Category: Ulster, NY

‘What’s yours is mine, but you don’t know it…’

An Exhibition by Johanna Leech at C H R C H Project Space

Saturday, November 23rd, 2pm – 5pm

Johanna Leech invites you to vote for your favorite NY collection…

For the past three weeks Belfast-based artist Johanna Leech has been building relationships with local residents, documenting everyday collections, and exploring the unusual side of Ulster County and NY. She has created a mini-museum at CHRCH project space featuring items of local interest. Her exhibit includes a series of photographs, objects, stories and drawings inspired by local places, stories and collections.

Leech’s practice combines influences from travel, social situations, human interactions, iconography, myths, legends and museum categorization. She collects local stories, histories, grandmother’s tales, bedtime stories, hearsay and sagas. She takes photographs, gathers- images, objects, books, icons, scribbles, and objects from the street. These collections can become projections, constructions, installations, photomontages, theatrical/live events and drawings.

https://johannaleech.wordpress.com/

This residency is supported by a grant from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

I have moved to New York State for the second half of my residency.  My hosts are the fabulous CHRCH Project Space… click on their logo below to visit their website.

Where is Ulster County?  Hudson Valley NY

What am I looking for?  More for my Mini Museum project…

Something to Share?

International visual artist Johanna Leech needs your help exploring Ulster County/Hudson Valley…
Johanna is looking to meet with people who have collections, anything from thimbles to foxes. At the same time she wishes to visit places that hold unique treasures and unusual collections.
She is interested in why people place value in particular things and not others, how people ‘curate’ their own collections, why kitsch things or places draw us in- whether you love or hate them.  The documented collections she captures will be held in her on-going ‘Mini Museum’ project.
She would like to hear about:

* Historic stories and places (the more unusual the better)  eg: Mohonk Mountain House, IBM
* Unbelievable/unusual stories
* Interesting facts/happenings eg: Locally shot Film ‘The Stuff’
* Hearsay/myths/legends

She’s also interested in seeing/collecting/photographing:

* Kitsch (diners, paraphernalia, trinkets, souvenirs)
* Landmarks / Places – eg: Burnt-down Rainbow Diner, The World’s Largest Garden Gnome
* Photographs you may have of tacky places, like ‘Road Side America’/ large attractions.

She wishes to document these collections / places of interest, put them on a platform/ give them exposure/ use them to influence her work and be part of her blog and upcoming exhibition. Johanna hopes that by gathering the stories and creating photographs and drawings she can capture an unusual but fun outsider’s perspective of New York State.
Her exhibition will showcase her work created during the residency, which opens:
Saturday November 23rd at CHRCH Project Space, 167 Cottekill Rd, Cottekill, NY 12419
Please contact her if you have something to share or ideas to pass on.

Contact Details:  Tel: 434-270-2931

johannaleech@gmail.com  (preferred contact method)

Residency Blog: johannaleech.wordpress.com