December 2025
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SHE'S ROCKING IT in POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK!
Carrie Decker
Founder of Crazy Over ART on tour Photo Courtesy: Carrie Decker 
Carrie Shows Off the Van
Photo Courtesy: Carrie Decker |
What was the inspiration behind the founding of Crazy Over Art on tour in 2020?
While writing for an entertainment magazine in Providence, Rhode Island, I interviewed a photographer/gallery owner who turned a Fed Ex truck into a motor museum. His mission was to have art come into underserved communities where children/teens/youth can learn about art and the history of art. After retirement in 2018, I began to ponder that idea and put a personal twist on it for the Mid-Hudson Valley. How has the program grown since its founding? The program has grown from conception to visiting local flea and farmers markets to small community events. When I started, COVID-19 was just beginning to shut things down, so I had to come up with a creative plan to be available. With masked faces, we found spaces to park the van, create art with limited time, and educate children and their families about how to create art with household items. Most families were limited in funding and resources. As the pandemic was coming to an end, we found that many individuals and organizations wanted to develop creative partnerships with us. It was a win-win for all involved! What types of arts activities do you facilitate? Over the last six years, we have created over 150 unique art crafts that we have provided for over 18,000 enthusiastic artists. Our ideas come from age-appropriate direction and the use of different art materials people may have never used or venture to use in a new direction. We incorporate clay, paint, selfie-trays, team building, yoga, 3-D art, and so much more. We are most proud of the two bridge signs in Poughkeepsie located at Family Partnership and St. Simeon Apartments. What are some of the challenges of a “mobile” art program? We love challenges! We are always seeking funds for art supplies. Although we have a wonderful following of donations, we continue to write grants and accept a plethora of art supplies that are donated throughout the year. Cold weather is another challenge, since we are outside promoting and creating art. The little hands get cold. Our most challenging experience was raising money for a handicap ramp in the rear of the van. The van serves as a safe gallery space with local art for sale and most children like to hop in and create on the benches and floor. Up until last year, we could not accommodate those with walkers, wheelchairs, and baby carriages. We are now accessible. And the benefits? Seeing those smiles and completed pieces. It’s like seeing a rainbow every day! The best part is when they ask if they can take it home with someone special in mind to give it to. |
What are you most proud of? Any specific experience that warmed your heart?
I am most proud that we will be going into our 7th year in 2026! With a background in fine art, art history, and education, I have been able to make an impact in multiple communities. I continue to have support from family, friends, artists, the city of Poughkeepsie, and everyone who believes art is an important factor in life for bringing people together and breaking down social barriers. My heart is always warmed by artists who take the time to make an extra piece just for me! About Carrie
Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, and raised in the Hudson Valley, Carrie earned her bachelor’s in art history and recently completed her master’s in special education. Carrie founded the nonprofit Crazy Over ART on tour in 2019, a mobile art van that brings art to communities with limited resources. The Hudson Valley has given her many opportunities to work with diverse artists and network with emerging and seasoned local organizations. She received the Arts in Education 2025 award from Arts Mid-Hudson. She also received an award from Esparanza Dutchess County Hispanic Organization Inc. for recognition of her exemplary contribution to the community. She believes in her mission to provide creative environments to encourage and teach art and aims to promote self-awareness, imagination, and hands-on experiences for everyone.
Slideshow Photos: Crazy Over ART on Tour
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WHERE IS SHE NOW?
Fine Artist Silvina Mizrahi (Bronze Sculpture: "To Dance")
Photo Credit: Raul Mostoslavsky About Silvina
Boston-based, Argentinian American artist Silvina Mizrahi integrates her dual heritage into an interdisciplinary practice exploring connection, healing and diversity. Her work embraces figurative bronze sculpture, abstract mixed media painting, recycled material art, and community/public installations. Exhibited internationally — including at the MFA Boston, Jerusalem Center for Performing Arts, and Maison de L’Argentine, Paris — Silvina is a Selected Artist at the Cove Gallery in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Her awards include the Nathaniel Bushward Award (Copley Society) and recognition among the “100 Most Influential Latinos in Boston.” Grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and NEFA (2023) further recognize her artistic excellence and cultural influence.
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What’s new in terms of your collections or direction since you were featured in Sanctuary in 2021?
