Earth Fest Warwick 2022
Meet our Commissioned Artists for 2022
Karen Decher is a Warwick-based multimedia artist whose work includes painting, costume design, and building props and large-scale parade puppets. For Earth Fest she has designed several puppets including a giant chrysalis, caterpillar, and butterfly using paper, plastic, and fabric, representing three waste streams. Leading Puppet Raising workshops in the Reuse Makerspace at the Warwick Valley Community Center, Karen Decher taught participants how to build component parts for these large-scale, lightweight parade puppets. “I enjoy the challenge of upcycling these materials into works of art, and processional art allows you to bring that awareness out into the world,” says Decher.
Earth Fest participants will be invited to become puppet handlers for her puppets in the Grand Rumpus parade.
Since 2000, Karen has built puppets each year for the NYC Halloween Parade. She has created art for the Warwick Summer Arts Festival, Wickham Works’ Treecycle and Words from Warwick exhibition, Warwick Valley Community Center’s Haunted House, Orange County Pride Parade, and the Orange County Arts Council. In addition, she is a costume designer for Greenwood Lake Theater Company and the Warwick Historical Society.
Earth Fest participants will be invited to become puppet handlers for her puppets in the Grand Rumpus parade.
Since 2000, Karen has built puppets each year for the NYC Halloween Parade. She has created art for the Warwick Summer Arts Festival, Wickham Works’ Treecycle and Words from Warwick exhibition, Warwick Valley Community Center’s Haunted House, Orange County Pride Parade, and the Orange County Arts Council. In addition, she is a costume designer for Greenwood Lake Theater Company and the Warwick Historical Society.
Maxine Leu and Joseph Kattou have been collaborating on art projects since their friendship began in the SUNY New Paltz MFA program in sculpture. Leu and Kattou’s sculptural work draws attention to social issues close to their hearts. Since 2013 Leu, an environmentalist, has been teaching workshops about upcycling and recycling, inspired by concerns over global warming and manufacturing waste. Kattou has been traveling and making art since 2015 promoting cross-cultural unity and education. For Leu and Kattou, the partnership between their practices and Earth Fest is a symbiotic collaboration, and an opportunity to engage more deeply with the local arts community, spreading awareness of environmental issues impacting us all.
For Earth Fest, Leu and Kattou collaborated with the Wickham Works Re-use Makerspace at Warwick Valley Community Center to source their project materials, using recycled household waste to make a sea-themed series of costumes for the festival parade. At Earth Fest, they will host an assemblage workshop, where audience members may join the artists to create and display a communal art piece at the event. Kattou and Leu hope people who engage with their art will ask themselves about the history of the materials used - where did these used materials come from? And where will they go next? How do we divert them from the waste stream?
Maxine Lou’s Recycling Art public works have been part of cooperative and educational events such as Upcycling Recycling at Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, Woodstock in 2018, O + X = Do and Don't and The Story of Water in O+ Festival, Kingston in 2019, The Earth Action, Two Hour Collection on Main Street, New Paltz in 2019, NEA Big Read special talks of When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes at Adriance Memorial Library, Poughkeepsie in 2020, and Printcycling at DRAW, Kingston, 2019.
Joseph Kattou uses a variety of media including sculpture, installation and video to explore a multitude of social issues such as the complexities of a mixed race identity and the culture and experiences of Puerto Ricans like himself in the diaspora. His work has been featured in curated exhibitions at the Fine Arts Building, SUNY New Paltz, at Stony Brook University in virtual exhibition, in The Samuel Dorsky Museum in New Paltz, NY, the Woodstock Artist Museum, in Woodstock NY, Sculpture Space in Utica, NY, the 2019 SUNY Albany Best of SUNY Art Exhibition, the 2019 LIC Factory Burn This show in Long Island City, NY, and the 2020 New Normal show in Kobe Design University in Kobe, Japan.
