BURNAWAY » Art House Co-op to leave Atlanta, no sleep 'til Brooklyn

Art House Co-op to leave Atlanta, no sleep 'til Brooklyn

Written By Jeremy Abernathy on October 10, 2009 in Columns

Jason Kofke's Everything Will Be OK at Art House Co-op during the inaugural Le Flash in 2008. Photo by Jeremy Abernathy; click to read my review in ArtVoices magazine, Dec. 2008.

Art House Co-op announced early this month that they will be leaving Atlanta to throw down new roots in Brooklyn, New York. Read more in their official farewell letter:

“For the past three years, Art House has resided in Atlanta, Georgia. We have grown to love it here and love the people around us. This is where we started and this is where we grew. It was here where we had our first ‘project’ and grew faster then we ever thought we could. Atlanta was where all of your amazing art has been shown and resided at for the past few years. With growth comes the need for change. We have decided to make a move. Starting in January 2010 Art House will permanently reside in Red Hook in Brooklyn, NY. We are really excited about this change and hope the people of Brooklyn and the New York area will welcome us with open arms. We will miss Atlanta, and will be back to visit very often.

With this change brings a whole new year of exciting stuff. In January, our new space, ‘Brooklyn Art Library,’ will open up. It will be the home to thousands of sketchbooks and a revolving collection of all of your artwork. We hope to grow a space where people will come for inspiration and to learn about all of the awesome artists from all over the world that make up Art House Co-op.”

As an exhibition space, Art House has been somewhat quiet this year. By restyling themselves as the Brooklyn Art Library, the group signals a refinement in their mission to concentrate on what they do best: massive artist projects. Art House collaborations aren’t bound to a specific location or region. Their Sketchbook Tour involved over 2,000 international artists, whose work traveled with the co-op’s founders Steven Peterman and Shane Zucker to destinations throughout the country. I appreciate the term “art library” because it helps emphasize the group’s dedication to works on paper. Although writers (including yours truly) have jumped to single out Art House as a champion of digital collaboration, the co-op has primarily used the web as a tool for promoting artwork in traditional media. The goal is always to encourage people to create art and see it in person and to celebrate the honest human interactions that art can inspire.

So, let’s say farewell to Steven and Shane. I shall miss your beards. Be sure to visit soon!

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Category: Columns |
Tags: Art House Co-op, Brooklyn Art Library, Brooklyn New York, Le Flash 2008, Red Hook, Shane Zucker, Steven Peterman

http://www.wonderroot.org Alex West

I must admit that I am a bit sad to hear another alternative arts organization leaving our great city. I am also slightly disappointed on the spin of this story; As if leaving for NY is an accomplishment. If their goal truly is to “encourage people to create art” than who needs that goal more? ATL or NY?

I am sick to the bone of people using (literally using) atlanta as a incubator. I am sick of atlanta being a city people treat as a transient city to leave for more opportunity. We as citizens have an inherent obligation to give back to the city what it has given us. We have an obligation to leave it better than we found it.

I will say that WonderRoot loves atlanta and we are committed to being here forever. We are committed to facilitating an independent arts infrastructure. We are committed to making this city a final destination for the creators of the world.

Alex
http://thoughtmarker.blogspot.com mike

Word.
http://www.kombochapfika.com Kombo Chapfika

Just as I was getting into the whole Art House Co-op idea and considering getting involved, ah well. Good luck facilitating the already overblown rep of New York, say hi to Drew, and Jeremy, And Peter, and Allie et al. I remember when Raul dumped Natalia, a cute and caring girl he’d known for years to chase Eva, the hottie ice queen who had only recently became interested in Raul because of Natalia doting on hi. There there Alex, I get what you’re saying, this happens and will continue to happen until some of that NYC gloss is lost or other cities show they have viable art markets. Whether it’s a band, an artist, and now a gallery, who can say ‘No’ when Eva (NY) bats her prosthetic eyelashes and whispers with professional precision, “Do you want to come inside, for some coffee?” I can’t say no to coffee!

adios
Steven

The Art House move stems from a variety of factors. It is in no way our move to “make it big in the big city.” We have found over the past 3 years that the majority, by far, of participants have been from New York. Even though we get huge support from people in Atlanta, we get even more from the people of New York. Our goals have never been on a local level. We always strive to bring artists from all over the world together. We will continue to travel and show in Atlanta as much as possible. But sometimes not everything is possible from where you started. Also keep in mind one half of us grew up in new york and the move is as much personal as it is for the gallery! We hope to keep doing what we can for artists not just in Atlanta and New York, but for all artists.
Jeremy Abernathy

Thanks, Steven, I’m not here to begrudge what I’m sure is a very personal decision. Good luck to you.

I also appreciated your comment, Alex. When I read it, I thought: Yeah, rock on!! I agree with 90% of what you said. But allow me to clarify that I didn’t mean to celebrate a move to New York as a graduation from Atlanta to better things. Let’s use a counterexample. Art House could have moved to any number of places, from Athens, Georgia, to Toronto, Canada. If they decided to move to Mobile, Alabama, for instance, I don’t think I would have changed what I said. Sure, on the grand scale of things, nothing happens in Mobile. But I happen to have a lot of good, very intelligent friends from that area. If someone told me “we grew up in Mobile and now we’re going back,” I’d wish them a good life and know that a good life was possible there, even though I’m sure I’d never make the same decision. Sometimes people need a change.

You said, “We are committed to making this city a final destination for the creators of the world.” YES! I couldn’t agree more.

This month I had the chance to appear before some business people with a group of other journalists. I regret that we spent most of the time talking about our own problems. What I’d really like to tell those people is that attracting and *retaining* talented people is probably the single most urgent reason to invest in the arts. Atlanta suffers from a needless self-esteem problem. And when faced with difficulty, creative people often imagine paradise in a plane ticket. But you have to fight for your way of life no matter where you live. I can’t speak for everyone on staff, but BurnAway is in some ways a weapon I’ve crafted against my own brain drain. I’ve chosen to fight here.
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