In the early years, the studios were located
in a two-story single-family house. Etching
was in the living room, papermaking was in
the attic, and screen printing was in the basement.
Public programming included a regular workshop
series, as well as special programs that featured
the work of women artists.
Women's Work in Film
and Video, a long-standing
series of topical films made by women film
makers, and Outskirts, a series of two-dimensional
art exhibits, were initiated in 1976. These
seasonal series were housed alternately at
bars, dance studios or libraries—any
place where WSW could access a new audience.
The intention was to exhibit the work of women
artists as well as provide professional experiences
for the artists themselves.
In 1983, WSW moved into the Binnewater Arts
Center (BAC), which was a major step forward.
This made it possible for WSW to house both
exhibition and studio programs under one roof.
The BAC is a historic building that was once
the Rosendale Cement Company Store and Post
Office.
From the Victorian-style
porch of the two-story frame and clapboard
building, one could hear the roar of the
kilns, the ringing of picks and hammers in
the quarrying pits and the clanging of an
endless stream of railroad cars.* A century
later, the empty mines from those days speckle
the rolling mountains of Rosendale where a "new" industry
has replaced the old. On long wooden counters
that once displayed sacks of flour and kegs
of nails for sale to the miners, professional
artists and students of both genders and all
ages now assemble collages, manufacture handmade
paper or print and bind books in WSW classes
and as part of the residency and fellowship
programs.*
The BAC also made it possible for WSW to offer Artist-in-Residence grants, have a full fledged
workshop program, Summer
Arts Institute, and
offer opportunities for young women artists
through Internship
opportunities. With these
programs our standing as the leading women's
visual art facility in the country was established;
and we proudly hold that identifying brand
today.
Over time we have gravitated towards programming
that provides the richest experiences for artists.
Residencies, Fellowships, the Summer Arts Institute,
and Internships have become the basis of our
professional programs attracting artists from
around the world. Public programs with a local
audience include our Art-in-Education (both
fellowships and grants) initiative and community
clay workshops.
Thirty six years later, each of the four founding
women artists are still very much involved
in the day-to-day operation of the studios.
Together with a vibrant new generation of staff,
WSW continues to refine its programs and studios
so that we may continue to provide the finest
opportunities for artists from across the country
and, increasingly, around the world.
Today WSW is in the process of realizing our
goal to purchase the property next door to
the studios and will now begin the fundraising
process to renovate this historic building
as a first step in long overdue expansion.
When this rehabilitation work is complete,
WSW will have preserved a second structure
in the Binnewater Historic District, listed
on the Federal and State Registers of Historic
Places, to take its place alongside the Wallkill
Valley Rail Trail. WSW will finally have sorely
needed office, meeting and dining space for
our artistic community and an inspiring setting
for the many students and visitors who come
to WSW to view and study the artists’ books
archive.
*From A History of Binnewater
in the Cement Mining Times by Frances
Marion Platt, published by Women's Studio
Workshop, 2003.
|
