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Gina Murtagh, December 4, 2023
Situated in the rust belt city of Utica, Sculpture Space stands as a haven for contemporary artists from around the world seeking to create and share new ideas. Founded in 1976, Sculpture Space has become a vital residency program that fosters experimentation and artistic growth. The organization's mission is to provide professional artists with time, space, and resources needed for innovative sculptural and mixed media practices. It offers studio space equipped with a diverse array of tools and resources including woodworking and metal working facilities. Artists benefit from the 24/7 access studio and a proximity to light industry and fabrication shops.
Gina Murtagh served as the second executive director of Sculpture Space, and she played an important role in the shaping of the organization. During her time at Sculpture Space, Gina approached her role with a background in the art world. Her leadership transformed the residency program into a space where artists could thrive and share their creations with the public. In the interview, Murtagh shares about her career and the road that took her to Utica, New York.
The interview was recorded at Murtagh’s home in Utica, where she comfortably sat in the living room area of the house. As I prepared materials for the interview, we had a conversation to lessen any tensions. She reminisces about memories from her life. To convey the tone of her response I chose to include vocalizations of laughter.
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Deborah Seid Howes, October 17, 2023
Deborah Howes is a museum educator and digital content developer who was a key participant in a project called the Museum Education Consortium in the late 1980s. The Museum Education Consortium (MEC) was a project that involved a group of seven art museums working together from 1987 to 1990 to create experiments using interactive technology as an educational tool in museums and classrooms. The project happened in the years before the internet, and at a time when many companies (Apple, Bell Labs, and others) were hungry for content to test their new technologies, and museums were great partners for this. The project was funded by the Pew Charitable Trust and the Getty Education Center. The prototypes that were created were received enthusiastically by the public in various testing sites, but there was never a plan to produce a commercially available product. The project participants were eager to learn about the best pedagogical approaches, the possibilities of discovery-based learning techniques in the context of technology, the best hardware and software for such a project, as well as the impact of creating early HDTV images of works of art.
The active participants in the MEC were the heads of education and members of their staff. The project was spearheaded by the Museum of Modern Art and the six other partner museums were the Brooklyn Museum, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery, and the Metropolitan Museum. Additionally, Bank Street College's Center for Children and Technology was a central participant, lending their experience and expertise in creating some of the earliest interactive learning technology models from two projects: the Voyage of the Mimi, and Palenque.
Deb Howes talks about how she became a museum educator, first at the Contemporary Art Museum in Los Angeles, and then later at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum, and MoMA. She describes her upbringing, her educational background at University of Chicago, her work as an evaluator and a media producer, and her memories of this consortium project.
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Charlie Fisher, November 18, 2023
Charlie Fisher is a prominent member of the Utica area’s art community. Born and raised in the Utica area, his family owned the Utica Steam Engine and Boiler Works, a key business in Utica’s manufacturing history. After graduating from Marietta College, in Ohio during the Vietnam era, Charlie spent time in Europe. He returned home and was one of the founding members of Utica’s Sculpture Space, which started in a building at his family’s boiler works and remains there today. Charlie has seen Utica change as the manufacturing industry left the region. Beyond the insight he shared about Sculpture Space, Charlie also provided first-hand accounts regarding Utica’s history.
This interview was conducted as part of a series of interviews done for a planned documentary for Sculpture Space. It was conducted early on the morning of November 18, 2023, at the Fisher family home in Clinton, New York. I cleaned up much of the text, removing filler words like “um,” “ah,” and “you know.” For clarity, I also added words in brackets. My questions focused on the history of his family business, the evolution of Sculpture Space, and the ways Sculpture Space has impacted him.
