Watershed & The Color Network Receive $35,000 NEA Grant

Watershed and The Color Network (TCN) are partnering for a second year to offer an artist residency focused on mentor-mentee relationship building among artists of color who work in clay. This summer, sixteen artists who are part of TCN’s mentorship program will gather in person for a two-week residency. The session will be funded in part by a $35,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

TCN supports artists of color by providing resources, visibility, and professional development opportunities. A significant facet of their work focuses on building mentorship networks among experienced and emerging ceramists. With TCN’s mentors and mentees scattered across the country, most of their connections take place online. As TCN considered ways to bring mentorship program participants together in person, Watershed’s open-ended residency structure offered a natural fit.

“As a student and an educator, I have often been the only person of color in the room. In these situations, I feel simultaneously invisible and hyper-visible,” shares TCN steering committee member Magdolene Dykstra. “The Color Network provides space for creatives of color to be seen and to see themselves in an uplifting space. The residency at Watershed is a crucial opportunity to be, make, and think alongside each other in person, in contrast to our increasingly virtual interactions.”

Artists who took part in The Color Network’s 2021 mentor-mentee residency at Watershed: Adam Chau, Gerald Brown, Isaac Scott (back), Sana Musasama (front), Isolina Minjeong Alva, Salvador Jimenez-Flores, Sarah Petty, Corrin Grooms, and April Felipe. Not pictured: Natalia Arbelaez and Alex Paat. 

 

Last summer, eleven TCN members gathered at Watershed for the group’s inaugural mentorship residency. While the mentor-mentee pairs had previously established connections with one another online, the majority of the group arrived as strangers. During their three weeks together, artists kept long hours in the studio while making strides in their work. Simultaneously, their conversations and collaborations engendered a comfortable ease that enlivened their practices and connections.

“The residency was life changing,” shares TCN member and 2021 resident artist Corrin Grooms. “I learned more in three weeks than I did in one semester in school. I made lifelong connections and am on a better path with my art career from the guidance I received from not only my mentor but all of the mentors.” 

Like many art centers, Watershed’s programs are funded through a mix of donor support, grants, and direct fees paid by participants. The Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) award from the National Endowment for the Arts will cover the cost of every TCN artist’s residency. “The award helps remove financial barriers to participation,” explains Watershed Executive Director Fran Rudoff. “Watershed and TCN agreed that cost should not deter anyone from participating in the session. We are pleased that the NEA recognizes the importance of this experience and has awarded a second year of funding.” 

Artist Gerald Brown works on a piece during The Color Network’s 2021 Watershed residency. 

 

“This is some of the most radical programming I’ve ever been part of,” shares 2021 TCN resident artist Gerald Brown. “So many artists of color struggle with money that they can never be fully immersed in a space. But when you remove that barrier, you tell them they are enough as-is. Imagine what a generation of mentorship residency cohorts would look like and what a massive impact it would have on the ceramics field.” 

NEA GAP awards reach communities in all parts of the country, large and small, from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. In 2022, there are 1,248 organizations recommended to receive grants totalling more than $28 million. 

In addition to time spent on studio projects and mentorship work, TCN and Watershed will host a summer exhibition featuring work by the TCN’s mentor-mentee residency cohort from last year. 2022 resident artists may also livestream artist talks, demonstrations, and conversations for their greater community and the public.

What Watershed Offers Artists

As we weather life during COVID-19 and grow into a new studio, Outreach and Communications Director Claire Brassil shares thoughts on Watershed’s trajectory and the values that will shape our next chapter.

Over the past year, the Watershed campus underwent a sea change. Because of — rather than in spite of — the pandemic, we built our new studio a year earlier than planned. The expedited project resulted in a large and light-filled structure that brims with potential and is fit to support artists and art-making in all seasons.

In the spring, we celebrated the building’s completion and collectively reoriented after such a rapid metamorphosis. The studio can contain any program we dream up. But … how will Watershed’s limitless future take shape? As an organization known for its scrappy rough edges, what will it mean to nurture the best parts of our original identity while making the most of our shiny new vessel? These coming-of-age throes find us wrestling with invigorating yet challenging questions of who we’ve been and who we want to become. 

