Friday, February 29, 2008

Habitat for Artists at the Sitelines Hudson Valley Art Fair, Beacon NY May 15-18, 2008

Sponsored by Ecoartspace, Curator Amy Lipton

Several artists from the Hudson Valley region have been invited by artist Simon Draper to participate in a site-specific, collaborative exhibition project at the Sitelines art fair. Draper,who has long been working with concepts regarding habitat/shelter in his own art practice will provide each artist with a basic 6 ft. by 6 ft. shed, to be considered as an artist's habitat/workspace for the duration of the art fair. The artist will inhabit this simple and temporary structure and use the space to create art works or turn the structure into an artwork prior to and during the time of the fair.

In 2006, Lipton curated an outdoor exhibition at Abington Art Center Sculpture Park in Philadelphia titled "Habitat" in which Draper participated with his shed titled "Private Reserve". This work, which remains on view, acts as a shelter and comtemplative space for the viewer. For Draper, the work also functions as a metaphor for his personal art making activity and provokes larger questions regarding marginal spaces, artists as pioneers in developing neighborhoods and communities and the ongoing migration of artists from these places they helped to nurture and create.

In this new project, Habitat for Artists, the sheds will literally function as temporary studio spaces. The question becomes, in a time of escalating prices for artist's workspace and as artists flee Manhattan and Brooklyn in search of more affordable workspace (such as in the Hudson Valley region) - how much space does an artist need to create their work?

Each artist involved in this project will adapt their shed to suit their own needs. The sheds will come outfitted with simple openings, doors, windows or skylights. As much as possible, the mterials used in the creation of the structure will consist of reclaimed and re-used components. Each artist will have the shed space available for use for a month prior to the Sitelines Art Fair. How they adapt the space will be dependent upon their own resourcefulness and inclination. They may decide to work independently or collectively. The sheds will then be relocated to the central location of Sitelines in Beacon, where they will be exhibited as part of the art fair. Ideally the artists will continue working/inhabiting the sheds during the fair hours. The sheds as well as the artworks inside will be available for sale, with a 10% donation going to Ecoartspace.

At present each shed is looking for a sponsor to donate $750 per shed to enable Simon Draper to construct them for the following committed artists:

Dar Williams, Chris Albert, Alexis Elton, Matt Kinney, Kathy Feighery, Marnie Hillsley, Sara Mussen, Lori Nozick and Roy Staab. Simon Draper will also construct his own shed for this exhibition project.

About ecoartspace:

Ecoartspace is one of the leading international organizations whose focus is on the intersection of art and ecology. Established as a non-profit in1999, they provide a platform for artists addressing environmental issues. Ecoartspace promotes a diverse range of artworks that are participatory, collaborative, interdisciplinary and educational. Their philosphy embodies a broader concept of arytin its relationship to the world and seeks to connect human beings aesthetically with the awareness of larger ecological systems. For further information, visit ecoartspace.org.


Ecoartspace is a non-profit activity of SEE (Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs), 53 Mercer Street, NYC 10013. 917-743-8275. Amy Lipton, curator.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008


Simon Draper was born in Wales and currently resides in Cold Spring, New York. The reuse of materials and objects has been a recurring theme in Draper’s work, and recently he has started to incorporate older artworks and other artist’s works into his own. He believes his shed pieces embody more lyrical ideas and allow people the opportunity to dream. Draper studied at the Bath Academy of Art in Wiltshire, England and also at the Cooper Union in New York. He has exhibited his works in numerous solo and group exhibitions including Meditation, Dedication, and Prayer at Van Brunt Gallery in Beacon, New York and Six American Artists at Anna Carnadona Gallery in Alba, Italy.

(c) 2008-2011

s.c. draper & k.k. conner, all rights reserved.