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Jonathan Kirk, November 15, 2023 (Video)
Jonathan Kirk is a self-described object maker and artist currently based outside of Woodstock in Willow, New York. He works with steel, wood, and cardboard. Kirk was a studio manager at Sculpture Space in Utica, New York, from 1980 to 2000. During this time, he helped countless artists find their foothold in the world of sculpture. In this interview, Kirk speaks to his early life in Britain, his time at St. Martin's College of Art, his move across the pond to Syracuse University, and his early days at Sculpture Space. He describes Sculpture Space’s philosophy as uncompromising, staying politically neutral, being principled, finding the best artists we could, not taking any shortcuts. Kirk also describes shifts that he has observed in the art world over the course of his career.
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Jonathan Kirk, November 1, 2023 (Video)
Jonathan Kirk is a self-described object maker and artist currently based outside of Woodstock in Willow, New York. He works with steel, wood, and cardboard. Kirk was a studio manager at Sculpture Space in Utica, New York, from 1980 to 2000. During this time, he helped countless artists find their foothold in the world of sculpture. In this interview, Kirk speaks to his early life in Britain, his time at St. Martin's College of Art, his move across the pond to Syracuse University, and his early days at Sculpture Space. He describes Sculpture Space’s philosophy as uncompromising, staying politically neutral, being principled, finding the best artists we could, not taking any shortcuts. Kirk also describes shifts that he has observed in the art world over the course of his career.
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Mark Golden, November 28, 2023 (video)
Mark Golden was born in New Jersey. He grew up in a creative household full of art, music, and famous artists. His father, Sam Golden, and great uncle, Leonard Bocour, partnered to create Bocour Artist Colors in the 1930s. The pair worked on 15th Street in Manhattan and hand-ground oil colors for professional artists. Mark attended the University of Rochester to study psychology. After graduation, he ended up working as a typesetter. One day he received a call from his, then retired, father. His father wanted to go back into the paint-making business with his son.
Consequently, Mark joined his parents in New Berlin, New York, to make paint in a renovated barn. It was here in 1980 that Golden Artist Colors, Inc. got its start. After initial financial hardship, the company began making custom paint for artists. This proved to be successful, and the company has continued to grow. The barn they started in came down in 1997, as the newer building continued to grow.
In this video, Mark describes making paint with his father for the first time. It is a humorous and compelling tale.
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Sydney Waller, December 6, 2023
Sydney Waller was the director of Sculpture Space from 2003-2012. Among many of her accomplishments were nearly doubling artist applications, implementing the International Advisory Board, helping to create the Griffis International Sculpture Garden, and honoring Sculpture Space’s 30th anniversary.
Sculpture Space is an artist residency in Utica, New York, less than an hour from Waller’s residence in Cooperstown (where the interview takes place). The residency primarily focuses on sculpture as a medium, which can be interpreted in various ways, utilizing a wide range of materials. Sculpture Space relies on its local and regional community for materials, venues, funding, and other types of support. This interview largely recounts the work Waller accomplished and the special position Sculpture Space has in Utica.
Waller describes in depth the symbiotic relationship between Sculpture Space and the larger community. She reminisced on the many artists she worked with and their captivating work. Artists that created interventions around the city, sculptures for the Griffiss International Sculpture Garden, or artwork for special exhibitions. Sydney also recalls the many board members and community partners who provided invaluable support to the organization broadly and to artists specifically. Board members who housed artists or performed manual labor, community members who donated property or materials, and even government officials who visited Sculpture Space or wrote congratulatory letters. Although the location came with its challenges, Sculpture Space is unique because not every city has a community network like Utica.
There is an interruption in conversation between tracks 2 and 3 for a phone call. Some paper rustling and repositioning noises can be heard in the background. There are quiet moments where Sydney reflects on a response or clarifies a question. For conciseness and clarity, repetitions or false starts have been excluded and I have broken up some long sentences into shorter ones. Sydney emphasizes certain words; therefore, it is recommended that researchers consult the audio recordings to capture her connotation.
