Where Art Meets Community

By Ilyssa Panitz

Art and photography by Justin Negard

Nestled on 25 acres of land on Route 133 in Ossining lies a 44,000-square-foot cross-shaped building filled with some of the most talented local, national and global artists (Vietnam, Brazil, the Netherlands and more), known as Bethany Arts Community (BAC). Artists flock to BAC to create, collaborate, broaden their imagination, advance their skills and display their craft. At its core, BAC is a safe place for all to connect, regardless of age or artistic ability.

“At eight years old, I dreamt of creating a safe space for kids to connect, similar to the Fresh Air Fund,” says David Lyons, BAC’s founder.  “The arts and their importance were incorporated later.” This childhood vision became a reality in 2015, when Bethany Arts Community, Inc. purchased a building that historically served as a religious retreat for the Maryknoll Foreign Mission Sisters of St. Dominic. Shortly after opening its doors in 2018, BAC became a force in Westchester, establishing a reputation as a leading institution for art, instruction and growth. Featuring 16 full-time artist studios, nine temporary studios, numerous public classes, workshops for seniors, a full-day summer program for children and Saturday kids’ classes, Lyons manifested his childhood dream.

A chosen family

As you walk through BAC’s lobby, you pass a small library with dark wood built-ins filled with hundreds of books about art. If you turn right, you enter the first-floor corridor and come to a hallway known as the Artist’s Wing. The walls are adorned with more than a dozen works of art created on the premises, with new works hung each month. In between the works of art are 10 studios; each one has a similar structure, but they all look different, featuring each artist’s individual personality.

For example, if you peek into Dobbs Ferry resident Peter Leeds’ approximately 112-square-foot room, you’ll immediately notice his passion for realism and figurative art. There are over a dozen color and black-and-white sketches of finished pieces and works in progress, including one depicting his mom and niece. Leeds, 50 and a contemporary figurative and representational artist, divides his time between working as a manager at Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. and planting himself inside the room he’s occupied at BAC for the past seven years. “I like to keep my work close to my heart,” he says. “I draw inspiration from my family, including my wife and kids.”

Leeds is somewhat of a staple at Bethany, and everyone, including the staff, knows his name. “It’s rare nowadays to find people who have your best interest in mind,” Leeds notes. “Yet when I’m at Bethany, everybody is sincere and encouraging, generating a warm environment. That’s why I never leave.”

Diagonal from his room is sculptor John Hyde, 46, from Ossining, who lives one mile from BAC. Entering his studio is like stepping onto a Hollywood horror movie set. Greeting you is a huge six-foot, seven-inch creature with horns protruding from the far right corner. Krampus (from Austrian folklore), which Hyde created in 2019, is made of paperclay and horsehair and resembles a character from Star Wars. On the opposite side of the room is a bookcase displaying a faux bronze bust, a 28-inch regal alien-like creature and other 3D printing projects in progress. “Being at BAC has been a huge accelerator,” Hyde says. “It’s a cohesive environment where everyone bounces ideas off each other or spontaneously pops in to see how they can help.”

The concept of community is near and dear to Lyons. “It’s the foundation and heart of Bethany; I wanted it to be an important theme of this establishment,” Lyons explains. “I always envisioned a safe space where artists could connect and create through collaboration and support.” Lyons says BAC works with communities and students in Briarcliff, Bronxville, Chappaqua, Croton-on-Hudson, Hastings-on-Hudson, Monroe-Woodbury, Mt. Kisco, Mt. Vernon, Nyack, Ossining, Peekskill, Pocantico Hills, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown and more.

David Lyons, founder/board member.

Providing opportunities for young artists

In addition to providing studio space and community for local artists, BAC offers multidisciplinary and poetry fellowships for new artists. The Emerging Artists Fellowship, launched in 2023, offers four artists, who are hand-picked by a special committee, the opportunity to live at BAC in one of nine apartments for four months, receive a stipend and have their own studio space conducive to their artistic discipline. In return, fellowship recipients are required to volunteer 10 hours a week at BAC’s various events, helping with things like ticketing for a theatrical performance, assisting at a camp or working at a community outreach event. This program is partially funded via a grant from the New York Community Trust Westchester.