2021 resident artists Sana Musasama and Adam Chau outside the new studio.

 

To set a solid foundation for our future planning, my colleagues and I have engaged in soul-searching conversations about what matters to us as an organization, what we value most about our mission, and what the “Watershed experience” offers artists. These conversations uncovered surprisingly consistent feelings we share about the intrinsic importance of art-making and creative community. We believe that art matters because it reveals new ways to understand the world and each other. Artists need space and support to do the work of creating, exploring, and even foundering. Place, context, and community shape creative ideas and practices, especially when artists are freed from day-to-day stresses and responsibilities. And, clay as a medium embodies an alchemical magic.

2019 resident artist Takming Chuang installs a piece on Watershed’s campus.

 

These ideas don’t occupy the forefront of our minds as we plow the studio driveway, return emails, and balance budgets. But they flow like a current beneath the banal tasks that keep Watershed running, and they are the reason we commit to our work each day. While not all staff members work in clay, most of us come to Watershed from a creative background. We engage in the collective venture of growing and sustaining this organization because we have personally experienced the profound need for places that support art-making and creative community. With each new cohort of residents, we help artists reinvent Watershed as a new and different space that champions their practices and goals. We understand the relief that comes from feeling acknowledged, accepted, and fully engaged in artistic exploration, and we endeavor to offer artists that experience at Watershed. This endeavor has been at the heart of our organization since its inception. Watershed was started by artists, for artists, and we continue to be run by artists, for artists who agree on a common vision. 

2017 resident artists enjoy an outdoor banquet and swap ceramic pieces at the end of their session.

 

The shape and scope of Watershed’s next chapter will begin to emerge over the coming year. I feel confident that my colleagues, the board, and our greater community share a collective passion for refining and growing this unique place. Watershed is a quantifiable physical space: 54 acres, 7,500 square feet of studio space, 31 dining room chairs, 15 bedrooms, 11 kilns, and one gallery. But in an equally real sense, we are an experience, an idea, and a respite during an era when few places affirm that creative practice and artists matter. 

Reflections From the 2021 Residency Season

 

Resident artist Kyla Culbertson at work in the Windgate Studio

 

As summer’s humid air lifts and the days grow shorter, we find ourselves reflecting on the 2021 residency season and the artists who formed our campus community. After years of planning and months of construction, we welcomed artists into the new Windgate Studio in June. Together, we launched a new era at Watershed and brought the gleaming new space to life. The studio hummed with energy as the residents took risks, considered their trajectories, and developed new work.

While our facility has changed, creating time and space where groups of artists can connect, explore, and grow remains at the heart of what we do. After a year without residential programs, we felt more fortunate than ever to witness artists gleefully hop in the back of a pickup to run up the hill for meals, enjoy elated and hilarious exchanges with one another, and share ideas behind work as it progressed. These mundane yet meaningful moments underscore the value of the residency experience and make all of the careful planning worth the effort.

The pandemic altered many aspects of life on campus but residents found new ways to make the most of their sessions. Ceramists took sunrise swims, shared ideas around the campfire, and left Watershed with new plans and perspectives.

The following images capture moments from each of the 2021 sessions, along with reflections from artists who helped shape this remarkable season.

The Color Network’s Mentor-Mentee Session

The Color Network’s residency came to fruition after extensive planning on the part of many collaborators. The 3-week session focused on deepening mentor-mentee relationships among artists of color. While participating artists had previously established partnerships between experienced mentor artists and emerging mentee artists–with the majority of their connections formed online–their Watershed session offered an initial opportunity for the program participants to work alongside one another in person. They arrived at Watershed during a heat wave, braved a fifty degree fourth of July, and amicably adapted as we worked out the inevitable kinks of a new studio. While impressive work resulted from the late night studio sessions, the residents’ palpable joy and ease engendered by their time together was undoubtedly the highlight of hosting this group. We hope this will be the first of many sessions with TCN artists.

 

“I felt so supported mentally, physically, and monetarily in a way no other organization or program has done! All the staff and organizers made me feel welcome, included, and confident to pursue a life in making! Everyone lifted each other up and did so in an immaculate environment!

