By noon on Saturday, Sept. 13, Purchase Street was buzzing as “Art for Purchase,” the inaugural art festival sponsored by the Rye Arts Center, officially kicked off.
On a bench near the John Christopher Salon, former Rye resident and current wine importer Stephen Brauer leaned against his bike, catching his breath and admiring the window display.
“I think it’s always good to support local artists,” he said. “And it’s always a good idea to meet your customer where they shop, as opposed to just having it in a gallery.” Brauer had pedaled into town after taking the train from Stamford for his regular haircut with Johnny, planning to ride on afterward to the beach near Playland.
Inside the salon, six pieces filled the front window, anchored by “Who Waits,” a large oil painting by Cécile Roberfroid.
“That piece really stood out to me,” said salon manager Janet Magama, noting how it echoed the female silhouette pattern of the salon’s back-room wallpaper. “Styling hair is like an art, and our logo is art and beauty. So, it all blends together.”
Clients under foils and driers leafed through magazines, as the bluish-gray tones of the paintings seeped into the room and complemented the salon’s calming atmosphere.
After months of planning, the event transformed storefronts into mini galleries, weaving local and regional artwork into the daily rhythm of downtown life. The exhibit goes until Oct. 11. Each piece comes with a QR code, making it easy for passersby to buy art on the spot, supporting both the artists and the Arts Center, the nonprofit behind the project.
At Love Bella, a few doors down from the salon, bold mixed-media-on-wood works by Jessica Maricevic, a Rye Record contributing writer, blazed from the boutique’s windows. Titles like “Too Much?” “Too Bad,” and “Don’t Just Say Anything” reflected her New York grit and pop-culture flair. “Jessica’s actually a customer of ours,” said store manager Ali Klaber. “She knew our vibe — contemporary women’s fashion, bright colors, patterns — and picked art that matched it.”
Art and wellness met head-on at the Drip Bar. Owner Andrea DellaMura, a two-time cancer survivor and longtime Rye resident, provides IV therapies for hydration, energy, and immunity. Her shop now features the mystical paintings of Megan Emily Ely, who is known for her fantastical and surreal style.
“What we do here is holistic, and we work with energy,” DellaMura said. “So anytime I can support nonprofits like the arts center, I’m all in.” A stash of Ely’s business cards included tiny trinkets that made visitors feel like they’d gone trick-or-treating.
Across town, the historic Square House Museum glowed with the vibrant fabrics of Susan Deshensky’s quilts. Featured in 27 magazines and even on PBS quilting shows, her work is a testament to the art of craft.
“It’s a different kind of art,” she explained. “Not a painting, but people love the textiles and colors and square patterns. It brings another perspective.” Even her business cards carried that flair: each one printed with a different quilt design on the back, colorful enough to make you fish it out of your purse later and picture it on that empty wall at home.
At Rafele Rye, Robert Cotnoir’s still lifes of fruit (and a chicken pecking at a cracked egg, cheekily titled “What?”) mingled with the clink of brunch plates and the chatter of families on the patio. Nearby, at Hudson Paul Salon, abstract paintings by Peru-born artist Anelisa Calmet caught the eye of anyone browsing hair products — styling mousse, deep conditioner, and art to-go.
The day began at the Village Green, where kids clustered around an arts table, young musicians from the Rye Arts Center’s music program played, and a massive used-book sale spilled out of the Rye Reading Room. Two artists had set up on the lawn: Rye Record chief photographer Alison Rodilosso, showing black-and-white depictions of Rye landmarks like Edith Read Sanctuary and the Playland flume ride; and JoAnn Cancro, whose digital photos printed on metal shimmered with color and light, from frozen flower petals to waves reminiscent of Dale Chihuly glass.
Back on Purchase Street, Rye couple Michael Bernstein and Patricia Kobbetts, who live within walking distance to the village, strolled past the storefronts, pausing to admire the range of works on display.
“The idea is wonderful,” Bernstein said. “The media is so varied and interesting. We’re looking for something that really grabs us.” Though they hadn’t yet found the perfect piece to take home, Kobbetts suddenly paused at a window. “Maybe that would make a nice gift for our grandson,” she said, drifting toward the display.
A man on a coffee run ducked inside Woodrow Jewelers after spotting Jennifer Poulos’s hummingbird glass mosaic in the window. He asked shop owner Robert Woodrow to set it aside for his wife, a huge fan of hummingbirds.
“Jewelry is art too,” explained Woodrow, pointing to a display case filled with jewels and pocket-knives made of natural materials and resin. “A mosaic is no different than a necklace or a ring.”
Even errands had an artistic twist. At Rye Camera Shop, Andrea Santora swung by post-yoga to pick up graduation prints ordered months before and discovered David Kaplan’s photography on display. Owner Anja Porto, a photographer for The Rye Record, said, “It’s nice to participate and help promote the program.” Incidentally, Santora, who lives in Harrison, takes Zumba at the Rye Y — where she first heard about “Art for Purchase” from her classmate, Rye artist Meera Agarwal, whose paintings were on view up the street at Elissa Grayer Interior Design.
By day’s end, Purchase Street felt like an open-air gallery, with art tucked into salons, cafés, and shop windows.
At Pawz on Top, the eyes in Vanina Grovit’s digital dog portraits gazed out from a display of toys and treats, with QR codes ready to scan for adoption and maybe even a new best friend.
Correction: This story was updated to reflect that Jennifer Poulos’ art is located at Woodrow Jewelers, not Royal Jewels, and that Poulos’ works are glass mosaics, not textile.
