ACE

Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy

Maureen Sager

CapNY CoWorking Tour: Hone Coworks, Albany

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The Lobby

Co-working and monthly-lease office space is exploding in the Capital Region! Flexibility, socially-distant camaraderie, and services abound. Come on a sneak-peak tour of art-filled, high-tech Hone Coworks in Albany, and we’ll fill you in on all of our favorite perks.

Hone Coworks is located inside the wooded, shady Great Oaks office park in Albany. It’s close to Crossgates Mall and I-87, but it’s also near to the urban amenities — restaurants, museums, nightlife — of downtown Albany. AMPLE and easy parking is a big plus to this location.

Stylish, Decked-Out Shared Spaces

The Kitchen

After entering through the very welcoming Lobby (seen in the photo above right), you’ll come upon the large, open Kitchen section (seen in photo to the right). The color palette is bright and sophisticated — orange, teal — and the furniture and vibe are modern and vibrant. AKA, I wish my place looked like this.

Make custom seltzers from an app!

Hone Coworks is tech-ed out and touch-free throughout. You can make a custom cucumber-infused seltzer using an app! Reserve and unlock your conference rooms, make copies — all contact-free.

Hold on, I’m not done with the Kitchen deets, though. There’s Clif Bars and RxBars and fresh fruit! Microbrew coffee by Brewtus, a small batch specialty roaster in Delmar. And wait — there’s Oatly Creamer in the fridge! I know, I’m gushing, but (cue Julie Andrews) these are a few of my favorite things!

One of the many Meeting Rooms

Tech-Friendly Workspaces

Now that’s we’ve covered the creamer, we’ll move on to the workspaces. Happily, you’ll find tech-friendly Meeting Rooms of all shapes, sizes and designs, which can be rented by the hour (members’ access is included in their monthly fees). There’s a hip / corporate vibe to these spots, and they’re more than able to handle six-feet-apart spacing.

Another luxe touch is the one-touch feature that turns your desk from a sitting to standing space, AND the Herman Miller office chairs that grace every workspace. Hmm, does a Henry Miller chair beat my sofa? Let me think. Yes, it does.

Artwork All Around

Floor-to-ceiling artwork and triptych by Samson Contampasis

But of all the things to love about Hone, my favorite is the artwork. The artwork that fills the halls and walls is a combination of permanent pieces by regional artists like Samson Contompasis and Lori Kochanski, as well as a rotating gallery wall curated in partnership with Albany Center Gallery.

Hone Community Manager Sarah McDonnell

Okay, and one last shout-out, because Hone Coworks Community Manager Sarah McDonnell set up a jar of Neutrogena make-up wipes for emergency touch-ups. “Masks really screw up your make-up,” she said. “We really try to think of everything you’ll need, and have it here.” Now that’s thinking of everything!

HOW TO FIND HONE COWORKS

Address: 300 Great Oaks Blvd, Suite 300, Albany, NY 12203

Website: https://honecoworks.com/

Call: 518-250-4855

Email: hello@honecoworks.com

ACE Creative: Karina Wojnar

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Some of you may recognize Karina Wojnar, as she is the Development & Membership Manager at Albany Center Gallery. In this position, she fills her time writing grants, planning programming, increasing community outreach efforts, and working with ACG members.

Karina at work, Albany Center Gallery

She wants our readers to know her as a daughter, a sister, and friend – someone who prioritizes amplifying the voices of the unheard in the CapNY community. ACE’s Gabby Fisher has been following her on Instagram for quite a while and reached out to feature her for this week’s ACE Creative feature because of her evolving style as an artist. She’s a creative millennial powerhouse.

Karina, where are you from?

Artwork by Karina

I am originally from Northern NJ, a small lake town called Ringwood. Currently I live in Albany! I went to Siena College and loved the area, so I decided to stay after graduation. Why? The people. The energy of the people. The architecture. The quirks. The random cobblestone streets and historical buildings. Running into people you know in cafes and farmer’s markets. The fact that there are people dedicated to community and positive change. How active people are in politics, human rights, and deeper conversations.

How did you get into the creative field?

Karina’s a yogi too!

I’m lucky. My parents value art as essential, so it was always my path to be in the creative field. I grew up dancing, participating in theater, writing, reading, and prioritizing art classes. I applied to colleges with the intention of getting a business degree with a focus in the arts. Throughout my time at Siena College, I fell in love with social justice and the overlap between humanity and art.

Human beings use art to emote, to share facts, to evoke, to connect with one another. I believe art to be how humans use their VOICE. Everyone has a voice and a different way of expressing it, whether through music, visual art, performance, writing, fashion, etc. We all deserve to be heard.

Painting

In a prior conversation between the two of us, you mentioned you feel like you haven’t necessarily found your creative “voice” yet. Can you talk a little bit about that? I feel that many people can relate.

