Setting policy on solid waste is not something many of us dwell on, yet how society disposes of its trash has many ramifications to the environment, public health, wildlife and the quality of life of our communities.As a child growing up in the 1980s, I recall family vacations in the Adirondack Mountains where my parents would take us to visit the town dump (landfill) to observe black bears feeding on human garbage. Then one year the town dump was replaced with a transfer station. A similar policy shift in solid waste management was occurring in Dutchess County around this time as landfills around the county were similarly replaced with transfer stations. Henceforth the county garbage stream would be exported to out-of-county landfills while trash generated in a select few western towns would be burned at the new waste-to-energy plant in Poughkeepsie. That’s how the county Resource Recovery Agency (RRA) came into being.A few years later in the early 1990s, Dutchess County also adopted a policy on recycling, including mandatory curbside collection (although full implementation of recycling practices has always fallen short).Today, Dutchess County is at a solid-waste crossroads. At least that’s the message of the independent consultant that the Legislature hired to advise us. After 25 years and more than $32 million in government subsidiaries to the Resource Recovery Agency, the consultant’s report asks whether the future of solid waste in Dutchess County should continue to be under public ownership or privatized.The route of public ownership is outlined in the RRA-produced and December 2010-adopted Solid Waste Management Plan. This calls for an expanded RRA scope via a reimposition of flow control (government control of the waste-stream), imposition of a user fee revenue source (garbage tax), costly upgrades to the turbines, renovations to the recycling plant, construction of a new transfer station in southern Dutchess and possibly the development of an ash landfill. This would cost $80 to $110 million.State law requires that “planning, regulation and management” of solid waste governance resides in public hands, but whether the planning unit should remain with the RRA (a public authority) or be transferred back to the county is a question raised by the consultant’s report.The chief alternative to the expensive waste-to-energy practices as advanced by the consultant’s report is to disband the RRA, sell or renovate the waste-to-energy plant to a large-scale transfer station, and ultimately shift to waste export system to out-of-county landfills as practiced by 70 percent of New York state counties. This route is calculated to save $60 million over 16 years for which some of the savings can be spent to further develop recycling and organics diversion. Their plan seeks to enlarge recycling through strict new recycling laws and a new county recycling department at a cost of $666,000.The Legislature will be briefed by MidAtlantic Solid Waste Consultants at a special meeting of the Legislature on Monday, May 16. Then it will be up to us to determine the planning unit, mode and manner of county solid-waste collection for the years to come.Dutchess County has a heritage in which we can all be justly proud. From the county’s role in the American War for Independence to the Federalist/Anti-Federalist debates leading to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, to the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and the 1944 Presidential election with Dutchess County at the center that pitted FDR versus New York’s governor from Pawling, Thomas Dewey, Dutchess County’s history is one in which we can be proud. Thanks to a resolution passed this month in the County Legislature, which I authored, the achievements and milestones of our legacy will be remembered annually.My resolution declares a 10-day period each fall to be commemorated as Dutchess County Heritage Days with hopes that school groups and the arts community will embrace this annual celebration with appropriate activities that foster pride and education. From the environmental movement spurred on by groups like Scenic Hudson, to industrial achievements like Wassaic’s condensed milk, IBM’s computer manufacturing, Smith Brothers cough drops or Robert Livingston’s steamboat, Dutchess County has had quite an impact on the American landscape.The 10-day heritage commemoration period is sandwiched between two significant dates: Oct. 23 and Nov. 1. On the first day of November in 1683, the Province of New York was carved into 12 counties, including Dutchess. At the time, title to property was in transition from having been transferred from Native Americans to Europeans settlers into eight patents, including Oblong (1650), Rombout (1682), Schuyler (1688), Nine Partners and Poughkeepsie (both in 1697), Rhinebeck and Beekman (both 1703) and Upper Nine Partners (1706).Much deserves to be remembered about these settlements, as well as the preceding use of the land by the Iroquois, Delaware, Mahicans and the Wappinger “Indians.”Forty years after the lands of Dutchess were so named (which at the time included Putnam County and Clermont and Germantown of Columbia County), the population had grown so much that the decision was made that Dutchess “should have officers of their own.” In this first act of democracy, in that the people were to elect their own representatives, the New York Provincial Assembly voted to allow Dutchess to elect a supervisor, treasurer, assessor and a tax collector on Oct. 23, 1713.This month the Dutchess County Legislature voted to celebrate the 300th anniversary of democracy in Dutchess County with an Oct. 23, 2013, milestone celebration, as we did Nov. 1, 1983. The chairman of the Legislature will be setting up an ad hoc committee of historians and interested citizens to help plan appropriate activities.From the first slain general in the Revolutionary War (Richard Montgomery) to the first black female judge (Jane Bolin) to the 22nd U.S. vice president (also New York governor), Levi Morton (Red Hook), and the Beekman Arms tavern to the Stanford birthplace of the game of Scrabble or the Beacon-foundry’s molding of the National Korean War monument to our leadership in psychiatric developments, including the birth of suicide hotlines on bridges, Dutchess County’s contributions have been significant to the American way of life. Beginning this year, during the 10-day period from Sunday, Oct. 23 to Tuesday, Nov. 1 — and with special recognition in 2013 — Dutchess County will take time to remember and focus on our historic past and our proud legacy. Michael Kelsey represents Amenia, Washington, Stanford, Pleasant Valley and Millbrook in the Dutchess County Legislature. Write him at KelseyESQ@yahoo.com.
