The ever-evolving town of Beacon welcomes Savage Wonder Art Center, a new operation on Main Street that opened earlier this May. The destination is located inside the old Mechanics Savings Bank Building, which serves as a recognizable historical landmark from the 1920s. Different than your typical art center, Savage Wonder fuses visual arts, live theater, music, comedy, and culinary offerings under one roof.
The Mission
A veteran-led nonprofit founded by Christopher Paul Meyer, Savage Wonder was formerly known as VetRep in 2021 before adopting its new name with the move to Beacon. “Our mission is to highlight world-class veteran talent and its effect on American culture,” says Meyer. The art center curates, develops, and produces visual and performance arts created by military, first responder veterans, and their immediate family members to amplify their voices across creative disciplines.
The Art
With its transition to Savage Wonder from VetRep, the Beacon-based brand also expanded its creative scope beyond traditional theater. Now, the art center is home to a gallery coined the Savage Wonderground – because of its below-ground location – and a 50-seat living room-style performance space known as The Parlor.
Currently, the Savage Wonderground art gallery is showcasing Radical Fun, an immersive, multimedia group exhibition that will run through July 6. The series intends to challenge gallery conventions through humor, provocation, and bold aesthetic, featuring the works of 13 veteran artists including Kris Battles, Gina Herrera, and Chuck Webster.
As the art center ramps up its programming, The Parlor is excited to welcome comedy nights alongside musical and theatrical performances. The theater space is currently showing The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco, with plans for The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde to take center stage come June.
The Wine Bar
Lovingly dubbed The Grape Rebellion, Savage Wonder’s wine and dessert bar is hidden within a 100-year-old vault in the Savage Wonderground art gallery. The concept behind the culinary destination is part speakeasy, part global adventure to reflect the founder’s experience serving abroad. The Grape Rebellion is helmed by chief hospitality officer Jeremy Plyburn and Culinary Institute of America-trained pastry chef Andrew Dobson.
In addition to offering an extensive wine list and globally inspired small plates influenced by the overseas experiences of American veterans, the wine bar will host Wine Down Wednesdays as a midweek happy hour deal that offers unlimited pours for one flat price. “The Grape Rebellion is our answer to the conventional wine bar—it’s an intimate journey through the tastes, textures, and cultures our veterans have known firsthand,” says Meyer.
The Future
While Savage Wonder Art Center’s May opening marks phase one of the nonprofit’s long-term vision, the New York State Council on the Arts recently awarded the Beacon venue a $460,000 grant to support the development of a professional mainstage theater on the second floor of the art center. Along with the 125-seat main stage, Savage Wonder hopes to incorporate a vaudeville-style second space and expanded amenities in phase two next year.
Savage Wonder Art Center is located at 139 Main Street in Beacon.
