Culture and Sustainability
While continuing to ground my work in landscapes and farms, I embarked the studio on two new projects to link our work with sustainability in the face of climate change and with cultural history on farms.
For the first we consulted with climate change writers and scientists, to create work for Brookline Climate Action for their Brookline Climate Week in the beginning of April. Four different installations were in store fronts and the Town Hall of Brookline, MA, to stimulate climate awareness. The installations can be viewed HERE. The below installation, Carrying Capacity, at Brookline Bank was done in collaboration with artist Beckie Kravetz. Look for more work in the future that incorporate creative communication about global and local issues.
Carrying Capacity, collaboration with Beckie Kravetz
The Clemmons Family Farm
The second project that I have been working on is in collaboration with the Clemmons Family Farm, now home to my studio in Charlotte, Vermont. One of the largest African American-owned farms in Vermont, the Clemmons Family Farm is in the early phases of transitioning into an African American heritage center that will celebrate farming, the arts, health sciences, and African American history. Some of the beautiful property on this 148-acre farm, along with some of the buildings, will eventually be open to the public. I have been working closely with the Family to plan some of the new activities on the Clemmons Family Farm, which will include a visiting scholar and artist program with resident fellowship positions, workshops and multi-cultural events, including pop-up galleries and outdoor sculpture, music and other performance arts. The Clemmons Family Farm has a fundraising campaign for the Farm2Art Barn House. To learn more about the farm and fundraising project visit theirKickstarter website. Please consider contributing to this unique farm and experience. Below, is their letter to the public.
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The Clemmons Family has lived in Charlotte since 1962. We are very excited to let you know about our plans to reinvigorate and diversify the farming activities on our property, to add new rural art and multi-cultural activities, and to share some of the beautiful grounds and historic buildings with the public. This will be a gradual process of transformation from a family farm to a community center, over the next several years. To start the planning process, we have begun working closely with environmental artist Nancy Winship Milliken (http://nancymilliken.com), and are in dialogue with the Town of Charlotte, the UVM Extension Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the USDA's Natural Resources division, the Rokeby Museum, the Vermont Council of the Arts, the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity (http://www.vermontpartnership.org/) and planners of the Vermont African American Heritage Trail (http://vtafricanamericanheritage.net/), the Preservation Trust of Vermont and foundations whose mission is to preserve historic properties, academic institutions, and many others. One of our first new initiatives on the Clemmons Family Farm will be to transform our Barn House into a "Farm2Art" community center that will be open to the public, and that will celebrate farming, the arts, and African American heritage. We will work with our Town officials and Selectboard to ensure that our plans follow all of the required planning, zoning, and permitting processes, and that the Center adds value and joy to the Charlotte community, and visitors from near and far.
In the meantime, this week we are launching a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter to help cover some of the costs of the upgrades needed to get the Barn House ready for the public. Additional information of the farm and a view of the fundraising campaign can be found on this website link:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/762143553/african-american-heritage-farm2art-center-in-vermo?token=2a7ab66f
We welcome your feedback, and hope that you are as excited about this initiative as we are. We will be looking forward to being able to welcome you to our Farm in the near future, and are grateful for your support as we carefully work our way through the process.
Thank you all.
Jack and Lydia Clemmons, Owners
This summer I will be working at the farm with selected college interns to create sculpture and installations in response to the farm and beautiful landscape of Vermont.
As always please visit the studio websitenancymilliken.com to see more work from this year, or follow on Facebook or Twitter.