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Heidi von Bergen, November 27, 2023 (video)
Heidi von Bergen is a painter, musician, and registered nurse currently living in Clinton, NY with her husband of 55 years, John von Bergen. Heidi von Bergen was born in Shanghai, China in 1945. She moved at an early age to Canada where she remained until travelling to Bennington, VT to attend college for music. Von Bergen ultimately changed her major to art with a minor in psychology. Upon graduating, Heidi von Bergen moved to New York City where she met her husband. After moving to Clinton, NY in February 1968, they had one child, Erika. They have resided in their current home in Clinton, NY for forty years and have an extensive estate with a guest house, foundry, and numerous sculptures crafted by John von Bergen.
Heidi von Bergen has sold and exhibited art for decades, including a piece currently on display (at the time of the interview) at the 4 Element Studio in Utica, NY. Von Bergen has pulled inspiration from artists such as Cezanne and works such as Claude Monet’s Water Lilies. Von Bergen was taught by the great art teachers and mentors at Bennington College: Ralph Humphrey, Isaac Witkin, Anthony Caro, Jules Olitski and Paul Feeley.
In her video interview, von Bergen touches on moving to Clinton, NY, the organization Sculpture Space, and meeting her husband. Heidi von Bergen is married to John von Bergen, one of the founders of Sculpture Space. John von Bergen was sitting-in during the interview and can occasionally be heard speaking or shifting his chair.
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Jonathan Kirk, November 1, 2023
Jonathan Kirk is a self-described object maker and artist currently based outside of Woodstock in Willow, New York. He works with steel, wood, and cardboard. Kirk was a studio manager at Sculpture Space in Utica, New York, from 1980 to 2000. During this time, he helped countless artists find their foothold in the world of sculpture. In this interview, Kirk speaks to his early life in Britain, his time at St. Martin's College of Art, his move across the pond to Syracuse University, and his early days at Sculpture Space. He describes Sculpture Space’s philosophy as uncompromising, staying politically neutral, being principled, finding the best artists we could, not taking any shortcuts. Kirk also describes shifts that he has observed in the art world over the course of his career.
I spoke to Jonathan Kirk in his new house in Willow, New York. He's recently moved on to this property with his partner Chris, who is an artist in her own right.
Jonathan Kirk speaks with a British accent. He frequently uses conjunctions and pauses in his speech while collecting his thoughts. In the transcript, I have done my best to keep the spirit of his speech intact. Researchers are recommended to consult the audio recordings to understand the tone that Jonathan Kirk uses.
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Richard Friedberg, November 5, 2023
Richard Friedberg is an artist and educator, originally from Maryland but currently residing in Jefferson, New York. Mr. Friedberg attended Antioch College and Yale University, and has taught art as a university professor. As a young man, he was one of three founders of Sculpture Space, an organization in Utica, New York that provides residencies for sculptors.
Mr. Friedberg examines the art of sculpture and how he came to become a sculptor. He discusses his parents, who were both artists themselves, a playwright and a dancer, and probes how he came to appreciate working with his hands as a young child.
Mr. Friedberg was involved in the founding and early years of Sculpture Space, along with John von Bergen and Charlie Fisher. In the interview, he reflects on the history of the organization and how it has changed and evolved over time. The City of Utica was also discussed at length, including the demographic history of the city and social milieu at the time of the founding of Sculpture Space.
Mr. Friedberg also discusses the physical environment of Sculpture Space in the early days, including the state of the workshop and the machinery available to them. He discusses his co-founders and how he came to know them and how they came to work together.
I spoke to Mr. Friedberg in his home, with his dog as an audience. The interview took place only a few yards from his workshop with several of his art pieces in the yard.
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Rand Carter, November 17, 2023 (video)
The Utica Steam and Boiler works had been in the process of downsizing operations for several years when Sculpture Space Inc. was given the use of the Federal Building. Established by metal sculptors Charlie Fisher, John von Bergen, and Richard Friedberg in the 1970s, the Utica Steam and Boiler Works foundry was acquired and repurposed into an art studio for contemporary metalwork sculptors, thereafter appropriately named Sculpture Space.
