DAR WILLIAMS to play at SUNY New Paltz , June 27th

Okay , so things have been moving a little fast lately and there doesn't seem time to get it all down on the blog ! My apologies . THIS SATURDAY JUNE 27th at 7 pm at the Mckenna theater on the SUNY New Paltz campus , next to the Dorsky museum of Art

DAR WILLIAMS will be playing at a concert to benefit the Habitat for Artists project and its sponsor ecoartspace , with special guest Nick Panasevich .

The pre concert price is $25 at the door $ 30 TAKE NOTE so phone this number now as I am told the tickets are selling like 'hot cakes' TEL # 845 257 3844 .

Dar is really psyched about this concert as it appeals to her on many levels , first off she hasn't played in New Paltz for a while , and it connects community with art .It also raises issues about one of her passions , Ecology and the Environment . She has helped inniate a community garden in her own back yard and is prepared to get involved in local issues , such as doing a concert for a geothermal study at a local school . AND still balances appearing at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the career of Pete Seeger or a REM tribute at Carnegie Hall, with the need for people to get GROWING in their OWN Garden ! These are rare attributes and we hope you come out on Saturday to celebrate not only her music , and special guest Nick Panasevich , BUT ALSO her wish and desire for people to connect through creative and ecological endeavours , such as the Habitat for Artists project and the work of ecoartspace. READ her blog and see how many times she discusses her passion for gardening as well as music and her connection to her community !

We were discussing many of these issues the other evening as she was making a cake with her son Stephen . I was supposed to bring over the chocolate chips but forgot ! So WRITE this event on your calendar SO you DON'T FORGET !!! Saturday JUNE 27th at 7 pm , No you don't have to bring the chocolate chips JUST a wish to enjoy and support art and music which is going on right NOW , right HERE , in your back yard , the Hudson Valley . If you can turn up to see a bunch of old ships ........ SEE YOU THERE !!

June 21 st DROP BY HABITAT STUDIO ON MAIN ST NEW PALTZ

If you haven't seen the show at the Dorsky Museum , it's a must see exhibition . There are many outstanding pieces to be seen and a good variety of approaches to the subject of "ecotones and transition zones" . If you want to know what that is about then drop by the museum SOON .
One of my favorites is Michael Asbills "Boat Piece" , but that's all I am saying . Heather Hutchison has several pieces that bear closer contemplation and don't miss her installation outside ! And some wonderful gems of context and painting has to be Tom Sarrantonio's pieces which you can miss if you don't look !! Which are next to Gilbert Plantinga's moving photographs.

This week I , and a few other artists will be changing it up at the 36 main st habitat studio . If you already didn't know Dar Williams, with special guest Nick Panasevich , will be playing JUNE 27th at 7 PM at the McKenna Theater at SUNY New Paltz campus (near the Dorsky Museum)

If you can't get tickets on line I may have a few at the NEW TICKET BOOTH habitat studio at
Main st . So DROP BY ,........ CASH only as we haven't got wifi hook up for plastic and knowing me I won't have my reading glasses with me so won't know what you may have written on a check .

Fingers crossed that the rain holds off especially as the Farmers Market is going to be at the Rock and Ice car park , so more reason to stop by ....... Art and Veggies amongst other things .
Or is it art amongst the veggies ?

We have artists lined up for the studios , as always its those summer schedules but currently RYAN CRONIN is using the studio on campus at the OLD MAIN CIRCLE , and JEANNE ENGLERT is in her second week at the studio habitat at Huguenot Street . AND if you are still interested do contact us there are slots available still . ( 845 216 35 07 )

MOLLY RAUSCH will be taking on the studio on Main St in July and has a surprise in store ,.....

MICAHAEL ASBILL will be taking resident at a studio soon . SARAH HAVILLAND will follow on from Jeanne at Huguenot Street . To name a few of the participating artists at HFA studios in New Paltz.

I'll be posting a few gems from recent installations and I think I need to get Todd Sargoods photo gallery for the SCEE project linked . There are some great pix of the day we had working with twelve 6th graders and their teacher Amy Kennedy from the Waldorf school .

Meanwhile a few older shots have been submitted for print for Alex Johnsons SHED book in the UK , Alex has the wonderful Shed working blog and mentioned HFA on his blog back in March this year . More on that with links but right now I need my daily tea . Which reminds me thank you for a wonderful blog on the DAILY GREEN by Brian Howard .

Time for TEA Grommet . best SD

Edible Landscapes HFA at SCEE ,PHiladelphia PA

We're just back from Philly , and what a blast ! We managed to get a lot done in a short amount of time . Below are some of the pix from that venture . We owe a debt of gratitude to Jeff and Cathy who despite scorching sunshine continued to turn over most of the garden plots around the habitat studio. This allowed myself , Todd and Odin to get most of the basic structure of the habitat studio potting shed and outdoor work area built with in the short time there. I'll post more images as Todd has a whole stack he took of the process ,start to finish . Friday morning Odin and I were able to get our gardens planted so others can follow on and continue planting and sustaining the gardens. YES it's outstanding in it's field so we had to protect it from the deer that reside in the woods by erecting a full scale deer fence around the garden's perimeter .

New Paltz continues with the habitat at Huguenot Street .Below is a detail of that habitat studio before it left the shop . Todd has some great shots which I will download soon . I'll get a link to the rest of them as there are some crackers !!