Isolina Minjeong Alva

The Color Network Session resident artists included Isolina Minjeong Alva, Natalia Arbelaez, Gerald Brown, Adam Chau, April Felipe, Corrin Grooms, Salvador Jiménez-Flores, Sana Musasama, Alex Paat, Sarah Petty, and Isaac Scott.

TCN’s session was supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and by donations from AMACO, Laguna Clay, Shimpo, and Speedball.

Open Studio Session I

Our first 2021 Open Studio Session provided time and space for an unusual theme-free residency (our summer residencies usually have a theme). Participating artists arrived as strangers ready for this experiment in creative community during the pandemic. It worked out seamlessly thanks to the adventurous and caring nature of this fabulous cohort. We so enjoyed watching resident artists connecting, creating, and inspiring one another. The new studio’s open floor plan contributed to some cross-pollination of ideas and work (there were quite a few clay heads hanging around by the end of the session) as the artists kept a variety of day and nighttime hours during their time together.

 

“I was able to completely focus on my work. I didn’t know if I was able to do that anymore! I found that I still have the desire to make work for myself and that was very meaningful to me. I’m sure with time I will become even more aware of how valuable the residency was to my practice.”

Karen Beall

Open Studio Session I resident artists included M’Shinda Abdullah-Broadus, Malene Barnett, Karen Beall, Cassandra Brown, Aaron Caldwell, Kyla Culbertson, Phoebe Deutsch, Penny Huynen, and Kevin Snipes.

Open Studio Session II

During the second Open Studio Residency, nine artists arrived at Watershed with no formal agenda and quickly found a common interest in firing the wood kiln. While the labor-intensive preparations and firing process occupied the majority of their third week in residence, this ambitious group made time to curate a pop-up exhibition of their work as well. They staged the impromptu show for one night in Watershed’s Barkan Gallery and included work by everyone in the session, along with pieces by staff members.

 

“I have been unable to regularly work in clay during Covid-19 and was hungry for time and space to develop my practice. By the end of the residency I could identify and articulate what/who influences me and start to see where my own voice in clay was. I reevaluated my skill set and can now proceed in this career by targeting what additional skills I want to obtain so I can create the work I want.”

Carolyn Wiley

Open Studio Session II participants included Eugene Agyei, Emily Beck, Jessica Cheng, Lili Chin, Alejandra Cuadra, Joe Donnelly, Summer Orr, Julia Pierce, and Carolyn Wiley.

Salad Days Artist Grace Tessein and resident artist M’Shinda Abdullah Broadus

 

Interview with Salad Days Artist Kari Woolsey

Kari Woolsey at work in the Watershed studio, 2019

 

When Kari Woolsey signed on to make 550 plates for Watershed’s 2020 Salad Days celebration, none of us anticipated that a world-wide pandemic would bring public gatherings to a sudden halt. While we look forward to hosting our fundraiser in person again, we’re thrilled to offer a highlight of Salad Days this year by featuring Kari’s handmade plates for sale online. We talked with Kari about her work, interests, and experience at Watershed in order to give supporters a better sense of the person behind the colorful plates that anchor 2021’s virtual Salad Days.

A stack of Kari’s summery plates

Watershed: Kari, tell us about your plates. What was the inspiration for the colors and design?

Kari Woolsey: My work is inspired by everyday domestic objects. These plates have patterns inspired by kitchen linens, while the colors—blue, chartreuse, pink, and gray—were chosen from my favorite aspects of summer: blue skies, lemonade, watermelon, and summer rain showers. I am partial to these colors from my childhood in South Florida but they also reflect my summer at Watershed—swimming in lakes, luscious green of new spring growth, popsicles on a hot day, and the weathered barn studio. I also enjoy the mix and match aspect of the glaze colors and patterns in this body of work. I chose colors that I thought would complement an array of salads and the variety of hand-stamped patterns create an element of discovery when turning over a plate.

WS: How did you approach the production process?

KW: I hand-built my plates using a slab base with an added coil for the rim. I pinched the plates to create an added textural quality. Additionally, the bottom of my plates have a slightly raised pattern. To get the texture on the bottom of the plates, I shaped a slab over a hump mold with a stamped pattern and repeated the pattern on the rims of the plates using hand carved stamps.

