Wassaic Project’s latest exhibition ‘Take a Selfie of Me’ engages community with public installations

WASSAIC — Just a few days shy of fall’s beginning, The Wassaic Project found an interactive way to unveil its latest art exhibition, “Take a Selfie of Me,” on Saturday, Sept. 21, by inviting the community to seek out the installations that were set up in public spaces across Wassaic and Amenia.

While the opening receptions for the installations began at 3 p.m., Wassaic Project co-executive directors Eve Biddle, Jeff Barnett-Winsby and Bowie Zunino had plenty of activities scheduled earlier in the afternoon. 

From noon to 5 p.m., children were invited to take part in an international children’s puppet workshop in the Art Nest, and then watch a performance by Paper Heart Puppets at 3 p.m. Around 3:30 p.m., an artist talk featuring Sarah Friedland was organized at Wassaic Commons while Open Studios was held from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Luther Barn.

Running from 3 to 6 p.m., community members were encouraged to take a tour of the area and explore the installations created by this season’s featured artists. Stopping by the Maxon Mills building for one last tour of the summer exhibition, “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” visitors were offered a map of the public spaces where this season’s installations could be found, including Jonathan Schippers’ “Camp Fire” on Furnace Bank Road; Caroline Partamian  and Ethan Primason’s “The Sonic Transmission Archive” at The Lantern; Sarah Friedland’s “Crowds” at Wassaic Commons; and Leila Gueramian’s “Scroomsaw” at the Amenia Free Library. The projection of a backward-flowing waterfall for Christy Chan’s installation, “All Is Not Lost,” was projected on the side of the Maxon Mills building later that evening.

As curious community members stopped by the installations, the artists were content to engage with and guide them through their creative process, explaining what they intended to create with their chosen art medium. For example, Gueramian repurposed an abandoned emergency dome as a hand-crafted wonderland fashioned out of deconstructed materials like Afghan blankets.

“One of the things that’s important in my work is to introduce art, so people can experience it and explore and experience something for the first time,” Gueramian explained. “It’s kind of exposing art to people who wouldn’t seek it out.”

Walking through the main doors of The Lantern, visitors might otherwise pass by the installation set up inside the telephone booth, until prompted to sit inside the booth and close the door. Amid the din taking place inside The Lantern, visitors listened intently to “the sonic collage of contributions left by others around the world” in an installation designed to coax responses to the question “What would you choose to leave as your legacy?”, according to the placard posted inside the booth.

“These installations are different because they’re out in public spaces,” said Joshua Frankel, Biddle’s husband, as he watched his children explore “Scroomsaw.” 

With regard to The Wassaic Project’s mission for local artists and the broader community, Frankel said, “The curation is very thoughtful and they intentionally select artwork that appeals to all of the audiences that are here in our community. The work they select appeals to people who come from the art world and it appeals to people who are intersecting with our world for the first time.”

According to Biddle, this season’s public artwork was funded by the New York State Council on the Arts, and she expressed the organization’s gratitude for the opportunities the New York State Council on the Arts has afforded the Wassaic Project through its support. Beyond having a show featuring all New York artists, Biddle added they were especially excited about the projection opportunity, as demonstrated in Chan’s installation.