Memorial Day activities prevail and we have a family visit to New Paltz , not just to see habitat studios but to check out a skate board store "Liquid" ......

Check in later for more images and new posts SD

Habitat Projects continue , NEW Pictures !!

New Habitat Studio installed at Historic Huguenot Street, New Paltz NY

May 15 th . The second New Paltz Habitat was installed Friday , Thursday having been a wash.
The initial install will be finished by Monday and will have two sides for artists to add to during their use of the studio over the next few months.

We are scheduling artists to use the studios around town for a MAXIMUM period of 3 weeks.
We are stressing that the artist reflects some of the issues that the project is engaged in especially ecological or environmental issues as well as being prepared to engage in a direct dialogue with the public when that artist is working in one of the habitat studios.

Artists are encouraged to enter into conversation or discourse with the specific studio location such as the History that surrounds the Huguenot Street site . Also to anticipate interaction with passers- by , with work that invites direct participation from viewers in order to create conversation.

As much as possible we ask the artists to be flexible in their approach to working in these studios and also to engage in alternative practices such as re using or repurposing material in their creative process. We do ask that artists minimize the level of toxicity and refrain from potential harmful solvents when working in these studios. This for many may prove challenging but we do want there to be a self examination or questioning of studio practice that artists engage in, in order to make their work.

We are open to artists working certain days , but also for them to be OPEN to others having access to the space during their alloted time . Our goal is to have as many artists using these studios and for there not to be periods where there is no activity. We are drawing up a guideline and agreement package for artists to refer to before their period of use.

As the warmer weather comes our way we will be scheduling artists on a consistent basis.

Please CONTACT the project if you live near the New Paltz area and would like to be considered
as a participating artist in one of the habitat studios . PHONE 845 216 3507 .
We suggest that you have a PROPOSAL for the period of time you wish to use the studio and how it might fit in with some of the project's considerations.

This is invitation is OPEN to painters, sculptors , videographers ,and photographers .

TIME LINES

I did promise that I would be posting NEW images of NEW habitats and recent site visits, so yes I apologize for those of you who had returned with great expectations ,to find me prattling on AGAIN !

BUT and ( never start a sentence with these two words) ,... I felt compelled to share these recent thoughts.

My father passed away a few years ago on 9/11 2005 . A keen gardener, an incessant tinkerer and very committed to his community. Which was not as I was growing up always easy to contend with . What he spent his life doing in the real world was less of a consequence to me as were these activities that he engaged in, in the evenings and at week ends .

Gardening was I think central to our relationship . He couldn't relate to my early dabblings in art making as he was I think disappointed that I hadn't pursued a more musical creative outlet, BUT believe me there is only so much George Shearing you can stand as a truculent youth living in the punk era of the UK !! So there was growing stuff and Dad 's passion was the VEG garden. Here we could both engage in a world that was magical and always full of surprises. And you got to eat what you grew !! "Simon , look at these beans , how green how tender and we're still picking them.We'll have to start freezing some soon ?" Fathers and sons go to soccer games ..Dad and I part-steamed beans and devised ways of economic bagging for maximum use of space in the freezer ! Here we were both teacher and student , he had his favourite veggies and I soon discovered new varieties and began planting "spaghetti" squash and swiss chard.

And how does this relate to whats been going on of late ? Well , simply put you have the whole concept of the shed and it's use of a creative / magical space and with the recent project starting in Philly with the shed/studio at the center of a series of different gardens .

My Dad introduced me to the book by Mel Bartholomew "Square Foot Gardening" .Which , I suspect and this is what Dad liked ,was that Mel was an engineer by training and I think this appealed to Dad's systems approach to certain matters, (tho' he tended to be more emotional about his response to certain things than he cared to sometimes show...and he had his moments later in his life,) .... I digress. This concept which was then a new thinking in veg gardens, now influences the small gardens soon to take shape in Philly.

Recently with all the various meetings to gain permission and agreements with a variety of groups, I have felt my Dad beaming some where , maybe chuckling as I plow into evening meetings of village Boards , listen to business groups try to reach consolidation on events and approach and my sitting sometimes quietly thinking ,....."Haven't I been here before ?"

Simply put , this is community and now a return to that magical world of gardening with all the awe inspiring varieties and processes to engage in . Now put in an ART context ,...

I came across a wonderful world in high school , the Center for Alternative Technology in Mid Wales . I spent some time visiting this place , discovering a variety of inventions that were alternate to the standard norm. I didn't realize it at the time but I was equally drawn to these as an emerging artist, visually as well as for their obvious engineered purpose. It appears that many past worlds and interests have found placement with this project and as I look forward to the new opportunities for it to grow and flourish , my past has had a new light and meaning cast upon it and a new understanding is growing with regard to that man that was my father , John .

In mid life you stand holding the thread of a future to come and the thread of things past , you hope that you have time to hold this thread and gain insight not only into your own world but other worlds that surrround and influence us, every day. At this juncture you can become aware of an altered timeline which exists in a non linear, dimensional reality .

Art has this capability and this is what draws me to it every day. Sometimes it connects so many things which makes it a meaningful, real activity and absolutely relevant on its own merits. This is one recent experience that words only begin to express ,..... best SD