I’m still experimenting. For the past couple years, I’ve been combining complementary colors and mixing embroidery into paintings. I’m still learning and figuring out technique. People say that once you can become decent at replicating a piece or style of yours over and over– you’ve found your voice.

I’ve been reading “Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic” by Lisa Congdon. It’s been encouraging and affirming to know that my voice matters and it’s all a part of the process. This journey; experimenting, actively listening to my fellow creatives, research…it will all shape my voice, my art, and my life.

ACG hosted a public art bike tour in downtown Albany

What is it like being part of an arts community in CapNY? What has it been like working with local creatives?

In one word…inspiring. Communication and dialogue with fellow creatives is so important. We inspire each other, help each other out, lift each other up. It’s been rewarding. Working with the local arts community is the reason I want to stay in the area.

If you could leave our readers with a word of advice or positivity, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to put yourself and your art out there. Your voice matters. Black Lives Matter. Black Art Matters.

Connect with Karina!
Facebook
Instagram
Email

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CapNY Video: Four Questions with Artist Takeyce Walter

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Fall Marsh, by Takeyce Walter

Landscape painter Takeyce Walter lives in Round Lake in Saratoga County, where she has an art studio in sight of the marsh and lake. But don’t let the timeless serenity of her landscapes fool you, because Takeyce knows how to hustle. First off, she is one of the region’s most successful painters and instructors. Second, she’s a mom to three children, with two young ones at home. Third, she works a full-time job as a video producer. Yes, you read that right.

ACE asked Takeyce about how she balances her work and art, whether she had black female artist role models, and more. Plus, watch her in action, as she creates a wonderful pastel landscape in the video, below.

Image courtesy North Country Public Radio.

Connect with Takeyce Walter:

Website: TakeyceArt.com

Instagram: @takeycewalter

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100+ CapNY Breweries, Distilleries, Wineries and Cideries

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Hudson Chatham Winery, Photo: Albany.org

The Capital Region has a dazzling array of craft beverage venues and makers that, IMNSHO, rival anywhere in the U.S. To help you explore, we’ve created a downloadable Google map, below. So grab your friends and take a tasty trip to a new, nearby locale. Choose your vibe. Urban warehouse. Creekside patio. Rural vineyard tasting room. There are 110 in all, with something in nearly every CapNY city, town and county.

Share you faves with us! Tag your visit with #CapNY, #getCAPtivated, and #upstatecreative.

CapNY Brew Reviews

ACE and CapNY are spotlighting businesses and makers driving the industry. Additionally, we’ll ask 518 Influencers for their faves.

Mad Jack Brewing, Reviewed by Tim of #TimsNYKitchen. Mad crazy history and stellar sandwiches abound. Urban / cozy / patio setting in historic hotel.

CapNY Relocation Stories: Chrissy and Ben Traore

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chrissy and ben traore

Chrissy and Ben Traore met while working in a New York City restaurant. Soon, they were commuting upstate on weekends for a cooking gig. To their great surprise, they began dreading going back to Brooklyn during the week. “We’ve always worked 70 to 100 hours a week,” Chrissy said. “And the city and the expenses just added stress to all of that.” Something had to give. So, by 2017, they settled in Cairo, a small, rural town in Greene County, about ten miles outside of Catskill.

The homemade chicken coop.

Together, they founded See and Be Kitchen and Cafe. Their funky, functional, multi-building “compound” met all of their dreams. There’s a prep kitchen inside of a storage container (they insulated it themselves) and outdoor wood-fired oven for baking bread. Plus, there’s a chicken house and pen, and café / retail shop. Additionally, outdoor seating plans are in the works, in the shaded, rustic grounds.

See and Be’s Breads and Business Plan

Ben’s signature loaf, Arborio Bread

Ben began baking bread in Burkina Faso, a West African country near Ivory Coast and Ghana. He uses a sourdough base for all of his products, including gorgeous croissants, pastries, and a full line of breads. The starter is fermented for 48 hours, making a refined and gorgeous loaf that even gluten-sensitive customers can digest (yep, this writer can vouch for that — and it’s fantastic).

The baking life isn’t easy. Ben goes to bed by 6 or 7pm, in order to tend to the wood-burning oven by 2am every day. Chrissy has pivoted their baking and food businesses from farmers markets to wholesale distribution, and now to online ordering and curbside pickups during COVID. Oh, and did we mention that they’ve also got an 18-month-old son in the mix now? These bakers are BUSY!

Chrissy utilizes Ben’s breads in all of her food creations, including a weekend sandwich selection. You can place online orders here, and pick them up at See and Be from Wednesdays through Saturdays.

“We’ve always taken things one step at a time,” said Chrissy. “We have room to grow here, and space to breathe. I want to let people know that they should not be afraid to try something new. We’re building something that is ours.”

Connect with See and Be Kitchen

Address:
512 New York 145
Cairo, NY 12413, US
Phone: (518) 719-9229
Email
Website
Facebook
Instagram

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