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"The chicken barn was last used in 1961, and it once had 6,000 chickens," Greg says. "It was owned by a German chicken farmer who came up from the city. He died after just two years on the farm and he had been very successful. The barn then sat for like 40 years.
"It's got potential written all over it but to turn potential into anything really requires an awful lot, and we really didn't anticipate how much it would take."
Lock is originally from England. He and Sarah met and married in New York City and then lived in England for some time before returning to the U.S. 15 years ago. Greg teaches sculpture and new media at SUNY-Purchase. Sarah, a painter and fledgling cartoonist, works on her art and watches over the couple's two children, Gordon, 4 ½, and Oscar, 2.
With only a shoestring budget, they've spent the past several years cleaning the old barn and remodeling it to create about 10,000 square feet of studio space.
"We didn't realize at first that it's more than enough barn for both of us to use," Sarah says. "So, we decided that we'd like to share the space."
The idea of sharing the space evolved into the idea of creating a residency program where artists could spend some time living and working on the property. The goal of Rural Projects, they say is to encourage all sorts of artists, including those using new media. Right now they run their program as inexpensively as possible. But eventually, they say they hope Rural Projects will grow into a thriving non-profit program with a gallery and all the tools and technology artists need for their work.
The couple is now finishing work on an apartment built into the old chicken barn. But with studio and exhibition space already in place, the Locks will hold their grand opening, tomorrow, October 6, the Locks 4 to 6 p.m.
The Locks' first resident artist, whose work will be displayed at the grand opening, is sculptor Martine Kaczynski, who teaches fine art at New York City's Pratt Institute. "I think the hardest thing when you're an artist in the city is finding space, especially outdoor space," says Kaczynski. "It's terribly difficult to do large-scale sculpture in the city. This is the best scenario. It's still near the city but you can come and use the land and the space and that's so rare."
The sculptor has completed a number of large-scale pieces that have been displayed around the region. The piece she'll be displaying at the grand opening is a short walk from the old chicken barn where another small, old barn stood. That barn was torn down to make way for Kaczynski's piece titled Route 11 Gas Station. And a gas station is exactly what it looks like, minus the gas pumps.
"The gas station is a symbol of ability and power and speed," she says. "As you travel America there is an idea of an alternative energy source, and these huge structures that were universal are beginning to be abandoned or disused and often turned into other uses. This is like an homage that will be a future relic on the landscape of America."
Kaczynski, who is from England, even has ideas of alternative uses for her gas station structure. Since it has a cover over it, as is typical of gas stations today, she sees it as space that could be rented out for small, intimate gatherings and concerts, perhaps even as an outdoor movie theater. To generate the power to run a projector, her plan would be to set up some solar panels.
"I would consider my part in the piece complete if it were used as an outdoor movie theater. I never had that experience growing up in Europe and I supposed I'd want to follow through that idea," she says. " It'd be wonderful to drive a couple cars in there-something very intimate."
The entertainment scheduled beneath the canopy tomorrow, however, will be a far cry from a drive-in movie. Operatic soprano Nancy Allen Lundy will sing a short program of music by Puccini at 6 p.m. An area resident, Lundy has performed with the New York City Opera and the Houston Opera, among other companies.
Kaczynski says residency programs, such as that created by the Locks, is vital for artists because such programs give them time to focus on their art.
"Most of the time, if you are working in the city, you have to make something, do it quick and then deliver it in a month," she says. " For large-scale sculpture that is really not enough time to delve into the different layers that you can work through with a big piece. Greg and Sarah really give you the time to expand on an idea, and that's a blessing in this day and age."
For their part, the Locks are hoping that their Rural Projects program does much more than help artists create. They also hope it brings together Columbia County's artistic community.
"We do think of this as a community project because there are so many wonderful artists and great people up here," says Greg. "But it's so hard to meet them because they're all sort of tucked away in their own spots.
"So, we thought if we opened up our spot, then it's a nice way to kind of meet people and let the community find each other and then maybe there will be more collaborative projects that come out of our space."
For more information and directions to the opening: (518) 851-7528 or www.ruralprojects.org.
