This Month’s Featured Article

Verse Work/Shop is a brick-and-mortar art gallery and retail space run by sisters Vanessa Shafer and Cassandra Ruff and located in Red Hook, NY. After growing up in Red Hook, the sisters went their own separate ways for nearly two decades before finding their way back to the Hudson Valley. With the launch of Verse, they have been able to actualize a lifelong dream of creating a destination to showcase regional artists and makers. 

Vanessa received her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Trinity College before graduating from Yale with a master’s degree in architecture. She spent the first decade of her career with Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, where she had the privilege to work on the homes of many great collectors, as well as the museum of a renowned private art collection. About a decade ago, Vanessa launched a design practice of her own, Verse Works, which spawned the idea for Verse Work/Shop. 

In 2015, she began her architecture and residential design practice, VERSE Works, to pursue several independent projects that consequently brought her back to the Hudson Valley.

“The name ‘Verse’ came from the phonetic pronunciation of my initials, which are VRS,” Vanessa explains. “Verse, for me, also has a lot of metaphors that I appreciate. Verse is a single line of a larger whole, often used in relation to music and writing. If we’re drawing a metaphor to architecture, that’s also an assemblage of many lines to form a whole. Verse, the gallery, is about the assemblage of artists and makers, and the amplification of their work when exhibited together. It’s become an exciting nexus for art to be brought together and the community to be brought to experience it.” 

Cassandra, meanwhile, has had an expansive career as a designer and project manager with a specialty focus on event planning and design. She has taught art, practiced art herself, and spent most of her career in event production. She has produced intimate dinner parties, elaborate corporate events, and everything in between. Verse Work/Shop was the perfect synthesis of the sisters’ strengths, professional experiences, and consummate collaboration. 

Coming home to the Hudson Valley

Although Vanessa and Cassandra grew up here in Red Hook, they did not return until about five years ago. Both sisters were extremely inspired by the “energy percolating” in the Hudson Valley and the immense amount of creativity and talent brewing. After forging relationships with the multitudes of artists and makers who call the Hudson Valley home, Vanessa and Cassandra were inspired to establish Verse as a destination for art and design to showcase the bounty of talent in the area.

“The ethos of Verse is to celebrate the contemporary art and goods being made here and now in the Hudson Valley, and present them to the public in a way that’s tangible and accessible,” Cassandra shares.

Showcasing local artists and makers

When first opening Verse, Vanessa and Cassandra envisioned the space more as a showroom, but as they formed strong relationships with local artists and makers, they shifted the focus to encompass highlighting art at large and the specialty crafts that are created here in the Hudson Valley. 

Vanessa and Cassandra were blown away by the success of their original opening reception, which they co-curated with artist Beka Goedde. Since then, Verse has hosted an “After Hours” segment throughout the duration of each show, in which they stay open later and offer another opportunity for the artists to meet one another. 

In between group shows, Verse also hosts shorter programs that highlight an individual artist or cause, which have also been incredibly impactful. At the end of this past school year, Verse displayed 115 paintings of local buildings, one from each sixth grade student at the Red Hook Middle School, that were painted during the course of the past school year. For that show, Verse also collaborated with Historic Red Hook – a nonprofit organization that works to connect Red Hook’s past to its present and future – to provide historical context for many of the pieces. 

“That may have been our favorite show to date because of the direct connection to our town and its residents on many levels,” Vanessa says.

When it comes to curating shows, Verse enjoys both curating them themselves and partnering with other artists to co-curate. “When we curate them ourselves, we are looking for diversity. We like to show a vast cross-section of mediums, as well as styles and schools of thought,” Vanessa explains. “We are female-owned, and we’re happy to report that our shows are often filled with female artists, but we also host many wonderful male artists and makers as well. Our artists represent a broad spectrum of ages, too, which is important to us. We believe that art has no boundaries and hope to convey that in our shows.” 

Verse hosts four main shows per year, one for each season, but endeavors to have a diverse collection in the shop at all times. Vanessa incorporates textiles, fiber arts, ceramicists, and others to showcase a large, diverse spectrum of art. Vanessa and Cassandra also reinvent the space with every show, showcasing the particular art styles that are being highlighted and rotating new, local products that align with the current show. 

“I think a lot of people visit galleries to just look at art, but we want to arrange and introduce it to people in a way that shows that you can live with this modern art, too,” she says. “The space feels so different with every collection. When you get all of the pieces in here, there’s this new discovery experience that you encounter while installing.” 

Curating the goods

The products that Verse curates are just as hyper-local as the artists and makers that they feature in their shows. “We love a locally-made, sustainable, and loved product, and there is no shortage of local makers that are developing high-quality goods from body oils and soaps to jewelry and accessories,” Cassandra notes. 

One of the brands you can find on the shelves at Verse is & Tread Well, which is a clean, high-quality skincare company based right in Red Hook, NY. & Tread Well products are made with ethically sourced, plant-based ingredients and sustainable practices that support and nourish all skin types. Another Hudson Valley-based maker featured in Verse is Swish & Hammer, hand-crafted art, jewelry, and decor that integrates up-cycled materials by artist Traci Pinczes. Verse showcases a robust line of her beaded jewelry and hand-dyed silk tapestries. 

“It’s not hard to find goods – in fact, both & Tread Well and Swish & Hammer are both within walking distance! Everyone is right here, and that’s the whole point of the store portion of Verse. We have so many interesting and authentic acts in this area, and it’s so great to highlight that,” Vanessa says. 

Upcoming shows at Verse

From September 25 to October 19, Verse will be presenting “Peregrination / Russell Steinert & Janis Stemmermann.” Husband and wife, Steinert and Stemmermann have been partners in life and often in work for the better part of the last three decades. In 2020, Steinert and Stemmermann moved their lives and practices to Sharon, CT, from Brooklyn. “Peregrination,” will showcase the broad spectrum of work developed on and of their property, responding to their new rural living and work spaces. 

From October 30 to November 23, Verse will offer “Daryl K: I Am My Muse,” the first exhibition dedicated to Daryl Kerrigan, the founder and principal designer of the iconic Daryl K fashion brand. Kerrigan was a leading female clothing designer in New York in the 1990s, and today, her practice continues to evolve beyond fashion. This comprehensive retrospective will be presented by editor, curator, art historian, and former director of Bard Graduate Center Gallery at Bard College, Nina Stritzler-Levine.

Verse’s winter group show, “Talk Shop 9.0,” will be announced in the coming weeks via their Instagram account and their website. 

“We set out to create a venue more than business. Our mission was community-centric from the onset. Not necessarily a traditional business plan per se, but we adhere to that value and priority in all that we do,” Vanessa says. 

“Being that this is our hometown, we are aware of the number of renowned artists and makers here especially in and around Red Hook, as it is also home to Bard College. We wanted to create a space, specifically in our village, dedicated to that,” Cassandra adds. “The Hudson Valley has always been home to incredible artists and makers. It’s our honor to showcase and celebrate them.” •

To learn more about Verse Work/Shop, visit them in-person at 35 W Market Street, Red Hook, NY, online at verseworkshop.com, or on Instagram at @verse_work_shop.