From the September 2005 Issue of ArtsNews, published by the Westchester Arts Council

The Peekskill Project
Pioneering Art Coming to a Sidewalk Near You

By Jim Ormond

If you are looking for an extraordinary art experience, the streets of Peekskill are the place to be on the weekend of September 24th & 25th. Be prepared for some imaginative encounters. You can help find the fabled Yellow Brick Road, get your hair cut as part of a performance art piece, and watch as more than 100 defunct pianos break their long silence with sounds you would never expect.

It’s all part of a public art initiative called The Peekskill Project. Contemporary artists of all stripes will present their work in every part of the city, from sidewalks to parks, from the shore of the Hudson River to the local beauty salon. Thousands of people are expected to view the musings of internationally renowned as well as respected local artists.

Coordinated by the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, the goal of the Peekskill Project is to bring contemporary art out of the gallery and into the community. “Contemporary art can challenge, inspire and inform,” says Livia Straus, President of the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art. “It shouldn’t be confined to just museums and galleries. By bringing art to where people live their daily lives, we hope to connect with as wide an audience as possible.”

Since the project was launched last year, it has generated a lot of buzz in the wider art world. This interest is not due to the number of participating artists or the broad range of disciplines they represent (everything from sculpture to video and performance art) but to the unique visions that will be showcased. And that is just the way Straus, HVCCA Executive Director Sara Pasti and Peekskill Project Co-Organizer Allison Levy envisioned it.

With an eye toward making the Peekskill Project as ground-breaking as possible, HVCCA staff assembled a team of respected curators to seek out artists whose work is considered both cutting-edge and suitable for non-traditional art spaces. In keeping with the Peekskill Project’s mission to bring art out of the gallery, the majority of the artists do not have gallery representation, mainly because their work doesn’t lend itself to being displayed in a room. Another hallmark of the Peekskill Project is that many of the works are site specific. The works will be created for the first time for the Peekskill Project and incorporate some aspect of Peekskill’s past or present.

The best way to comprehend the unique nature of the Peekskill Project is to look at what some of the artists are planning. For example, artist Nelson Loskamp will be unveiling his “Nelson’s Electric Chaircut.” Volunteers who wish to have a haircut will be blindfolded and given a haircut. This whimsical performance piece includes sonic elements. Amused spectators will see that Nelson’s scissors and clippers are wired to sound effects pedals that trigger sound waves blasted through an amplifier strapped on his back.

At Ford Pianos, a piano refurbishing company in the heart of the downtown, visitors will hear an entire ‘library of sound.’ Sound artist Micah Silver recognized the potential of several of the defunct pianos in the shop. In the weeks leading up to the Peekskill Project he will record more than 3oo distinct sounds at sites throughout Peekskill. The defunct pianos will then be mounted with amplifiers to recreate the sounds.

Pia Lindman, a native of Finland, was fascinated to learn that L. Frank Baum, the author of the “Wizard of Oz,” lived in Peekskill during the 1870’s and that a Yellow Brick Road in the town may have been an inspiration for the book. After studying historical maps, Lindman believes she knows where a Yellow Brick Road may be buried and will invite the community to imagine what an excavation of the site might be like.

This year, HVCCA’s staff also focused on attracting more proposals which incorporate community members in the creation of the work. For example, artist Dean Friedman’s “Wheels” project brings artists and school children together for a colorful bicycle parade. Artist Laurel Garcia Colvin is also working with local kids to create an altar-like structure for visitors to add offerings in recognition of a building that was destroyed by a fire in December 2004.

In addition to making the art accessible, the Peekskill Project also makes the artists themselves available. During the opening weekend, many artists will be on hand to discuss their ideas with visitors. While the first weekend is expected to draw the most visitors, many of the installations will remain in place for an additional three weekends, giving visitors ample time to return and see all the work. Maps and chalk lines along the sidewalks will direct visitors to the entire collection throughout the city. “We’ve designed this endeavor as sort of an intervention,” adds HVCCA Executive Director Sara Pasti. “Many visitors will stumble upon works. We just hope to pique their curiosity enough so that they will want to see everything.”

For a detailed list of all of The Peekskill Project’s planned art works, visit www.hvcca.org or call (914) 788-7166.

Copyright © 2004 The Westchester Arts Council, All Rights Reserved.

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