The organization centers around providing paid residencies to artists from around the world, particularly metal artists, to come and practice their craft in Utica. Artist residencies allow sculptors to have the tools to be able to succeed in their medium and achieve greater public exposure for their work. Sculpture Space continues these paid residencies to this day, and is now approaching their 50th anniversary as an organization.
Beyond the artists themselves, Sculpture Space plays a significant role in the larger Utica community. It has remained a fixture of visual art in the area for nearly half a century, and continues to influence the work and accomplishments of various educational and nonprofit organizations throughout the region.
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Mark Golden, November 28, 2023
Mark Golden was born in New Jersey. He grew up in a creative household full of art, music, and famous artists. His father, Sam Golden, and great uncle, Leonard Bocour, partnered to create Bocour Artist Colors in the 1930s. The pair worked on 15th Street in Manhattan and hand-ground oil colors for professional artists. Mark attended the University of Rochester to study psychology. After graduation, he ended up working as a typesetter. One day he received a call from his, then retired, father. His father wanted to go back into the paint-making business with his son.
Consequently, Mark joined his parents in New Berlin, New York, to make paint in a renovated barn. It was here in 1980 that Golden Artist Colors, Inc. got its start. After initial financial hardship, the company began making custom paint for artists. This proved to be successful, and the company has continued to grow. The barn they started in came down in 1997, as the newer building continued to grow.
I interviewed Mark at the Golden Artist Colors facility in New Berlin. As such, Golden Artist Colors constitutes a large portion of the interview. Some of the most compelling parts of this interview include how he met his wife, Barbara, and the creation of Golden Artists Colors. While working closely with his family, he found success by working directly with artists. It is inspiring to hear about his philosophy.
I have at times added or removed words to provide more clarification; the added words are in brackets. Mr. Golden’s manner of speech is sometimes difficult to re-create in writing. I urge researchers to consult the audio whenever possible.
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Steven Kowalsky, November 20, 2023 (video)
Steven Kowalsky is an impactful and important figure in Utica, New York. Kowalsky was born in Utica and is the President of Empire Recycling Company. Empire Recycling is a company that collects and recycles scrap metals in Utica and the surrounding Mohawk Valley. It is a generational company with Mr. Kowalsky having the title of president passed down from his father. Due to his large company, Mr. Kowalsky can be seen investing in multiple organizations of Utica with one of these being Sculpture Space.
Sculpture Space is an organization whose main mission is to discover and recognize up to twenty sculptors each year. These artists are then brought to Utica where they work in the Sculpture Space facility perfecting and honing their craft. In part through Kowalsky’s patronage, Sculpture Space has found success in the Utica area. This patronage has taken many forms, including lending scrap metal to sculptors and providing space for events and activities.
Steven Kowalsky’s involvement with community organizations is extensive. He serves on the board, for example, of the Utica Rescue Mission and Care Net. Kowalsky also has an interest in the arts and his family has forged many connections with the artists of Sculpture Space.
I interviewed Mr. Kowalsky at his place of work at the Empire Recycling Company conference room. He had just gotten out of a conference call with some of his other employees as well as a discussion with Sculpture Space. While the majority of the interview is about Sculpture Space and Mr. Kowalsky’s company, we also discuss his family and his wife as well as his thoughts on defining art and critiques of Sculpture Space.
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Jan Fisher, November 18, 2023
Jan Pardee Fisher was born on October 30, 1950, in Dayton, Ohio. She is currently a retired therapist who lives in Clinton, New York. Jan Fisher is an artist who makes sculpture and paintings, and art has long played a vital role in her life. From an early age, she was involved with art and her role as an artist has become a key part of her identity. Her interests and involvement in the arts has shifted throughout her life, but her passion for the arts has never changed even when she switched careers from working with art to working as a therapist. She deeply admires the creativity and feeling that the art process evokes in both the audience and the artists and through her retirement has continued to paint pictures of landscapes, seascapes, and portraits in a studio.