The textured back of a plate

WS: It’s unusual to find such detail on the bottom sides of everyday dishes. Can you share why you chose to give attention to this often-overlooked space?

KW: I incorporated patterns and textures into my Salad Days plates in every way that I could in order to bring attention to the entire plate. The raised pattern on the bottom and the stamped pattern on the rim provide an element of repetition and texture but also offer a way for the plate’s user to explore its surface—whether it’s holding the plate while you fill it up with food or while you wash the plate and leave it in the rack to dry. I wanted to consider every surface throughout the plate’s lifecycle.

WS: What was the most rewarding part of your experience as the Salad Days Artist?

KW: There are a few aspects of the residency that I look back on with so much fondness. I really enjoyed meeting many past Salad Days Artists during the event’s 25th anniversary. I also feel so grateful for the caring and supportive friends I found in the summer staffers and resident artists. I have many fond memories of studio chats, conversations over delicious meals, and swimming in lakes and rivers during my summer at Watershed.

WS: What was the most challenging aspect of producing such a large quantity of plates?

KW: It was challenging to fire such large batches of work. Throughout the three-day process of candling, firing, and cooling, I found it stressful to wait and see how the freshly glazed plates turned out. This got easier the more kiln loads I fired and the more finished pieces I could check off my list to 550 plates.

Woolsey’s in-progress plates drying in the studio

 

WS: How did the experience influence your current work?

 KW: Making plates gave me a new perspective on time management. I broke the process into several steps while hand building, slipping, and glazing. The experience provided a benchmark for how much I could accomplish in a very focused environment with a short amount of time.

I also let my mind wander during repetitive parts of the production process. My daily routine in the studio often led to brainstorming sessions. I kept track of new ideas in my sketchbook and have been revisiting those ideas in my current practice.

WS: What other artists’ work do you admire?

KW: There is an endless list of ceramic artists I admire! A few that come to mind are Joanna Powell, Pattie Chalmers, Linda Lopez, Martina Lantin and Future Retrieval, which is a collaboration between Katie Parker and Guy Michael Davis. I am also enamored of Laura Letinsky’s photography and the fiber work of Dee Clements.

WS: What is your favorite memory from your time in Maine?

KW: I loved the walk down to the studio every day. It offered time to clear my head before a day of working. Seeing the variety of roadside flowers blooming and the lambs growing next door at the farm marked the different stages of summer.

Another standout memory took place after the summer residency ended. While finishing up the plates and cleaning out my studio, the remaining staff and I made a pasta dinner with loads of tomatoes from the garden. It was so nice to end the summer with a great group of friends, lots of laughs, and a delicious meal. 

WS: What advice would you give future Salad Days Artists?

KW: Find what you need to work best in the studio—whether it’s music, audiobooks, podcasts, swimming breaks, or taking a walk. I listened to many audiobooks and podcasts and asked for recommendations from each group of residents.

At times the workload will seem very daunting, but just keep going. I found it comforting to remember that many artists before me had completed the task. Before I knew it, the summer was over and the plates were finished.

Kari’s plates are on sale online through July 11, 2021. Visit the Watershed Shop.

Factory Reflections From Reeder

For the past thirteen years, Watershed Studio Manager Reeder Fahnestock bore witness to the ever-changing organism that was the “Factory” – Watershed’s original studio that welcomed artists for 35 years. In this guest post, Reeder shares his abiding memories and indelible connection to this special space and reflects on the hopeful promise of the new Windgate Studio.

I was there when they came for the Factory. I bore witness as the giant claws took their first bites, disgorged them into waiting trucks that hauled them up the drive and off the property. The building had occupied that spot for fifty years and before that had enjoyed an active first life up at the top of the hill housing chickens before they cut it in half, rolled it down into the valley and converted it into a factory for making bricks. But now its usefulness had found its end and I was there to watch as it was taken away.

