Mildred's Lane: Curated by J. Morgan Puett and Mark Dion

Mildred's Lane
Curated by J. Morgan Puett and Mark Dion
Alexander Gray Associates

Diana Balmori , Jorge Colombo, Moyra Davey, Mark Dion, Hope Ginsburg, John Haskell,
Jeffrey Jenkins, Athena Kokoronis, Josiah McElheny, Monique Milleson, J. Morgan Puett,
Rebecca Purcell, Jason Simon, Allison Smith, Brian Tolle, Robert Williams, Nitin Jayaswal, Amy Yoes

Mildred’s Lane was a group exhibition, organized by artists J. Morgan Puett and Mark Dion. The exhibition included works by Jorge Colombo, Moyra Davey, Mark Dion, Hope Ginsburg, John Haskell, Jeffrey Jenkins, Athena Kokoronis, Josiah McElheny, Monique Milleson, J. Morgan Puett, Rebecca Purcell, Jason Simon, Allison Smith, Diana Balmori and Brian Tolle, Robert Williams, Nitin Jayaswal, and Amy Yoes. This group of artists are involved as residents and educators in the experimental arts program, Mildred’s Lane, established by J. Morgan Puett and Mark Dion.

An educational and cultural institute, Mildred’s Lane is located on Puett and Dion’s 96-acre farm in the Upper Delaware River Valley in rural Pennsylvania. In buildings and in the landscape, Mildred’s Lane presents workshops, readings, performances, screenings, temporary exhibitions and architectural installations. Central to the project is a connection between research, working, making, and living with art. These activities take place in a rural environment rich with agricultural history and natural beauty. Mildred’s Lane extends the rich history of artist colonies and retreats including Harvey White’s Byrdcliffe arts and crafts colony in Woodstock; Mid-Century’s Black Mountain College; Donald Judd’s projects in Marfa, Texas; Andrea Zittel’s High Desert Test Site; and Rirkrit Tiravanija’s Land project in Thailand. Puett and Dion describe the core of the project practice and educational philosophy at Mildred's Lane is “an attempt to collectively create new modes of being in the world—this idea incorporates questions of our relation to the environment, systems of labor, forms of dwelling, all of which compose an ethics of comportment.” For Summer 2008, Mildred’s Lane launched a formal curriculum for students at the Art Institute of Chicago, where Puett is a faculty member.

Mildred’s Lane, as a lifestyle/workstyle, was the subject of The New York Times feature by writer Alastair Gordon. From the article: “The idea was to create a place for themselves and other artists to escape New York, and to ‘move our art practice into a more interactive arena, where things could happen in collaboration,’ Ms. Puett said. ‘If you’re not doing it with and for your friends,’ she added of that practice, ‘then who are you doing it for?’”

For additional information: www.mildredslane.com