Recent Emerging Artist fellow Mya Seward, 25, who hails from New Rochelle and is a 2022 Fashion Institute of Technology graduate, worked in a temporary studio on the second floor. When we visited in early September, Seward’s workspace had more than 13 brightly colored (yellow, orange, pink) paintings in a variety of styles lining the floor. There were also new sketch ideas hanging on the walls, which she was knee-deep in developing. Seward says her work darts in different directions, so she likes to use a range of materials to tap into assorted subject matters. She also enjoys photography. “I was surprised when I was picked,” Seward says. “I’ve never received anything like this before. Being at BAC gave me the confidence to explore, as well as the courage to make mistakes and branch out into different areas of art.” She says BAC provided her with a solid support system, along with a strong sense of community, to help her make contacts and build a network.

Another recent Emerging Artist fellow, Kellen Cooxs, 24, of Ossining, began their fellowship after graduating from Cornell University. “Being a fellow allowed me to embrace my inner child, my freedom, my creativity,” Cooxs says. “Plus, being here was deeply personal because it allowed me to connect all the dots of my life, including my childhood, home, family, friends and education.” Cooxs is also an accomplished writer who chronicles their life; a gifted mapmaker who has designed maps of Ossining, Cortlandt, London and more; and an experienced graphic artist.

For younger artists, BAC, in partnership with ENU Builds, offers a modified version of their fellowship program for high school juniors and seniors in the tri-state area. Started in February 2024, the Teen Residency Program selects seven or eight students to spend two four-day periods at BAC, once in the fall and once in the spring. During this time, students stay in an 8’x14’ dorm room equipped with a bed, desk and access to a community kitchenette; they also receive their own private studio. The students are paired with a vetted mentor and have the opportunity to further their education about their chosen medium. This year’s application process will begin in early spring.

A hub of activity

BAC is more than a space to work and display art; it’s also an event space with a robust schedule of happenings throughout the year (regularly posted on their website). Spearheading BAC’s quarterly artist showcase is abstract graphic artist Lori Ganz, 51, of Croton-on-Hudson, whose first-floor studio is covered with over 50 small (under 18”) drawings and paintings at different working stages, featuring various depictions of shapes reimagined and repurposed to create new understandings of familiar things. The showcase, a popular attraction, is already booked through 2028. “Each year, we select four artists to spotlight, displaying each person’s work one at a time,” she explains. “It’s such a wonderful opportunity for artists to share what they do, because selling art can be tough, and here at Bethany, we like to support each other where and when we can.”

During November and December, Ganz will turn two of BAC’s floors into one big group show featuring a wide range of artists who have been affiliated with BAC over the last decade. “We will also hang pretty lights to make BAC feel more festive,” she says.

For adults of all ages and levels of experience, BAC holds a monthly Drink & Draw class, where participants sip cocktails (it’s BYOB) and sketch a model standing in the center of the room. It’s a place to get the creative juices flowing and build lifelong friendships.     

Or, if events and live action are more your speed, there are concerts, dance performances, gallery viewings, open mic nights and more happening in one of BAC’s eight event spaces. On November 22, BAC will host its annual fundraiser. This year’s theme, “Cheers to 10 Years! Reflecting on a Decade of Impact,” is taking place inside the performance space and galleries from 7 to 10 p.m. It will include silent auction items, such as artwork from BAC residents, tickets to Broadway shows as well as Knicks and Giants games, gift certificates from a variety of local businesses and more.

Lyons prides himself on being a positive mentor and cheerleader to anyone who visits. In fact, he strongly encourages BAC artists to voice their ideas to him and his team of four full-time (and one part-time) employees because BAC’s philosophy is, “What can’t we do?”

“My goal,” Lyons says, “is to continue making art meaningful for the more than 8,600 people (and counting) who have been to Bethany during the first half of 2025 alone, along with the many others who hopefully want to check us out.”

This article was published in the November/December 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.