As the Factory’s primary custodian for the past decade I developed a relationship with the building not unlike one might form with a stray dog. It had come into my life largely without warning or introduction, and it came “as is”, leaky roof, heaving floors, bugs, rodents and all. In short, it came to me in need and showed no inclination of leaving anytime soon. But it also came with an endearing backstory and a charm all its own and so, what at first glance was pity, quickly became sympathy, empathy and finally love for a structure that had so humbly served so many for so long, so faithfully, in so many different ways. The Factory was wholly without pretention or even aspirations. We got along well and did our best to ignore each other’s shortcomings.

The Factory sheltered more than just chickens and artists. The Factory was its own ecosystem, home to birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and a hundred thousand insects. Bittersweet twined through the walls. The rain dripped through the roof, snow blew through the gaps in the siding, and every spring the floor turned into marshmallow fluff as the frost left the ground. Each spring meant opening up the studio – sweeping away the cobwebs, getting the water running, patching the new holes in the roof, re-leveling all the shelves of materials that had moved with the frost heaves. Now, “opening the studio” means turning a key. The old studio didn’t even have doors, let alone keys.

Vintage images of Reeder and summer staffers at work in (and on) the Factory

 

In its place a new structure has risen like the proverbial Phoenix, a building of concrete and steel, a building exuding self-confidence and proclaiming a sense of permanence the Factory totally lacked. The Factory looked like it might dissolve into matchsticks during the next thunderstorm, while the new building looks like it could withstand the worst Nor’easter the coast of Maine has ever seen. The wildlife has been relegated to the outdoors and the polished concrete floors have drains for ease of cleaning. And that is as it should be. There will be those that knew the studio as it was before who will now bemoan the loss of “character” and refer to the new one as “sterile” and “institutional”. But one need not suffer for one’s art.  If brute nature is their inspiration and muse, it is all still available within a few simple steps beyond the studio doors. I will be happy to accommodate their needs and will gladly move a wheel and a table to the dooryard if that is where they work best.

It is true, I will miss the barn swallows who now must find new homes. I loved to see them swoop through the building with a bug in their beak fetched back to a clutch of chicks with open, greedy mouths. And their nests were architectural wonders. But as industrious as they were, still they could not eat all the mosquitos, nor even could the spiders, inspirational builders in their own right with their foot-wide-webs covering every nook and cranny. And so, come an August night when the humidity hangs thick in the Maine coast air and I, at labor late on my wheel, find no reason to swat and curse the clouds of winged and heinously buzzing blood suckers because they have been banished forever from the building, I will silently rejoice and be grateful. If the resident artists take no notice of their absence, take for granted a dry work space free of biting insects, I will give silent thanks again.

When Covid came to Maine and we were forced on short notice to cancel our programing for the year, I felt fortunate to be a part of an institution that didn’t panic, but had the forward-thinking leadership in place to pivot instead. Watershed pulled on its waders, went to work and even in the worst of times turned a big idea into a reality of true consequence. There were no deer-in-the-headlight stares around our conference table, just a steely resolve to grasp the moment and forge ahead with diligence and conviction. The result has been nothing short of constructing the premier ceramic facility on the east coast, if not in the entire United States. That is no small feat and is a testament to the resiliency of Watershed and the importance of its place in the community. It goes without saying that this would not have been possible without the deep and broad support of Watershed’s friends and allies and as such it stands, literally in concrete and steel, as evidence of the importance of our mission.

Watershed and The Color Network receive $30,000 National Endowment for the Arts Grant

Watershed was recently awarded a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support a three-week artist residency organized by members of The Color Network (TCN).

TCN supports BIPOC artists working in clay by providing resources, visibility, and professional development opportunities. They are also building a mentorship pipeline that links experienced and emerging ceramists. During their residency at Watershed this summer, participating artists will have unlimited access to our new state-of-the-art studio to work on independent and collaborative projects. They will also take part in group work focused on developing mentor-mentee relationships.

“I think it’s so important to have mentors you identify with,” shares TCN steering committee member Natalia Arbelaez. “BIPOC artists will sometimes be the only ones like them in their community or institution. Having support from someone who has already navigated similar experiences is so valuable.”

Natalia Arbelaez, “Ceremonies for González”, performance, 2019

 

Fellow TCN artist Adam Chau agrees, “When I was in school, it was very hard to have intimate critiques with people who didn’t necessarily understand my culture. I hope that our mentorship can be a supplement to artists who find themselves not being able to resonate with their peers or immediate community.”