She was involved early on with Sculpture Space in the late 1970s. She was the first woman to be an artist in residence there. She came to the organization in a time when the art world was shifting into a contemporary art perspective. What was considered art was redefined and led to new definitions of art, as there were no longer strict interpretations of what an art object was. It was also a time that was dominated by white men with power and privilege. While Sculpture Space itself never perpetuated sexist ideas or made Jan feel different for being a woman, the broader art world in this era often discriminated against women. Despite changing ideas about art and what it meant to be an artist, women like Jan were still excluded and did not have the same opportunities as white men to participate in these movements. Despite limitations, Jan was able to be greatly involved with Sculpture Space, and the organization has meant a great deal to her as an artist through the connections she made and the experiences she had there—and still has today.
I interviewed Mrs. Fisher at her home in Clinton, New York. This interview was done at the request of Sculpture Space, Inc. as part of a project to collect the history of the organization. Jan recalls the early days of Sculpture Space, sharing her experiences. She discusses how she was shaped and changed by her role with the organization. Beyond the organization itself, the interview includes observations about how the art scene has shifted over time. She also discusses how art has shaped her identity.
In transcribing, I tried my best to replicate as accurately as possible what she said, outside of filler phrases or false starts. Her speech flows naturally, and I wanted to preserve as much of it as possible. I felt that fixing and editing too much would make the interview not flow as nicely, and it would feel stricter and less inviting than it was originally intended. I wanted to ensure that the audience was getting as much of the interview as I did when listening to it. Researchers are encouraged to consult the original recordings.
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James Oldick, November 5, 2023
James Oldick is an organic dairy farmer who lives on his family farm in Richfield Springs, NY. Born and raised on the farm since 1965, James is still one of the main farmers who operates the business. Through the help of neighbors and relatives, the 550-acre farm produces grain, millet, and milk through the company Organic Valley. Starting as a conventional farm in the early 1960s, the farm turned organic in 2011. The change to organic is a meticulous process with a trial period of three years. After hard work of changing crops, fertilizer, organic medicines, and cow care, in 2013 the farm was successfully transitioned to organic. Becoming organic brought on a new age of positive revenue from organic milk prices and the health of the cows improved.
In 1986 James met Sheila Fahey and by 1990 they were married. Together they had Mike and Milleta (the interviewer), as well as Crystal and Tiffany through Sheila’s previous marriage. In 2001, James and Sheila became foster parents through Otsego County. Throughout the years, James and Sheila have hosted over seventy-six foster kids in their home. Their kindness and generosity led them to be Otsego Foster Parents of the Year in 2006. Throughout foster care, they have adopted five children into their family including David, Nick, Hunter, Layla, and Landon.
James's recollections range from him growing up on the family farm to his added job as a bus driver for Owen D. Young Central School. Throughout the years, James has seen generations of family climbing on and off his bus, including his own children. James drives the Amish children to their school in Springfield, NY and has become known and liked in the Amish community as “Bus Driver Jim.”
I interviewed James at Springfield Center, NY after he had come home from his afternoon barn chores. He had just finished feeding and laying hay for the cows and as a result, farming was a main source of topic. Throughout the interview James reflects on the day-to-day requirements for an organic dairy farmer, bus driver, and dad.
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Heidi von Bergen, November 27, 2023
Heidi von Bergen is a painter, musician, and registered nurse currently living in Clinton, NY with her husband of 55 years, John von Bergen. Heidi von Bergen was born in Shanghai, China in 1945. She moved at an early age to Canada where she remained until travelling to Bennington, VT to attend college for music. Von Bergen ultimately changed her major to art with a minor in psychology. Upon graduating, Heidi von Bergen moved to New York City where she met her husband. After moving to Clinton, NY in February 1978, they had one child, Erika. They have resided in their current home in Clinton, NY for forty-three and have an extensive estate with a guest house, foundry, and numerous sculptures crafted by John von Bergen.
