Nestled in the hamlet of Wassaic, New York, the Wassaic Project is both an art organization and an engine of community revitalization. It is situated in two historic former agricultural buildings, Luther Barn (1875) and Maxon Mills (1954) that were restored in 2005 in a local historic preservation effort. In 2008, the Wassaic Project (WP) found its home there, launching the first annual summer arts festival, which had 500 attendees. Since then, WP has provided cultural programming at little or no cost to over 45,000 community members and visitors.
Today, Maxon Mills, a former grain elevator, is a seven-floor art exhibition space, and the Luther Barn boasts art studios, a wood shop, a print shop, and the Maker Space for after-school programs. Under the co-directorship of Eve Biddle, Bowie Zunino, and Jeff Barnett-Winsby, the programs have become a cornerstone of the community. BTCF’s Northeast Dutchess Fund has supported the Wassaic Project since 2009.
In 2019, the Wassaic Project, with the Cary Institute of Ecosystems studies, conducted assessments of arts and science education opportunities for area students. The assessment, which was supported by BTCF’s Community Leadership Fund, resulted in the creation of WP’s after-school art programs. The free programs are known as the Varsity and Junior Varsity Art Clubs. Modeled after school sports teams, the Clubs are designed to retain participants throughout middle school and high school. The team structure places the arts in a new light, which is not solely focused on individual artists, but on building a long-term creative community.
The Art Clubs launched remotely in 2020 during the pandemic, and despite the challenges of virtual learning, the program gained momentum. Now it is an in-person offering where students gather at least twice a week during the school year in the Maker Space. In this creative oasis, students have two hours to delve into their creative projects with a well-equipped art studio at their disposal and guidance from education coordinator Jill Winsby-Fein.
WP brings together students from local public schools in northeast Dutchess County as well as those in nearby Litchfield County, Connecticut. Local private school and home school students also join the Clubs, and this diversity has become an important dimension of community-building. “We’re bringing people together across socio-economic divides,” said Winsby-Fein. “It’s encouraging to watch kids from private and public schools become friends as they discover their similarities.”
As Art Club students complete high school, they are encouraged to view WP as a resource. Whether providing career or general life guidance, WP is a steadfast ally for students’ personal and creative development. “We’ve heard, unsolicited from several kids, that they feel safe here . . . it’s a creative home,” said Winsby-Fein.