Adam Chau, “TXT”, porcelain, cobalt, white gold luster, 2018, photo: Jorrit Taekema

 

With TCN members scattered across the country, virtual meetings and online conversations have provided creative connection. However, the collective felt that making work together and spending time with one another in person was essential for mentors and mentees. The majority of TCN’s steering committee—which also includes artists April Felipe, Salvador Jiménez-Flores, and Yinka Orafidiya—had previously participated in residencies at Watershed. They agreed that our open-ended program structure and 54-acre campus would provide the ideal place to gather and develop their mentorship program.

“Until very recently, I thought I had nothing to offer as a mentor…I mean, who am I to advise anyone in a craft that I’m still figuring out myself?” Yinka Orafidiya says, “But I realized that, at a bare minimum, my value is captured by continually showing up—an offer of Black representation, which is sorely lacking in American ceramics. Through my many failures, rejections, and missteps, I have accumulated a wealth of wisdom that I now believe will be useful to the next generation of BIPOC makers.”

Yinka Orafidiya, “Freedom Cups”, Underground Railroad code printed on red stoneware, 2018

 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Watershed has instituted new campus health and safety measures to accommodate physical and social distancing in accordance with Maine CDC guidelines. These changes result in a decreased number of participants but still allow for eleven artists-in-residence to spend three weeks together on campus. 

TCN intends for this residency to act as a springboard for additional virtual and in-person programs. The small group of participating artists plans to connect with their greater community and the public during the residency via livestreamed artist talks, demos, interviews, and conversations.

April Felipe, “Wade”, porcelain, cotton thread, glaze, pastel, acrylic paint, 2018

 

Like many arts organizations, Watershed’s programs are funded through a mix of donor support, grants, and direct fees paid by participants. By applying for grant funding, Watershed and TCN endeavored to remove financial barriers to participation. “Residencies are powerful places where artists develop their work and create deep relationships within their field,” shares April Felipe, who first took part in a Watershed session in 2016. “For many BIPOC artists, cost is too large an obstacle while also navigating if the space will be welcoming and safe. We wanted to create an opportunity that could eliminate those obstacles. Funding through the NEA grant allowed us to do this and more.”

This $30,000 Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) award is one of 1073 selected projects from a pool of 1674 applications submitted in 2020. The National Endowment for the Arts awarded nearly $25 million in support for 64% of all applicants with an average grant amount of $23,190.

Salvador Jimenez-Flores, “Nopal Espacial”, brass, cast iron, rose gold plating, brass hose, 2019

 

Subscribe to Watershed’s e-newsletter to keep updated on ways to connect with TCN during their session and find additional NEA grant information at arts.gov

Windgate Studio Construction Update

With on-site programs on hold due to COVID-19, Watershed has taken advantage of a quiet campus to begin construction of a new state-of-the-art studio. The design for the 7,500 sq ft building includes:

  • Single-level floor plan designed for ceramic work with easy access to raw materials and kilns
  • Glaze room, plaster room, and spray booth
  • 4800 square feet of open-concept studio space
  • Full accessibility and ADA compliance
  • Energy efficient temperature regulation in all seasons
  • Comprehensive air filtration and ventilation systems

Over the summer of 2020, Watershed’s leadership worked feverishly with architect Jane Gleason of Greywork LLC to complete construction drawings for the studio building, hired JF Scott Construction of Winthrop, ME as our General Contractor, and secured necessary state and local permits. And then the real work began:

AUGUST

Storage containers were brought on site to care for the Factory’s contents during the construction process.

Watershed’s Founders George Mason (l), Lynn Duryea (c), and Chris Gustin (r) reminisced about the organization’s beginnings and paid their respects to the Factory.

The Studio Annex was completed in late summer 2020. Some contents from the Factory have been relocated to this fully accessibly and climate controlled building, which provides much-needed space for maintenance work and adjunct programming in all seasons.

SEPTEMBER

The pace picked up in September as detailed electrical, plumbing, and mechanical plans were completed. Site work began to reveal the footprint of the new studio.

