HFA EXHIBITION at WORK SPACE HARLEM

We're planning a new exhibition at the Work Space Harlem . It's planned for March and we will be featuring many works , old and new , by artists affiliated with the HFA project . We hope to have at least 20 artists participating and there ought to be a wide variety of work on exhibition.

Ecoartspace is planning a benefit down on E 42nd St NYC , so we will be tying in with some of their events later in April .

We have a guest curator , who will be helping select and organize the show . And we hope to have new works from Chris Kennedy with his new project , Schools for the Future . HFA will be looking to partner with Chris and associates at their Brooklyn site this summer .

Chris also plans to visit the new HFA project in Philipstown both to give a workshop and to participate as a new artist in residence this summer 2010.

There are designs afoot to have a Performance Space,with plans to have a new actors company run workshops at the new site on Rte 9D at the Hudson Highland Land Trust .Details to be posted SOON .

Mid FEBRUARY should see the NEW Artists Residencies Guidelines and Proposal form , available by downloading from our new website .

Lastly we have plans to change our LOGO . That means new T shirts and the old ones becoming collectors items , so wipe the paint on something else NOW .

And finally after many requests we will be posting hand picked PIX from the numerous 2009 projects that we were involved with . .... New Paltz , Solar 1 NYC, SCEE Philadelphia , Common Grounds CSA and Urban Go Green at the Harlem Armory . LATER SD

HFA FAN PAGE ON FACEBOOK

Yes its finally happened .YOU can become a FAN of HFA , by joining that happy throng of Face Bookers . (If that is a term?) . Due to an overwhelming number of people wanting to know more and to be able to interact with the project we went FB ! Check it out ,......

Meanwhile HFA is organizing an exhibition of work by past participants of HFA . All the way back to 2008 ! This event will be in March and hosted by WORK SPACE HARLEM . In conjunction with ecoartspace who are having an April Fund raiser in NYC at 217 E 42nd St .

One of the hopefully cool components of the NEW project will be the Media Studio . This is the project hosted and sponsored through the Hudson Highland Land Trust (HHLT) . With this added element we are hoping to get live feed and a plethora of activity via You Tube , Blogs and possibly FB ? WE should have the final outline and proposal forms by mid February , so stay posted .

HFA has changed a few elements and we look forward to telling you more about those changes.

The interaction with the community is key and we have been working with a variety of people to engage with a larger audience . This will spark some lively discourse during the project's run

and we hope it's reflected in the artist's residencies .

Also coming up , Burlington Community College NJ , with the help of Jeff Bailey have agreed to take the studio that was at SCEE in Philadelphia . HFA is planning to make that move and installation in March /April , weather permitting .

So if you haven't become a fan of HFA on Facebook ,.... do that NOW ! later SD

VARIETY OF VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR NEXT PROJECT

There are a number of areas that will need active participation this year within the new project.

HFA is scheduling a number of events through out the project's run , May to September which we will need help with .

There are 'Build" days , which if you are handy or have construction skills contact us . We plan to have a Performance Space which will require someone coordinating a mix of events and people. Any admin or people set skills are always good to have on board. Education experience as we hope to have a workshop month and after schools project days , with occasional weekend events.

And just lending a hand ,..... we hope to have some larger events during the summer so any one who is up for helping with set up , take down , and you want to get out the house , also needed !!

Lastly we would like to see a few small raised gardens , so those of you with green fingers do contact us . I will be making a request to a number of groups and individuals but others welcome .

Again this is for the HFA project at HHLT in Philipstown on Rte 9D , so if you live near by ie

Cold Spring , Garrison , Beacon , Peekskill , Continental Village drop us a line .

PROPOSALS AND GUIDELINES FOR THE NEW PROJECT

The Art Panel which is HFA's selection committee is putting together the guidelines for artist's proposals for temporary studio residencies for the new project this Summer. The target date is mid February and the information can be down loaded from the soon to be NEW website !

The project this year is very much focused on community participation and encouraging a variety of collaborations . There are a number of local and metropolitan organizations who we hope will be presenting workshops in May. The hope is that artists will be working with them later on during their short term residencies in Philipstown.

It has become apparent that the premise of HFA isn't that apparent and we will be looking to present this information concisely on a NEW website . Until that appears lets just go through a few clarifications . HFA provides small, 6 by 6, temporary working studios (not live in ) for artists to explore new approaches in their practice and in their role in their community.

The studios are built from a variety of materials , reused, repurposed and FSC approved . Each studio is broken down and stored over the winter and re built at a new location . Last year we were allied with the SDMA at New Paltz , and gained permission from the Village to place several studios around New Paltz. The project usually runs 5 to 6 months as its temporary especially in a municipal setting where we have to adhere to a 9 month (max) ruling.

Where possible artists from the immediate area are asked /invited to participate in the project in number of ways . This year there will be a more communal nature to the set up as the studios will be close to each other. Again we hope to encourage dialogue between the artists as well as with the community. In order that we have a healthy flow of people to the site there will be a

studio that is designated our Performing Space. A schedule of events , music ,theater and other is being put together and we hope to have 8 to 9 scheduled acts.

This year we are encouraging MORE dialogue in all forms . There will be a studio which both visitors and artists alike can log into and blog from the site . In addition to the 'hub ' site we are hoping to have a number of satellite studios at other locations in the Valley . It seems a bit daft to have artists traveling long distances to work so we are looking to site other studios where there is interest and they can be sustained .

HFA is not a non for profit but we work in partnership with other nfps . We are still partnered with ecoartspace and this year we are sponsored through HHLT , who will also be our hosts.

AGAIN HFA is seeking volunteers with a variety of skills to help build and run this project . We would like to hear from you if you have a number of skill sets to offer and live in the Philipstown area (inc.Peekskill/Beacon / Cornwall) . The ball is rolling now so don 't delay !

The success or failure will be determined by how invested the community feels (or not) in this endeavor. In every creative act there is the equal part of something failing . However we are working to bring people into the building process of this project so that THAT prospect is lessened.

Hope to hear from you , stay posted again ..... habitatforartists@gmail.com