My work has taken a deeper and more introspective direction. During the quiet and uncertain times of the pandemic, I immersed myself in learning more about my ancestral roots. This exploration inspired a new choreography on the canvas, where past and present dance together through color, gesture and texture. At the same time, I became increasingly involved in community projects and public art — art that lives in the city and can be enjoyed freely by everyone. These experiences have broadened my practice and reaffirmed my belief in art as a bridge for connection and healing. Please describe your work with students with special needs from Boston Green Academy. What stands out most? Working with the students with special needs at Boston Green Academy is truly a gift. I learn so much from the time we share together — about creativity, empathy, spontaneity, and the pure joy of making art. In our sessions, I strive to create a space where each student can develop their own creative voice, working in the medium and style that feels most authentic to them. We are also committed to creating more opportunities for their artwork to be celebrated publicly because their visions deserve to be seen, valued and uplifted. What inspired your Pachamama installation? It’s beautiful. The Pachamama Installation is a tribute to Mother Earth, inspired by the profound respect that Indigenous cultures show toward nature. Growing up in northern Argentina, the celebrations honoring Pachamama were vibrant and alive — they carried a deep spiritual connection to the land. With this installation, I wanted to bring that spirit forward, honoring the wisdom of native cultures and their relationship with the earth. Much of your installation work and collaborations celebrate community. How have these projects affected you and/or the communities you’ve worked with? Community is at the heart of my most recent work. These projects have allowed me to celebrate individuals from diverse backgrounds — especially those whose voices are often underrepresented. I truly believe that art created with community helps us embrace our differences, heal together, and learn from one another. |
Is there a special memory you’d like to share?
A memory that stays with me is the day students with special needs visited the public installation we co-created for the first time titled “Under the Same Sun.” They had made mosaics inspired by symbols of nature from different native cultures. When they saw their work displayed as part of a large, renowned installation, their faces lit up with pride and joy. That moment — wordless and unforgettable — reminded me why I do this work. Slideshow Photo Courtesy: Silvina Mizrahi
Partial Artist Statement:
The “Whispers of the Rivers" installation invites us to reconnect with the natural world, to pause and imagine the stories carried by the gentle flow of water. Hanging from the branches of a tree, these recycled painted banners ripple with the wind, mirroring the currents of a river and the ever-changing rhythms of nature." ~ Silvina Mizrahi This installation was created in collaboration with Special Needs Students from Boston Green Academy. |
ASK THE AUTHOR
Susan Spence Explains Aikido's Emphasis on Self-Development, Confidence, and Inner Harmony for Practitioners
Susan Spence
Photo Credit: Alexander Kolbasov About Susan
Susan has practiced Aikido with Robert Nadeau Sensei for over 30 years, becoming, she believes, a better person, a better physical therapist, and a better healer through her training. She is currently an instructor at The Aikido Spirit Martial Arts School in Mount Shasta, California, and she is a co-author of Aikido: The Art of Transformation - The Life and Teachings of Robert Nadeau which is excerpted in Sanctuary this month.
Click Cover for Excerpt in Sanctuary.
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What is Aikido and how does it differ from other martial arts practices?
Aikido is a self-defense martial art emphasizing harmonious resolution of conflict. We practice various martial art techniques, learning to allow and blend, redirecting the “attacker’s” energy into a safe resolution of the conflict. Practitioners learn to experience the principles of settling, grounding, centering, flowing, blending, and connecting with their partners. Like other martial arts, Aikido students can progress in rank from white belt to multiple levels of black belt. However, there is no competition in Aikido since the philosophy emphasizes self-development rather than the defeat of others. Progression to higher ranks is based on students’ self-development and their ability to demonstrate the principles of Aikido in specific techniques. In Aikido all ranks train together, so beginners have the opportunity to learn from more experienced students, and senior students have the challenge and joy of learning how to guide junior students. Do practitioners receive a variety of wellness benefits? Of course, there are the obvious physical benefits of training in a physical art that promotes balance, centering, grounding and flowing movement. In Aikido the goal is to move beyond basic physical training of strength and flexibility to an emphasis on the balanced flow of energies. As we train, we learn to allow the energies within ourselves to be fully expressed. At the same time, we become more sensitive to the energies between ourselves and our partners. This can have very positive mental and spiritual benefits. We may find it easier to see from someone else’s perspective. We may achieve a more complete appreciation of ourselves and of the people around us, promoting smoother interactions with people at home, work or school. We can then develop a deeper experiential understanding of balance in our relationships whether it be with our spouse, child, co-worker, boss, employee, pet or anyone else. Aikido is a deeply spiritual art that helps develop inner harmony and harmony with the world around us. 
Susan Spence teaching Aikido in Redwood City, CA
Photo Credit: Alexander Kolbasov |
How can the practice of Aikido help with self-awareness?