OCTOBER

The week of October 5 was bittersweet as we bade farewell to the Factory and began work on the Windgate Studio’s foundation. A protective structure for the historic Beehive Kiln ensures its safety throughout the construction process.

While digging the new foundation, we struck clay! This beautiful vein of glacial marine clay runs along the footprint of the original studio and expanded into the land behind the barn.

NOVEMBER

Blessed with a relatively warm fall, work on the studio continued steadily throughout the month. The foundation and exterior walls were completed, steel beams were erected, plumbing and drains were installed and insulated, and a beautiful maze of radiant heat coils were set in place.

 

DECEMBER

Although we had some early winter snow, work continued at a fast pace toward the goal of a fully enclosed structure before the New Year. The cement floor was poured and smoothed – all in one day!

Roof trusses moved into place, followed by windows and initial layers of roofing materials.

JANUARY

The new year shifted the focus of construction to the studio interior and to the breezeway connecting the studio to the kiln shed. 

Architect Jane Gleason of Greywork LLC and Studio Manager Reeder Fahnestock outside the breezeway that will connect the Kiln Shed to the Windgate Studio.

 

As the wall framing went up inside, we all began to get a better sense of the rooms and what 4800 sq. ft. of open studio space feels like.

Jane and Reed examine the interior space.

 

The final roofing and exterior siding will be completed by the end of January as the electrical and plumbing details take shape inside.

Stay tuned for more updates in the weeks and months ahead…and look forward to completion in May 2021!

Salad Days Recipes

While Salad Days won’t take place on campus this year, we can still offer our community some delicious salad dishes to make and savor at home. The following recipes come courtesy of Marguerite Grifka, a talented chef from the San Diego area who was slated to cook at Watershed in 2020.

Please share your Salad Days salads on social media! Tag them with #watershedsaladdays to add your culinary creations to our virtual picnic.

Fennel, Lobster, and Corn Salad

Serves 4 as a side dish or starter

Ingredients:

  • 1      Small (3”) bulb of fennel, trimmed of fronds
  • 2-3   Radishes
  • ¼      Red onion
  • 2       Corn ears
  • 6 oz   Cooked lobster meat, coarsely chopped
  • 1       Lemon
  • 2-3T Mayonnaise
  • 2T     Chopped fresh thyme

Directions: Remove kernels from the corn cob and sauté in a teaspoon of olive oil for 3-5 minutes until some kernels are nicely browned. Place in a mixing bowl. Thinly slice fennel, radishes, and red onion (a Japanese mandolin works great for this) and add to bowl. Zest half the lemon into the bowl. Add the juice of half the lemon, mayo, thyme, a generous pinch of salt, and a good grinding of black pepper. Toss to combine and taste. Adjust lemon and seasoning as necessary.

Kale, Quinoa, and Cranberry Salad

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups    Kale largest stem removed, shredded a ¼” wide
  • 2 cups    Cooked quinoa
  • 1½ cups Cooked chick peas (one can drained)
  • ½ cup     Dried sweetened cranberries
  • ¼ cup     Almonds, sliced and toasted
  • 1 bunch Parsley, chopped
  • 4            Green onions, chopped
  • ½ t         Salt
  • Citrus Vinaigrette, to taste (see recipe below)

Directions: Combine all, toss and season with salt and pepper to taste. For best results, let sit for at least an hour before serving.

Citrus Vinaigrette

  • 3 T  Lemon juice
  • ½    Orange, juiced
  • 1 t  Zest from the orange, grated
  • 1 t  Garlic, minced
  • 2 t  Dijon mustard
  • ½ cup Olive oil
  • ½ t  Salt & black pepper

Add all ingredients into a jar and shake well, or combine in a blender and pulse until mixed. Use immediately or keep for a month in the fridge. This is a great one to make ahead and keep around. Let sit out a room temp 15-20 minutes to warm olive oil before using.

