Our new interview with Margot Kingon, an artist and the founder of Second Wave Supplies, has a wonderful sweep to it.

As an artist and creative instigator, much of Margot’s work could be labeled “art as social practice.” Her many projects have included a long-running pop-up dance party (Dance/Play), a year-long series of Covid-era family portraits, and most recently, an art supply thrift store in Beacon.

When she takes something new on, Margot typically isn’t only out to express herself creatively but also to invite others to engage and build something together.

All of this is fairly new. Margot grew up in Manhattan’s Upper West Side during a period of high crime. (She was mugged multiple times). She took a million art classes as a kid but strayed from making art as she grew up. She only returned to it in force after working for decades in work she didn’t love, as a lighting technician. The initial spark that renewed her creative life came when she became a mother, as she and her husband (musician Josh Stark) made a pact to do the work they wanted their child to know them for. But even after making that commitment, she grappled for nearly two decades with work/life balance, her responsibilities to her ailing mother, and how to live.

That all sounds rather serious but Margot recounts her stumbles and epiphanies with a lot of humor and insight. And of course she talks at length about Second Wave Supplies’ mission to provide affordable access to art materials to folks in Beacon while keeping them out of the landfill.

Photo by Michael Isabell

Originally from Seattle, Gracelyn Woods grew up housing insecure, food insecure and raised by a single mom. From these tough beginnings, she cultivated a fierce attitude of hard work and self-determination that resulted in a successful career in TV and event production in New York City. But after 20 years of this work, culminating in a big job with the landmark Apollo Theater, Gracelyn found herself mired in unhappiness.

“The lifestyle of TV and event production had taken its toll. It had shown up in vices, it had showed up in drinking, it had showed up in overspending,” she says in our interview. “My first step was to get the physical space I needed to have a moment to think about it.”

So in 2018, she moved to Beacon – alone – and started a new life. She met her partner - an FDNY firefighter - and they had a child. Meanwhile, she took on a big new job as COO and co-owner of The Bellweather Agency. Through all this, Gracelyn directed her energies to her newfound community, finding support and friendship among other parents and the wider community.

There are plenty of good reasons to hope for a more bikeable Beacon. To name a few:

1) Improved safety (for drivers and pedestrians as well as for cyclists)
2) Reduced traffic congestion
3) Greater equity for people who can’t afford a car or don’t want to drive around for small errands.
4) Bikes are fun :)

In this interview, Meg Lazaros, one of the founders of the Beacon Bicycle Coalition, discusses the work being done to improve Beacon’s roads for bike use. Beacon Bicycle Coation was founded to advocate for bike infrastructure, including both short-term improvements and changes to our comprehensive plan that could enshrine a cycling ethos in Beacon’s vision for its own future. They also organize fun group rides on the last Thursday of every month.

Shining through this discussion of “the issues” is the pure joy Meg gets from riding bikes.

Learn more about Beacon Bicycle Colation and sign the petition at https://bikebeacon.org/. And, follow them on Instagram for information on group rides and other events: https://www.instagram.com/beacon.bicycle.coalition/

Related: New York recently granted $100,000 to study the viability of a bike-sharing program that would connect Beacon and Newburgh. One of the recipients of that grant is Thomas Wright, a leading voice for biking and sustainability (and a former Beaconites guest). You can help this effort by taking their survey. Visit https://tally.so/r/nW1XZP