What’s Hot In Hudson Valley And At This Textile Brand

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NY Insider Sara Berks Minna

The Insider: Sara Berks

Minna Goods

Armed with a degree in graphic design, Sara Berks knew she wanted to make something she could hold in her hands and pass along. Enter Minna, the textile brand she launched in 2013 that employs artisans in Mexico, Guatemala and Uruguay and utilizes their traditional weaving techniques. It’s a focus she’s passionate about, particularly as more companies are “paying attention to sourcing, ethical production and sustainability,” she says. Now you can browse Berks’ goods firsthand in her new Hudson, New York, home base, the first brick-and-mortar location for Minna. We sat down with the busy creative to get her take on what’s new and now in Hudson Valley.

Must-see galleries: Locally, my favorite is the September gallery. The work founder Kristen Dodge brings in is exciting, and the events she hosts connect community members, teaching them to see things in different ways. Outside Hudson, I love the Storm King Art Center in Windsor and Dia:Beacon, where I can visit all my art heroes–like Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin and Fred Sandback.

Inspiring locals? Scott Neild of Clove & Creek in Kingston has an incredible eye. He’s made a mercantile that is so cozy and inviting–like a cabin retreat. In a different realm is Lil’ Deb’s Oasis in Hudson, a restaurant initiated as a creative collaboration between two visual artists, Hannah Black and Carla Perez-Gallardo. Their food is as stunning as it is delicious, and the space is the most exciting place to eat in Hudson right now.

Intriguing her in the design industry: It’s been inspiring to watch the Hudson community use design for activism. This summer there was an event series called Rally in the Valley, where businesses, artists and citizens banded together to raise money for Planned Parenthood. Given the state of our world, it’s so important to use design to do good.

NY Insider Sara Berks Minna

NY Insider Sara Berks Minna

NY Insider Sara Berks Minna

NY Insider Sara Berks Minna

Photos: George Underwood