Arugula, Blueberries, and Chicken Salad

Serves 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main dish

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz     Arugula
  • 4 oz     Roast chicken, shredded
  • ¼ cup  Loose basil leaves
  • ½ cup  Fresh wild Maine blueberries (frozen works great too)
  • 2 oz.    Goat cheese, broken into chunks
  • 1 cup   Croutons (this is a great opportunity to use up stale bread and make your own)
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper
  • Watershed’s Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette (see below)

Directions: Combine the arugula, croutons, half the chicken, goat cheese, and blueberries. Toss with ½ the dressing, a few grinds of fresh pepper, and a sprinkle of salt. Distribute the remaining chicken, cheese and berries across the top and drizzle with a little more dressing.

Watershed’s Balsamic Dressing (as remembered by Reba of Hatchet Cove Farm)

  • 1        Shallot or garlic clove
  • 2 T     Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T     Lemon juice
  • 2 t     Dijon mustard
  • 1 t     Maple syrup or other sweetener
  • ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ t     Salt, or to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 to 5 Drops of hot sauce (optional)

Directions: Place peeled shallot or garlic in the food processor or blender, and mince.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until emulsified, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt, if needed, along with black pepper and hot sauce.

To mix by hand, place minced shallot or garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, and sweetener in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Watershed History: PWA Workshop

As 2020 Pride draws to a close, we are thinking about members of the LGBTQ community who participated in Watershed’s workshop program in the ’90’s and early ’00’s for people living with HIV/AIDS. In this guest post, Watershed co-founder Lynn Duryea recalls the roots and impact of the program, as well as memories of the people who took part.

Twenty-eight years ago this month, I had one of the most profound experiences of my life: eight days spent at Watershed with a group of people with HIV/AIDS. Coming from Massachusetts and Maine, graciously funded by their AIDS service organizations, these folks were willing to join in the experiment to see how community and creativity could sustain them, no matter what their circumstances. The image of our banquet the last evening of that session is evidence of the energy and connection between workshop participants, Watershed resident artists, and staff.  

I was inspired to initiate this program during a visit to Watershed the previous summer when Gustavo Gonzales, an art therapist from New York, had been in residence with a group of people living with AIDS. I am forever grateful to Gustavo for laying the groundwork for this program that became an important part of Watershed until 2004. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of that initial workshop season, and we will be sharing more of the history and development of the program. Additional thanks go to Mackenzie Harris, a therapist, and Ellen Hirshberg, a visual artist, who worked with me to guide the program – and to the many Watershed resident artists and staff who joined with us in support. Sadly most of the participants of that 1992 workshop died long ago, but their images and memories are very much a part of Watershed’s history. They are not forgotten.

Watershed co-founder Lynn Duryea (pictured back right) with therapist Mackenzie Harris (front row right) and participants at the 1992 Watershed workshop for people living with HIV/AIDS

 

Here is what workshop participant Patrick Clark had to say about his time at Watershed that year: “I shed many layers of my outer casing during this workshop. I wrote, I painted, I made a few ceramic posts. I returned home vulnerable and with humility, more in touch with my being than I thought possible.”

Further Information on the program:

COVID-19 Message From Watershed’s Director

 
Dear Friends,
 
As we all adjust to a new reality with respect to the COVID-19 virus, our thoughts are with the people who make up our extended creative community across the country and world.
 
Along with you, we are monitoring the situation closely and will heed the advice of experts in the coming weeks and months. Our collective health and wellbeing is of paramount importance and we will make programming decisions accordingly.
 
Watershed events planned for the next month have been postponed. This includes a workshop for K12 educators on March 20 and our beloved Soup Bowl Supper that was scheduled for April 2. We will keep you posted about new dates.
 
Out of an abundance of caution, our staff members are working remotely. We will be checking the office voicemail and our emails regularly and will respond to your messages as quickly as possible.
 
For now, we are hopeful that our residency season will proceed as scheduled. It will be deeply disappointing for all of us if the situation requires continued social distancing into the summer and fall months. Artists who are already registered for a session are receiving separate communications from us.
 
During this time of uncertainty we aim to be a resource that can offer connection and community to our extended network. Please stay in touch with us on Facebook and Instagram, or listen to our Conversations with Legends podcasts featuring ceramics greats Wayne Higby, Jack Troy, and Paula Winokur.
 
Watershed will continue to share updates as we learn more about the situation and its implications for summer programming. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. 
 
Francine Rudoff
Executive Director
Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts