The Brewster Project
28 - 29 July 2001
The Brewster Project, Brewster, New York
July 28, Saturday: 12-8pm, July 29, Sunday 12-6pm
On July 28-29 2001, Brewster (Putnam County) will host over 30 contemporary artists from New York City who have been invited by ten curators to create site-specific public projects that reflect on Brewster’s history, locale, architecture and specific cultural make-up.
The exhibition is organized by: Regine Basha, Omar Lopez-Chahoud, Christopher Ho. Contact: 212-252-4076 e: reginebasha@hotmail.com
For Immediate Release
On July 28-29 2001, Brewster (Putnam County) will host over 30 contemporary artists from New York City who have been invited by ten curators to create site-specific public projects that reflect on Brewster’s history, locale, architecture and specific cultural make-up.
Brewster, a one-street village (in the Town of Southeast) is positioned at a historical and socio-political juncture, where the rural meets the urban and local issues carry truly global implications. Brewster is many things to many people: an idyllic residential area; the source from where New York City’s water reserves originate; a home for Central American migrant workers; a hub where Manhattan commuters converge; and a slice of arcane American lore – here PT Barnum began his first traveling circus and Borden Condensed Milk established their first factory in America. Throughout the commercial enterprises, the churches, the vintage shops, and the historical sites, Brewster, like many small American towns, presently faces the pangs of economic and cultural transition.
Having researched the various facets of Brewster both past and present, the invited artists have developed projects that interact with specific sites and highlight the complexities of the area – be it the establishment of the Croton Aqueduct, the role of the migrant workers, or the aesthetics and architecture of rural America and the layers of its regional location.
Projects sites will include, amongst others: The Southeast Museum, the library, the Brewster house, local thrift shops, Jack & Jill1s pool hall, a flower shop, a travel agent, an artisan frame shop, the Iron Horse Bar and several storefronts, buildings and outdoor public spaces.
The artists have been selected by a group of emerging curators working independently in New York who have formed a collective in order to interact with, learn about, and take up ‘temporary residence’ in the village. This weekend event will continue to occur every season, with a rotating group of curators and artists, in order to develop a long-term exchange with Brewster and the arts community of New York City.
The organizers of the exhibition are: Regine Basha, Omar Lopez-Chahoud, Christopher Ho
The curators are: Jennifer Dalton, Berit Fischer, Rachel Gugelberger, Karen Jones, Moukhtar Kocache, Mauricio Lafitte-Soler, Edward Winkleman and Regine Basha, Omar Lopez-Chahoud, and Christopher Ho.
See page two for full participants list and directions.
The participants are-
REGINE BASHA: Ellen Altfest, Mick O’Shea, Alex Villar, Brooke Williams
JENNIFER DALTON: Lisa Levy, Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, Beryl Odette
BERIT FISCHER: Pit van de Loo, Anibal Jorge Pella, Andrea Ray; DJs: S45, Noel Zevon
RACHEL GUGELBERGER: Reynard Loki, Nicola Lopez, Austin Thomas, Peter Walsh
CHRISTOPHER HO: Amanda Church, Ian Dapot, Melinda Hackett, Pablo Helguera, Larry Krone and documentary by Jorge Lopez-Chahoud
KAREN JONES: Ellen Harvey, Millree Hughes, Peter Rostovsky, Istvan Szilasi
MOUKHTAR KOCACHE: Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock, Matt Bakkom, Jennie C. Jones, Susan Kelly and Alia Hasan-Khan, Douglas Ross, Lucien Samaha
MAURICIO LAFFITTE-SOLER: David Baskin, Amy Eshoo, Charles Goldman, Juana Valdes
OMAR LOPEZ-CHAHOUD: Paco Cao, Stephan Pascher, Jaime Permuth, Troy Richards, Carl Skelton, Guy Richard Smit, and Laura Watt
ED WINKLEMAN: Bill Byers, Hilda Daniel, Anna Pedersen, Carol Saft
-local highlights include-
-Shuttle buses to and from The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art leaving from the Brewster train station between the hours of 2-5pm (20min)
-Opening party with Djs S45 and Noel Zevon at Jack & Jill1s pool hall Saturday, 7-10pm
-Live performances by Larry Krone and Pablo Helguera
-Special project by Jennifer and Kevin McCoy on local radio station 88.9 FM
-A celebration of the Croton Aqueduct ceremony by Peter Walsh
-Special events at the Boonedog Café
-Historic tours offered by the Southeast Museum and the Walter Brewster House
-A local carnival on Saturday, July 28
The Brewster project is realized with the support and collaboration of the Mayor of Brewster, John Cesar, The Southeast Museum, and Brewster residents Richard Ruchala and artist Laura Watt. For more information on the Village of Brewster, directions and places to stay, contact the Southeast Museum at 845-279-7500 or www.southeastmuseum.org.
For information on the Brewster Project: 212-252-4076.