Heidi von Bergen has sold and exhibited art for decades, including a piece currently on display (at the time of the interview) at the 4 Element Studio in Utica, NY. Von Bergen has pulled inspiration from artists such as Cezanne and works such as Claude Monet’s Water Lilies. Von Bergen was taught by the great art teachers and mentors at Bennington College: Ralph Humphrey, Isaac Witkin, Anthony Caro, Jules Olitski and Paul Feeley.
In her interview, von Bergen touches on her early childhood, life at Bennington College, her artwork, moving to New York, and the growth of the Utica, NY organization Sculpture Space. Heidi von Bergen is married to John von Bergen, one of the founders of Sculpture Space. John von Bergen was sitting-in during the interview and can occasionally be heard speaking or shifting his chair. I have chosen to omit false starts and fix grammatical errors in order to provide a clear narrative and conversation flow.
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Sidney Chase, November 12, 2023
Sidney ("Sid") Chase has lived most of his life in Worcester, New York. Chase is the proud owner of Chase Organ Company and has been building and repairing pipe organs for over sixty years. This career combines his love of making music and the technical skills he learned at a young age. After meeting a distant relative who built pipe organs, Chase spent the summers of his teenage years working with and learning from him. After graduating from Albany Business College, Chase returned to Worcester to start his own company and builds pipe organs for the churches in Otsego County and the surrounding area.
After refurbishing a vintage pipe organ to be used at The Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown and watching the process of a church building being taken apart and rebuilt for the museum, Chase became interested in doing something similar. For much of this interview, Chase describes the trials and tribulation he faced in purchasing a neglected historic house in Harpersfield, deconstructing it piece by piece, refurbishing and replacing pieces as needed, including an entire wing, and rebuilding the house on a hill in Worcester for his family.
I interviewed Chase in his home in Worcester, New York. Throughout the interview, Chase's sentences flow together. I have included punctuation to improve comprehension. I have removed most false starts and fixed minor errors while remaining as close to the audio as possible.
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Rand Carter, November 17, 2023
Rand Carter is a retired art history professor and longtime board member of various arts organizations throughout the greater-Utica region of New York. He worked as an art history professor at Hamilton College for 47 years, specializing in architecture and the larger art movements of the 17th, 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. In addition to his distinguished academic career, Carter served as a longtime board member and two-term president of Sculpture Space, Inc. during its fledgling years as an organization.
The Utica Steam and Boiler works had been in the process of downsizing operations for several years when Sculpture Space Inc. was given the use of the Federal Building. Established by metal sculptors Charlie Fisher and John von Bergen in the 1970s, the Utica Steam and Boiler Works foundry was acquired and repurposed into an art studio for contemporary metalwork sculptors, thereafter appropriately named Sculpture Space. The organization centers around providing paid residencies to artists from around the world, particularly metal artists, to come and practice their craft in Utica. Sculpture Space continues these paid residencies to this day and is now approaching their 50th anniversary as an organization.
During his time with Sculpture Space, Carter worked to revise and update the traditional bylaws defined within the organization’s original mission, in addition to trying to secure permanent housing for the artists traveling to Utica to partake in Sculpture Space’s artists-in-residence program. Carter continued to serve on other Utica-based art organization boards throughout his tenure as an art history professor and board member/president of Sculpture Space, including the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica, Players Theater of Utica, Utica Symphony, and Utica's Scenic and Historic Preservation Commission. He continues to serve on the Clinton Symphony board and Chamber Music Society of Utica board today.