On a physical level, training helps us develop an understanding of our balance as well as imbalances, both within our bodies and through our physical and energetic relationship with our training partners. Are we physically settled? Are we fully present while training? Are we balanced between right and left sides? Front and back? Are we emotionally settled? On an energetic level, are we allowing energy to flow through our bodies? Are we holding in, holding back, overwhelming or accommodating? Are we better at listening or directing (being the attacker or the receiver of the attack)? Even simple exercises and techniques help us begin to experience a better level of balance and open to our innate potential for finer levels of grounding, centering, blending and flow. Sometimes new awareness through training illuminates our limitations. Other times we gain a better appreciation of our gifts and inherent qualities. We come to appreciate that imbalances can be a doorway to finer levels of balance. Often training can push us well beyond our comfort zone to experience our fuller capabilities. The development of self-awareness is possible for anyone, at any level of Aikido. How has the practice of Aikido helped you personally? The short answer is that I would not be who I am today without Aikido. Training in this art has helped me develop on every level as a person, a healer, and a teacher. I was fortunate to find Aikido shortly after finishing graduate school and becoming a physical therapist. I was even more fortunate to find Robert Nadeau, a teacher who explained and clearly demonstrated the energetic aspects of Aikido. My perspective on the body and healing immediately changed from a mechanical perspective to an energy perspective. As a young therapist, I was fairly good at listening, much less confident with teaching or speaking. By becoming a more balanced and settled person through Aikido, I became a better teacher, more confident in my ability to speak and cope with complex situations. I learned to trust that this process will always help me refine my teaching, healing and listening skills. I work in several clinics in northern California and specialize in working with pediatric patients. These patients and their families often face difficult challenges. Aikido helps me continuously develop my ability to see through the apparent and obvious issues to sense the deeper energetic, emotional and spiritual issues these patients may struggle with. I am only capable of achieving the depth and understanding these patients need by practicing the grounding, opening and centering that I continue to learn and practice in Aikido. |
OUT & ABOUT
Eclectic Museum Wows in Bentonville, Arkansas
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Slideshow Photos: Carol Lippert Gray
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"When you arrive at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, you're greeted by a 3000 pound gold heart that appears to be magically and weightlessly suspended from the vaulted ceiling. It's the work of artist Jeff Koons and sets the tone for the rest of your visit: some surprises, some visual tricks, and lots of beautiful work that spans the life of the nation. The museum, underwritten by Walmart heiress Alice Walton, was designed by Israeli Canadian architect Moishe Safdie. It nestles into a beautiful landscape and straddles quiet bodies of water (hence the name). There's even a restored Frank Lloyd Wright house, relocated from a New Jersey flood plain, on the grounds.
Bentonville itself is a charming little town with some surprisingly good restaurants, walking and biking trails, and friendly residents. If you're looking for a little getaway that offers treats for the eye and palate, I highly recommend." ~ Carol Lippert Gray, Associate Editor, Reports
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More About Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. The museum opened on November 11, 2011, and welcomes all with free admission.
Guest amenities include a restaurant (Eleven) and Coffee Bar on a glass-enclosed bridge overlooking the ponds, a Museum Store designed by architect Marlon Blackwell, and a library featuring more than 50,000 volumes of art reference material. In 2023, the museum welcomed nearly 785,000 visitors. |
Six Women, Two Eras, One Story!
Photo Credit: Sandra Bertrand
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"I’m old enough to remember marching down Fifth Avenue in August of 1970, the fiftieth anniversary of the 19th Amendment, with the other 49,999 women, the largest women’s march in history. Time marches on fading and blurring from memory, especially among the younger generations who are fighting their own battles, but in a different, more confident way.
Imagine my surprise when I recently went to see Liberation, Beth Wohl’s new play on Broadway at the James Earl Jones Theatre. This is no rehash of the Movement’s savvy celebs, like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem, but a group of ordinary women meeting for a consciousness raising session in a community center in Ohio. The play intertwines two timelines: one set in 1970, and the other in the present day, where Lizzie, one of the daughters, passionately tries to understand her deceased mother’s ideals and the impact the liberation movement had on her life. In the words of her mother, “You want a revolution, but you want it on your terms, and you don’t want to have to give anything up.” Nevertheless, the playwright manages to show that across the generations, we have so much more in common than we might have guessed." ~ Sandra Bertrand, Travel & Culture Editor, Reports
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If you could go back to a pivotal time in history and be part of the movements that led society to where it is today, what would your role be? Would you dedicate your entire life to the cause, or would you hang on to some semblance of normalcy? ~ New York Theater Guide, Austin Fimmano Interesting Facts About James Earl Jones Theatre
The James Earl Jones Theatre, formerly called the Cort Theatre, officially opened on December 20, 1912, with Peg o' My Heart starring Laurette Taylor. The venue was originally named after John Cort, founder of the Northwestern Theatrical Association. It has always been used as a traditional theater except for the years from 1969 to 1972, when it became a television studio with the broadcast of The Merv Griffin Show. Renovation work began at the Cort Theatre in 2021, and the venue reopened in 2022 under its new name. The building is now named for James Earl Jones, the Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning actor.
