A Surreal Night to Remember: The First Fantastic Masquerade

The first annual Fantastic Masquerade was a wild success! A massive show of support for the arts in Glens Falls—especially the weirder, more surreal side.

The gallery was alive with incredible work from M.C. Huskie, Martin Eggiman, Jonathan Phelps, Joel Barlow, and myself. But the art wasn’t just on the walls—it filled the entire space. Poets set the tone for the evening with evocative wordplay, costumes transformed guests into strange and wonderful characters, and the atmosphere crackled with an energy you don’t often find at a traditional art opening.

I layered a bizarre backdrop of sound, and Keegan Bowen kept the chaos in check with his steady hand on the violin. Suzanne Rancourt opened the night with poetry that struck straight to the heart—raw, vivid, and powerful. Matt Clouser then flipped reality inside out, pulling us into a world where everything felt backward. I had a blast accompanying his performance with shifting sounds and textures. And then Jonathan Phelps took the absurdity to another level, commanding the audience to pull out their phones and play any sound they could find while he delivered a stream-of-consciousness performance over static from a radio. It was chaotic, terrifying, and hilarious—and somehow, it all worked.

I’m so grateful that people stuck around for the whole thing, fully leaning into the strangeness with us. It was inspiring. Standard art openings are fine, but this? This was something different. And we want more.

This is just the beginning—expect more experiments, more immersive nights, and more surreal experiences to come. Thank you to everyone who showed up, dressed up, performed, and supported us. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Stay tuned for more, and if you have photos or videos from the night, send them our way!

— Shane & Heather