Dia:Beacon - Beacon, NY - Contemporary Conceptual Art Gallery

The Dia:Beacon-Riggio Galleries is located at 3 Beekman Street in Beacon, NY. Beacon, NY is located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River. The building is a renovated Nabisco facility that was originally built in 1929 and was donated to the Dia Art Foundation in 1999. The Foundation was given over $30 million by Leonard Riggio, the businessman usually associated with Barnes & Noble booksellers, in order to develop the building. The Dia:Beacon was opened in 2003 and houses its collection in the 250,000 square foot facility.

The Dia:Beacon was established and is operated by the Dia Art Foundation. This Foundation was founded in 1974 by Philippa de Mynil. The premise of the Foundation was to support artistic endeavors that fall outside of the typical funding availability. De Mynil named the Foundation "dia'' from the Greek language, suggesting "through'' or "way.'' The Foundation moved its collection of artwork to the Dia:Beacon-Riggio Galleries.

There are over a dozen "long-term'' exhibitions currently housed in the collection at the Gallery. Some of the artists included among these exhibitions are Bernd and Hilla Becher, Joseph Beuys, John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin, Robert Irwin, On Kawara, Agnes Martin, Max Neuhaus, and Andy Warhol. The Galleries present Warhol's Shadows, (1978-79) pieces in the order of acquisition, canvas edge to canvas edge.

On Kawara is a Japanese conceptual artist who created the Today Series. These are monochromatic pieces on which the date of its commencement is written. Kawara began this series in 1966 and the Dia:Beacon currently houses 36 of these Date pieces.

The Museum's winter hours (November-April) are 11m - 4pm daily, but the Museum is closed Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Museum is also closed on New Years, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Admission is $10 per person, students and seniors are $7, and children under 12 years of age are free. Photograph and video is not allowed and cell phones must be turned off during a visit. Strollers are permitted, but backpacks must be checked in the coatroom. There are restrooms and handicapped access.

The Bookshop is open at 10:30am and has a selection of over 6,000 titles including periodicals. Members of the Museum receive a 10% discount, and items can be ordered via their online website. The Bookshop can be contacted at 845-440-0100 ext. 26. There is also a Cafy, which serves drinks, sandwiches, and pastries. Members also receive a 10% discount. The Cafy manager, Jennifer Casamassima, can be contacted at 845-440-0100 ext. 27.

Guided tours of the Museum are available, free of charge (with admission cost), on Saturdays. No reservations are necessary. This tour begins at 1pm. Groups of ten to fifty people can reserve a tour by calling 845-440-0100 ext. 41. These tours last roughly an hour and are led by professional art lecturers. For groups of 10-25, the cost is $100. For groups of 26-50, the cost is $200. Outside lecturers are not allowed to give tours within the Museum.

On the last Saturday of each month, the Museum presents the Gallery Talks. These talks are free (with admission) and last roughly an hour. They are presented by curators, historians, and writers and concentrate on the artwork in the Dia:Beacon collection.