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Melinda Hardin, December 6, 2023
Melinda Hardin was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois. Hardin remembers spending a lot of time reading as a child and has fond memories of going to public school in Illinois and visiting family in West Texas. Hardin is an advocate for various causes, including women's rights and the separation of church and state. She has been deeply involved in the fight for women’s rights and voices her concerns regarding how women are treated in our society. She has spent time on the boards of two different reproductive rights organizations. Additionally, Melinda is a fervent believer in being involved in politics. She encourages participation in not only national elections, but also local elections. She recalls several political campaigns in which she volunteered both her time and wisdom in support of Democratic candidates. Hardin voices her concerns about the environment and people’s refusal to believe in scientific fact. She recalls the disconnect between constant natural disasters and the world’s refusal to see what’s in front of them. She believes strongly that the world can be fixed, but only if we all put forth the effort to do so.
I interviewed Hardin in her basement at her home in Cooperstown. In the background, you will hear a fire crackling and some rustling by her husband, Mr. Lou Alstadt. I have redacted some false starts as well as some of the use of conjunctions when applicable. Additionally, a small number of words were added in order to make the connection between thoughts.
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Robert Huot, November 7, 2023
Robert Huot is an abstract expressionist artist born on Staten Island in 1935. His wife, Carol Kinne, was one of the founding members of Sculpture Space, an artist residency program in Utica, New York where they both worked as artists and administrators.
Since 1976, Sculpture Space has been bringing artists to Utica from all over the world. During their two-month residencies, the artists can immerse themselves in their creative processes. As Mr. Huot attests in this interview, the program has succeeded in bringing together creative people and cultivating a strong artistic community in the Utica area.
In addition to his affiliation with Sculpture Space, Mr. Huot talks about his career as an artist, particularly his formative experiences and fellow artists whom he encountered and worked with in both academic and artistic spaces.
I interviewed Mr. Huot at his home in New Berlin, New York. He is still an active artist and showed me some of the paintings he was working on as well as some of his past works. About ten minutes into the interview, we took a short break when a neighbor came by to drop off some newspapers. Also present for the interview was Mr. Huot's very friendly Samoyed, Nukka, who can be heard at times in the background.
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Steven Kowalsky, November 20, 2023
Steven Kowalsky is an impactful and important figure in Utica, New York. Kowalsky was born in Utica and is the President of Empire Recycling Company. Empire Recycling is a company that collects and recycles scrap metals in Utica and the surrounding Mohawk Valley. It is a generational company with Mr. Kowalsky having the title of president passed down from his father. Due to his large company, Mr. Kowalsky can be seen investing in multiple organizations of Utica with one of these being Sculpture Space.
Sculpture Space is an organization whose main mission is to discover and recognize up to twenty sculptors each year. These artists are then brought to Utica where they work in the Sculpture Space facility perfecting and honing their craft. In part through Kowalsky’s patronage, Sculpture Space has found success in the Utica area. This patronage has taken many forms, including lending scrap metal to sculptors and providing space for events and activities.
Steven Kowalsky’s involvement with community organizations is extensive. He serves on the board, for example, of the Utica Rescue Mission and Care Net. Kowalsky also has an interest in the arts and his family has forged many connections with the artists of Sculpture Space.
I interviewed Mr. Kowalsky at his place of work at the Empire Recycling Company conference room. He had just gotten out of a conference call with some of his other employees as well as a discussion with Sculpture Space. While the majority of the interview is about Sculpture Space and Mr. Kowalsky’s company, we also discuss his family and his wife as well as his thoughts on defining art and critiques of Sculpture Space.
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Kathleen S. Wilson, October 27, 2023
Kathleen (Kathy) S. Wilson was a key participant in a project called the Museum Education Consortium in the late 1980s. At the time of the project, Kathy worked at Bank Street College in the Center for Children and Technology. She was the principal developer for a project called Palenque, which was an offshoot of a television show produced by Bank Street College, called the Voyage of the Mimi. Palenque, like the work of the Museum Education Consortium was designed to explore discovery-based uses for new technological tools including Mac II computers, video disc players, image capture boards, as well as high resolution digitized images and HDTV film.