James Earl Jones Theatre
138 W 48TH Street NEW YORK, NY 10036 |
Luxury Shopping 'Til You're Dropping!
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Slideshow Photos: Carol Lippert Gray
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"A New York outpost of the famed French retailer Printemps recently opened at One Wall Street. Housed in a landmarked historic building, the designers of the newly renovated interior spared no expense and flexed their most creative muscles. It's a riot of color, pattern, texture, materials, and merchandise — but in a good way! There's a full beauty spa and gorgeous merchandise from clothing to accessories to jewelry to home decor. And there are five areas where you can have anything from a coffee to a gourmet meal."
~ Carol Lippert Gray, Associate Editor, Reports
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Printemps NYC, the French luxury retailer's first U.S. store, officially opened its doors on Friday, March 21, 2025, at One Wall Street in Manhattan's Financial District. This new location brings a Parisian-style luxury shopping experience to a landmark 50-story Art Deco skyscraper, which was previously a bank.
Location: One Wall Street New York, NY 10005 Main entrance on Broadway between Wall St. and Exchange Pl. Store Hours: Monday to Sunday ~ 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
GALLERY HOP
“Sunday Funday” at Newburgh Galleries
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Slideshow Photos: Myrna Haskell
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"My husband and I spent a mid-November afternoon with our good friends Joanna and Mark popping in and out of several galleries in Newburgh, New York — two were first-time visits for me. First up was Ann Street Gallery. It was the gallery’s last week of showing “Untethered Creatures: bodies of emergent lore.” On display were quite a few unique mixed media and large sculptural works. The textile work was quite impressive. The gallery is bright and spacious. This show closed on November 23.
As we made our way over to the next gallery, we spotted “Newburgh — Portrait of a City” on the side of a brick building. Photographer Dmitri Kasterine took the photos between 1995 and 2011. This public exhibition was designed by Caroline Kasterine. Just around the corner, we found GRIT Gallery. The current featured exhibit is “Inside the Mind of Tommy Chan.” Chan is an impressionist painter. Known for his sometimes-surreal depictions of women and natural landscapes, his creations blend history and storytelling. Women emerge as a central theme in his work, portrayed with subtle strength. His work is influenced by his relationships with his wife, mother, and sisters. This show is open through January 2026. Finally, we stopped by Bank Art Gallery. Sanctuary covered an exhibit at this unique space in our August Community Compass. This time around, "The Shape of Memory" was on display. Once again, the work was impressive and extremely diverse in how the artists approached the theme. Favorites of mine were Karen Ghostlaw’s "Multiplicity in Motion," Catherine Schmitt’s "Being Watched," and the works by Elizabeth Arnold in the cozy, corner room exhibit space." ~ Myrna Haskell, Executive Editor, Reports
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THE GALLERIES:
Under the umbrella of Safe Harbors of the Hudson, a nonprofit organization that combines supportive housing and the arts, Ann Street Gallery presents contemporary art through exhibitions and programming that create new opportunities for education and immersion in the arts in Newburgh. Ann Street Gallery’s exhibitions, events and programs seek to increase arts literacy and appreciation by engaging community and promoting forward thinking and under-represented positions in contemporary practice.
GRIT Gallery is an immersive art gallery that serves to enhance the character of the City for residents, visitors and tourists alike by providing a platform for emerging and established artists to gain visibility. The gallery strives to promote new talent through exhibitions, providing creative opportunity for regional artists of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Established in 2024, and in partnership with the Gerald A. Doering Foundation, Bank Art Gallery was founded to be a beacon for the arts and serve as a cultural hub where creativity finds its home. This art space brings the community together through inspiring exhibitions and events. Its mission is to enrich the cultural fabric of Newburgh by providing a space that highlights creative expression across various mediums. The gallery supports both emerging and established artists, offering them a venue to showcase their work while fostering connections with the local community. |
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
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Facilitators: Sherry Kelly, Ph.D., Carla Marie Manly, Ph.D. and Marisa Moeller, Ph.D. Offer Advice About Staying Balanced
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LAST CALL: ANNUAL COMMUNITY PROJECT
There's still time to send your recipe for our community cookbook! 
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READER RAMBLE
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