Last day for a little while at least at LMCC

Today is my last day at LMCC. Hendrik Gerrit, LMCC's director, recently promoted, of Swing Space, has been coordinating my moves. My Free Space is sort of an independent study or extra credit project of Swing Space. Swing Space is a space grant program that connects artists and arts organizations with vacant commercial space downtown. Studio, rehearsal, office, installation, and exhibition space awards are typically for two to four months and are accompanied by a project stipend of $300-$3,000. Clicking on LMCC will provide all the details.

Their offices, with many folks on vacation in August, has been a great place to "free Space." My time at LMCC has been spent organizing my project for the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, titled Salon: A Framed Social Space, and opens November 11, 2006 and runs through January 2007. Free Space will be in Santa Barbara for the duration of the exhibition, here's a description:

A-Framed Social Space continues a series of "perches," or spaces set-off from the everyday, created by Austin Thomas. Over the past several years Thomas has been creating architectural structures specifically suited for gathering and interaction. These structures called "perches," are functional and artful, and are often designed to fit a particular setting. For Salon, she will construct a free form A-frame designed to fit the space and in it host a series of events tailored to fit the social environment. When not there to play hostess, visitors can enjoy and relax within this indoor vacation-home inspired space.
The space becomes like a living room for special events or a place for “"perch practice," to happen. ("Perch practice"” is defined as a variety of social events from teas to tete-a-tetes.) It is the artist'’s goal to make a community-oriented project by nurturing the local arts community. Through word of mouth and a series advertised events A-Framed Social Space will be the place for artists to be.

Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum

More on LMCC

In describing Free Space, I really need to talk more about LMCC, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, because that's where it all started. Back in May of 2005 I was awarded a Workspace Residency...Ironically, a picture of my workspace studio is featured on LMCC's site describing the program, which I didn't know was there until I started typing this...They don't even know about my blog, they barely know I use their office as my current studio! I LOVE THEM.

Ok, LMCC has a fantastic residency program in a fantastic building, 120 Broadway, the Equitable Building, downtown, New York City. A historic property. This picture shows my studio at night a blaze from the sidewalk below. It was very inspiring to work in an office building on an empty floor, which got me thinking about space, vacant space, space to be developed, and building and rebuilding space. And there's a lot of all that going on downtown which I was exposed to while working there for 6 months (the residency is now a year long).

After the residency, not having another studio to go to, I seized upon ideas of free space, and started to make a list of possible places, adjusted my practice accordingly, and set out to place myself and my work in the public and semi-public, sometimes private realms of a post studio practice.

I also want to mention that with the Workspace residency I was given a small monetary award which enabled me to buy this little laptop, to type away! Thanks LMCC (how often do we really get to say "thank you?!")

Free Spacing at LMCC

I'm "free spacing" at LMCC today and am here for the rest of the week. I decided to set up a blog in order to define "Free Space." As an artist, I don't have a studio. I work in spaces that are free; the laundry room of my apartment building, a close friend's house, the table in a collector's home, a public atrium open till 10:00 p.m. at night, and here at the offices of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

I have a portable studio; folders, bags, books, and supplies. I have a schedule and go to a different place on different days. For the past few weeks, I have been coming here to 125 Maiden Lane where I sit at an empty desk and plan future projects, like this blog. Welcome to Freespace. And thank you for reading and looking.