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Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.
“I was always drawing as a child,” Justine recalled. Victor dreamed of illustrating magazine covers like those of the “Saturday Evening Post.”
Victor studied design and illustration at Rochester Institute of Technology, then received a fellowship to study painting and printmaking at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigne. He graduated in 1967. The following year, he received a grant from the Tiffany Foundation to study printmaking in Paris at Atelier 17, an experimental graphic arts workshop founded in 1927.
“What a great experience that was!” he recalled.
Returning home after the Paris uprisings of 1968, he discovered that the magazine covers he’d hoped to paint had largely given way to photography. His agent suggested trying record covers, which he pursued along with illustration and graphic design.
He also began teaching at Kean University in New Jersey.
“Kean had a wonderful graphic design and illustration department. I loved teaching Graphic Design, even though I never thought I would.”
He later taught at Syracuse University and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.
In the late 1980s, he decided to stop teaching and concentrate on his own art. He moved to Falls Village, to a house on the corner of Minor and Prospect Streets.
“I used to call the studio ‘Minor Prospects Atelier,’” he said.
He continued working in illustration and graphic design, creating book covers for stories by H.P. Lovecraft and other authors, along with magazine covers, logos, advertising and murals.
Justine and Victor Valla in their studio with a painting of Victor’s,”Jonah and the Whale.” Robin Roraback
His local commissions include the green and gold Noble Horizons signage and wall murals for the Stockbridge Inn, the Spa at Norwich Inn, Orchards Hotel in Williamstown and the David M. Hunt Library’s children’s section.
Justine grew up in the Bronx and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, she took on whatever work she could find, including designing toys and novelty items for Russ Berrie. But her true calling was textile design.
She moved to Los Angeles to pursue that calling, where she learned silkscreen printing from 1960s design icon Corita Kent.
“I was in her program at Immaculate Heart College. All fabric design at that time was silk screen. My first job in textile design was in L.A., creating wallpaper for Bob Mitchell Design.”
Justine returned to New York City, where the advent of computers required her to learn new design techniques. She enrolled at Parsons School of Design, studying Photoshop, Illustrator, Lectra U4ia and Kaledo.
Around this time, she met Victor online and moved to Falls Village.
A recruiter found her a job in Arkansas at Dillard’s, a department store chain operating in 30 states and known for its exclusive designer collections.
“They had the best equipment I’d ever seen,” she said.
She became a senior computer-aided design designer there, designing fabric and preparing purchased designs for production.
The Vallas left Falls Village for Little Rock.
“It was a big move,” she said. “It was a different culture, but Little Rock was very progressive.”
The originally planned to stay in Arkansas for five years but ended up remaining for nearly 10.
Then Justine was hit by a car. She suffered injuries to her leg and head and required four years of rehabilitation.
“I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.”
The Vallas returned to Connecticut, this time settling in Salisbury, where they’ve lived since 2013.
After leaving Dillard’s, Justine had planned to sell her work through Printsource in New York City, an international showcase for surface and textile design. But after the accident, she no longer had the mobility or energy to travel back and forth to the city.
Instead, she began selling her work locally at craft shows, including clothing, hand-printed tea towels and floorcloths.
She is currently working on selling her collection of textile designs.
