Hardworking ~ Helpful ~ Accomplish anything regardless of size ~ Kindness
Artist ~ JAY BELL jbelldesigns@gmail.com
For the mouse, inspired to reach the kid’s mind, outside the “ house” represents the urban habitat because “inside,” the mouse’s true “house” is nature under the canopy of the forest.
—Jay
Innocence ~ Inner Child ~ Trust ~ Boundaries ~ Curiosity ~ Kindness ~ Joy
Artist ~ PATRICK MADDEN patrickmaddenpainting.com
Patience~ Tenacity ~ Solidarity ~ Cooperation ~ Diligence ~ Diversity ~ Unity ~ Duty ~ Perseverance ~ Strength ~ Selflessness ~ Humility ~ Sacrifice
Artist ~ TERRY NELSON IG@terrynelsonwoodworking
A special group of honored animals – 2 owls, 2 crows and a porcupine – bring Sinterklaas stars to Rhinebeck. The animals come from the magical holiday windows of Bergdorf’s past to a window in Rhinebeck.
Artist: JOHANNA BURKE burkeandpryde.com
All five stories of the Bestiary Museum, towering a mere six-feet tall, presents fine examples of art and antiquities featuring the 17 honored animals — from ancient (e.g. porcupine cave paintings) to contemporary times (e.g. Banksy elephants). And the honored animals are there as gallery goers to enjoy the art too!
Artists: NORM MAGNUSSON and JENNIFER BRESLIN
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A selection of small paintings of the Sinterklaas parade.
Artist: ELIZABETH BARNETT elizabethbarnett.art
When I moved to Rhinebeck in 2006, I immediately became an avid follower of (and believer in) Sinterklaas. Over time, this beautiful and moving occasion inspired me to begin painting images of favorite scenes and honored animals.
I grew up in New Paltz, NY and then lived in many other places in the US and elsewhere before settling in Rhinebeck, NY in 2006. I identify as a plein air oil painter but also engages other subject matter at times, aiming for a sweet spot between realism and abstraction.
My painting allows me to deeply connect with the natural world, and I seek to capture images with resonance or beauty. When possible, I paint outdoors but I am also happy painting in the studio inspired by photographs. More recently, I am having fun depicting people and their lives.
I was never formally trained as an artist but I’ve studied with a number of highly-regarded artists including, James Coe, John MacDonald, Margaret Dyer, David Lussier, Dan Graziano, and Richard Lisle. I have shown my work in juried and member galleries and shows throughout the Hudson Valley.
—Elizabeth
