Beacon, NY— Dia Art Foundation announces exhibitions and programming at Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries for 2005. A new phase in Dia’s retrospective of works by Agnes Martin will be on view beginning April 14. On May 15, Dia will open a major exhibition of work by Andy Warhol as part of the temporary exhibition program at Dia:Beacon. Also on view beginning May 15 are four of Vera Lutter’s monumental photographs of Dia:Beacon's Nabisco box-printing factory prior to its renovation, which will be presented as an ensemble for the first time. New programs at the museum include "Second Helpings," a series of music performances presented by St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, and the Readings in Contemporary Literature series, which brings writers, essayists, and poets to the museum to present their work to the public. In addition, the popular Gallery Talks and Community Free Days continue through 2005. Information on exhibitions and programs at Dia:Beacon is available on Dia’s website at www.diaart.org and by phone at 845 440 0100.

Timed to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the exhibition "Dia's Andy: Through the Lens of Patronage" will open on May 15, 2005. Dia's long-term commitment to supporting the work of Andy Warhol culminated in 1994 when Dia gifted some 80 artworks to found the Warhol Museum. This exhibition returns to Dia a group of these works for the first time. The exhibition, curated by Dia Art Foundation curator Lynne Cooke, comprises works that highlight the range of Warhol's practice, including paintings from the Disaster (1963) and Skulls (1976) series, originally part of Dia’s collection and now on loan from the Warhol Museum; a special installation of Warhol's signature Brillo Boxes; a collection of Time Capsules, which contain ephemera from Warhol's personal archives, newly opened for this exhibition; as well as a group of Warhol's portraits of the famous, infamous, and non-famous. Hung on Warhol's signature wallpapers these works will augment the installation of Shadows (1978–79), a multicanvas work commissioned by Dia in 1978 and on long-term view at Dia:Beacon. Additionally, a program of Warhol's films, curated by Douglas Crimp, will be presented each weekend throughout the summer in conjunction with the exhibition.

Dia's retrospective of works by Agnes Martin enters its second phase with "…unknown territory…" While part one, "…going forward into unknown territory…," concentrated on Martin's formative years 1957 to 1960, within the decade that she spent in New York City (1957 to 1967), part two continues a study of that decade, focusing now on the mid-1960s with her signature grid paintings. Shown in the diffused natural light of Dia's galleries, this exhibition makes available classic works rarely seen due to their fragility and rarity. Closing November 7, 2005, "…unknown territory…" will be followed in December 2005 by an installation of paintings from the years 1974 to 1979. This retrospective of Martin’s work will continue in installments over the next three years.

St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble
In 1993 the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble initiated "Second Helpings," a contemporary chamber music series presenting premieres and repeat performances of works. Characterized by a commitment to ensemble playing and diverse programming, St. Luke's has created a distinctive, vital identity among the nation’s finest musical institutions. "Second Helpings" offers an informal format, encouraging interaction between composers, musicians, and audience. Continuing a collaboration began with St. Luke's in 1998, the series is now presented at Dia:Beacon. Each performance takes place in a different gallery within the museum, chosen to correspond to the theme of the performance.

Readings in Contemporary Literature
Evolving from the Readings in Contemporary Poetry Series held at Dia:Chelsea from 1987–2003, the Readings in Contemporary Literature series, which launches in May 2005, invites writers working in a variety of literary genres to read from their recent work at Dia:Beacon and to participate in a four-day residency in the city of Beacon. As part of the residency, participants will create new work by directly responding to Dia’s collection and their experience of visiting the museum. A biannual colloquy will provide a public forum for a discussion between the writers, the public, and members of the visual art community. Upcoming readings include classics scholar and poet Anne Carson on June 26, 2005 and essayist and poet Lewis Hyde on September 18, 2005.

Gallery Talks
Gallery Talks at Dia:Beacon, launched in May 2004, continue in 2005. Talks take place on the last Saturday of each month and are free with admission to the museum. The presentations, which take place in the galleries at Dia:Beacon to small groups of visitors, focus on artists in Dia’s collection and are given by curators, art historians, and writers. The winter and spring 2005 schedule includes presentations by Jan Avgikos, Lynne Cooke, and Nico Israel.

Community Free Days
For Dia's series of Community Free Days, residents of neighboring counties are invited to visit Dia:Beacon free of charge on selected Saturdays throughout the year. The dates are chosen to alternate year-to-year, offering residents of each county an opportunity to experience the range of seasons at the museum. The dates for 2005, which coincide with "Second Saturday Beacon," a monthly citywide arts and culture open house, are April 9 (Ulster County); June 11 (Rockland County); August 13 (Westchester County); October 8 (Dutchess County); and December 10 (Orange County).

Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries
Dia:Beacon, Dia Art Foundation’s museum in the Hudson Valley, presents a distinguished collection of contemporary art from the 1960s to the present. Situated on the banks of the Hudson River in Beacon, New York, the museum occupies a 300,000-square-foot former Nabisco box-printing facility, which was renovated by Dia with artist Robert Irwin and architect OpenOffice.

Dia:Beacon's expansive galleries comprise 240,000 square feet of naturally illuminated exhibition space. The museum presents a range of works by a focused group of some of the most significant artists of the last half century, including Bernd and Hilla Becher, Joseph Beuys, Louise Bourgeois, John Chamberlain, Walter De Maria, Dan Flavin, Michael Heizer, Robert Irwin, Donald Judd, On Kawara, Imi Knoebel, Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, Bruce Nauman, Blinky Palermo, Gerhard Richter, Robert Ryman, Fred Sandback, Richard Serra, Robert Smithson, Andy Warhol, and Lawrence Weiner.

Dia Art Foundation
Dia Art Foundation was founded in 1974. A nonprofit institution, Dia plays a vital role among visual-arts organizations nationally and internationally by initiating, supporting, presenting, and preserving art projects, and by serving as a locus for interdisciplinary art and criticism. Dia presents its permanent collection at Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries, in Beacon, New York; exhibitions and public programming at Dia:Chelsea, in New York City (currently closed for renovations); and long-term, site-specific projects in the western United States, in New York City, and on Long Island.