After Bank Street and the MEC, Kathy went on to become Executive Producer, Paramount Media Kitchen; Vice President and Creative Director for Viacom Interactive Services; and then Adjunct Professor in the NYU Tisch Interactive Telecommunications Program.
She has a BA from Middlebury College, and her EdD in Cognitive Development Psychology and Media Design from Harvard University.
As part of an effort to recapture the history of Museum Education Consortium, Kathy agreed to be interviewed for this project, from her home in Colebrook, CT.
The Museum Education Consortium (MEC) was a project that involved a group of seven art museums working together from 1987 to 1990 to create experiments using interactive technology as an educational tool in museums and classrooms. The project happened in the years before the internet, and at a time when many companies (Apple, Bell Labs, and others) were hungry for content to test their new technologies, and museums were great partners for this. The project was funded by the Pew Charitable Trust and the Getty Education Center. The prototypes that were created were received enthusiastically by the public in various testing sites, but there was never a plan to produce a commercially available product. The project participants were eager to learn about the best pedagogical approaches, the possibilities of discovery-based learning techniques in the context of technology, the best hardware and software for such a project, as well as the impact of creating early HDTV images of works of art.
The active participants in the MEC were the heads of education and members of their staff. The project was spearheaded by the Museum of Modern Art and the six other partner museums were the Brooklyn Museum, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery, and the Metropolitan Museum.
Kathy Wilson talks about her work in the early days of interactive digital media, her time at Bank Street College and her memories of the Museum Education Consortium project.
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Hugh Francis, November 7, 2023
Hugh Francis is a retired mechanic and longtime resident of Otsego County. I interviewed Mr. Francis at his home, off of New York State Route 166, a few miles from the main street of Cooperstown. His wife, Donna, assisted in coordinating our interview. Topics of discussion included Hugh’s days in school, his career as a mechanic, the development of the Cooperstown-Westville Airport. Mr. Francis also discussed his tenure as president of the board for the nearby cemetery, and his marriage to his wife, Donna.
Our interview was conducted at Mr. Francis's home a few miles from main street in Cooperstown. The ambient noises of the nearby highway can occasionally be heard during our recording. Additionally, at one point during our interview, Hugh's pet corgi walked through the room, lending some additional background noise.
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Reginald Knight, November 17, 2022 (video)
Dr. Knight was born in the Bronx in the early 1950s, but his family soon moved out to rural Suffolk County, Long Island. After leaving home to attend college in central New York, he went on to become an orthopedic and spinal surgeon. His career has taken him across much of the country, and he is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Integration Officer at Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown, New York. Dr. Knight's recollections focus on the intersection between his career in healthcare and the rural setting of central New York.
I interviewed Dr. Knight in Cooperstown, New York at the classroom building of the Cooperstown Graduate Program. Dr. Knight speaks with a light New York accent, and it should not pose a problem to viewers of the video recording. For the recording Dr. Knight asked that I address him as Reg for the sake of comfortability.
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Reginald Knight, November 3, 2022 (video)
Dr. Knight was born in the Bronx in the early 1950s, but his family soon moved out to rural Suffolk County, Long Island. After leaving home to attend college in central New York he went on to become an orthopedic and spinal surgeon. His career has taken him across much of the country, and he is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Integration Officer at Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown, New York. Dr. Knight grew up and began his education during the height of the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam war. This fact is part of his recollections on other career paths within healthcare he had considered.
I interviewed Dr. Knight in Cooperstown, New York at the classroom building of the Cooperstown Graduate Program. Our first attempt at an audio interview was unsuccessful due to some technical difficulties. This video recording is from that same day. As a result, there is one instance in which he references our previous conversation. However, on no occasion is it necessary to know the content of our first meeting in order to understand this interview. Dr. Knight speaks with a light New York accent, and it should not pose a problem to viewers of the video recording. For the recording Dr. Knight asked that I address him as Reg for the sake of comfortability.