My Memory In Union

 

"Rope Piece"  Linda Montano and Tehching Hsieh in 1983-1984 in a New York performance

My mind lights up when I reflect on the artists we meet along the way in life. This week in The New York Times, I read an article about an exhibition that will open at DIA Beacon this Saturday, October 4th with the artists Tehching Hsieh ( I pronounce the name Tayching Shay ) and Linda Montano.  I want to go to this show because I met them years ago when we were living in Brooklyn, NY.

Performance artist

Tehching Hsieh born in 1950

You might have heard of his experience with "Rope Piece" - a real performance with Linda Montano that took place in 1983-1984. In a photo of them during this "happening" you would see that they are tied together by a rope and they never parted for the entire year!  The rope was eight feet long and they worked and slept in the same room and this was something I saw for myself, when I got a call to speak with them because I had a loft space that I rented and that they wanted to see.

I went into Manhattan to speak with Linda and Tehching and they came out to see the work space together - they were still tied to one another!  They eventually moved in!

Kendall Shaw, painter and teacher owned  a Union Street Loft Building

In Park Slope, Brooklyn, where we lived, I rented two floors for studio work on Union Street. The building at the time was owned by another artist and teacher, Kendall Shaw - who at the time was painting intricate grids and patterns - and I learned a lot from seeing him work.

Kendall Shaw was working on grids in the Pattern and Decoration movement

Also at the time in this same building were my friends Alex and Allyson Grey, and they are both painters who have developed a real following for their work.  You probably have seen Alex Grey do his TED talk or went to the exhibition space that he and Allyson have worked so hard to bring to life in the Hudson Valley.

Alex Grey

Alex Grey painting from the 1980s

This was a period of time when I was working on my own large scale paintings and I was happy to share my space and spend some time with  these very gifted artists!

You never know who you will meet...and I am so lucky to be in synch with the lives of these creatives! These artists were so into their work that it provided a center of energy that I can still draw on!