In December, Justine will have a show of her tea-themed watercolors at the NorthEast-Millerton Library.
Victor recently exhibited “The American West: A Pictural History” at the NorthEast-Millerton Library. The series, created in the early 1990s, was part of a commission from the Postal Commemorative Society for which he completed 100 paintings in two years.
He hopes to place the series in a museum and has created books from its images, complete with text. Over the years, he has designed many other books that are ready for publication, including “Looking In, Looking Out,” a cosmic view of the universe.
Reflecting on his career, Victor said, “It’s about doing what you love”.
Justine agreed.
To see, purchase or commission work, contact Justine at justinevalla@gmail.com or Victor at victorvalla@comcast.net, or call 860-596-4282.
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Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.
Cornwall ceramicist Jane Herold explained that there’s quite a lot of enthusiasm for Clay Way among the region’s ceramic artists.
“We all need work space, which is hard to find or afford in urban areas. The wood-fire crowd needs lots of wood and outdoor space. This area is great because it’s rural enough for us, but has a wonderfully enthusiastic and supportive population of pottery [patrons].”
While many of the artists are returning from previous years, the loose collection of unofficial organizers likes to keep the event manageable for the public, limiting the number of artists and studios each year. A direct drive from the southernmost point at Ann Heywood’s studio in Wingdale to Herold’s big barn in Cornwall is under 40 minutes. But if you want to catch it all, plan for a full day’s worth of art exploration along some of the most beautiful roads in New England.
Starting at its northernmost point, Herold’s studio will host Matin Malikzada of Afghanistan, whose polished, modern interpretations of traditional forms are instantly recognizable. They’ll be joined by wood-fired ceramicists Steve Johnson, with his raw, organic forms, and Harry Levenstein, whose works relate closely to Johnson’s while making even more direct references to nature.
Herold herself creates work that is both beautiful and utilitarian. Her prolific output of objects is intended to be used by everyday people as part of their daily lives.
Moving south is Todd Piker of Cornwall Bridge Pottery. Piker has been making pots in his giant wood-fired kiln since 1971. The kiln looks more like an ancient blast furnace than something designed to transform clay into ceramics, but over the years, he’s mastered its intricacies and produces an impressive amount of fine work.
A ceramic vase by Kathleen Heidemann.Provided
Piker will host Sanah Peterson, who works at Cornwall Bridge Pottery and draws inspiration from both her time with Piker and her time traveling the globe as a child. They’ll be joined by Stephanie Haines, whose vibrant, eye-catching work features underglaze illustrations of birds, fruit and the bounty of nature.
Further along in Warren, Jessica Dubin’s pieces will be on display at the studio of Christine Owen. Both artists seem to appreciate the chaos and unpredictable nature of clay but find ways to refine it all using their own unique methods.
Heading east to Washington, Conn., Will Talbot’s creates intricate work while allowing for the unpredictable nature of clay to play a role. His studio will house Tom Knox and his wide variety of textures and forms, as well as New York City-based Alex Lebedev, who lets music and the nature of improvisation guide his work.
There will be two studios participating in South Kent. Alison Palmner, whose page on the Clay Way website states she “strives to achieve a lighthearted meld of human forms, animals and the vessel.” Her studio will host Ben Eberle, who trained under the guidance of legendary potter Toshiko Takaezu; James Guggina, whose intricate work can appear both deliberate and whimsical; and Paula Shalan, who blends rough, unrefined surfaces with polished precision in individual pieces.
Joy Brown’s delightful ceramic sculptures.Provided
Nearby is Joy Brown, whose work have become a staple of the area, with her figurative sculptures dotting the Northwest Corner. Brown’s studio will also feature Bonnie Levine, who taps into the beauty of chaos and destruction in her work, and Brendan Moore, whose more utilitarian forms are perfect for everyday use.
Finally, the tour crosses the border into Wingdale, New York, where the studios of Drew Montgomery, Ann Heywood and Amy Brenner will host Jackie Sedlock, Lynn Behrendt,and Kathleen Heidemann.
Brenner creates some of the most colorful and vibrant pieces on the tour, while Behrendt’s work is among the most studied and precise. Heywood creates carefully considered, intuitive forms, while Heidemann moves from simple minimalism to intricate textures. Montgomery and Sedlock both find new ways of playing with traditional forms, producing delightfully distinctive pieces.
To learn more about the artists and download a map of participating studios, visit clayway.net
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