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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