For Earth Fest, Leu and Kattou collaborated with the Wickham Works Re-use Makerspace at Warwick Valley Community Center to source their project materials, using recycled household waste to make a sea-themed series of costumes for the festival parade. At Earth Fest, they will host an assemblage workshop, where audience members may join the artists to create and display a communal art piece at the event. Kattou and Leu hope people who engage with their art will ask themselves about the history of the materials used - where did these used materials come from? And where will they go next? How do we divert them from the waste stream?
Maxine Lou’s Recycling Art public works have been part of cooperative and educational events such as Upcycling Recycling at Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, Woodstock in 2018, O + X = Do and Don't and The Story of Water in O+ Festival, Kingston in 2019, The Earth Action, Two Hour Collection on Main Street, New Paltz in 2019, NEA Big Read special talks of When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes at Adriance Memorial Library, Poughkeepsie in 2020, and Printcycling at DRAW, Kingston, 2019.
Joseph Kattou uses a variety of media including sculpture, installation and video to explore a multitude of social issues such as the complexities of a mixed race identity and the culture and experiences of Puerto Ricans like himself in the diaspora. His work has been featured in curated exhibitions at the Fine Arts Building, SUNY New Paltz, at Stony Brook University in virtual exhibition, in The Samuel Dorsky Museum in New Paltz, NY, the Woodstock Artist Museum, in Woodstock NY, Sculpture Space in Utica, NY, the 2019 SUNY Albany Best of SUNY Art Exhibition, the 2019 LIC Factory Burn This show in Long Island City, NY, and the 2020 New Normal show in Kobe Design University in Kobe, Japan.
For Earth Fest, Jenny Torino created a large-scale mushroom forest featuring fungi found in the Hudson Valley. She modeled the armatures for each mushroom from pre-used cardboard, old wire cages and pool noodles, plastic containers and newspapers. The pieces were then paper mached and painted. Within the mushroom forest, visitors can learn some of the fascinating facts about the world of mushrooms including their ecological benefits.
“Mushrooms are essential for the health of our ecosystem. They are nature’s recyclers and have a symbiotic relationship with plants and trees that allow for their survival and in turn the survival of animals. Recently innovators are studying mushrooms for their ability to treat human-made environmental problems like breaking down hydrocarbons found in petroleum in an oil spill, breaking down polyurethane plastic due to plastic waste and even their ability to clean up nuclear disaster sites like Japan’s Fukushima,” says artist Jenny Torino.
Jenny worked with two groups of children, aged 5 - 11, at the Alamo Sunriver Community Center after school program to make two of their own large-scale mushrooms which will join the display at the festival. The children also created mini mushroom forests of their own. Earth Fest attendees can make their own mini mushroom forests with Jenny.
Jenny Torino holds a BA in Theater from James Madison University and a Masters of Science in Clinical Nutrition. Jenny is a Teaching Artist in Wickham Works' Mi Voz program at Dulce Esperanza, an enrichment program organized with the Warwick Area Farmworker Organization. Previously she worked as a teaching artist for the Rhode Island Museum of Art and Science, where she facilitated workshops that married art and science concepts. Jenny is also part of the performance art team Torino:Margolis. Jenny and her partner Benjamin Margolis work with communication technology, the body in-extremis and invasive electronics to transform the body into a demonstrative object that breaks apart and redefines voluntary and involuntary action. Torino:Margolis have performed at the Rhode Island School of Design, Postmasters Gallery, Exit Art, Columbia University’s MACY Gallery, Piksel Festival (Bergen, Norway), Issue Project Room, HEREart, The Tank, The Westside Dance Project and Monkeytown.
“Mushrooms are essential for the health of our ecosystem. They are nature’s recyclers and have a symbiotic relationship with plants and trees that allow for their survival and in turn the survival of animals. Recently innovators are studying mushrooms for their ability to treat human-made environmental problems like breaking down hydrocarbons found in petroleum in an oil spill, breaking down polyurethane plastic due to plastic waste and even their ability to clean up nuclear disaster sites like Japan’s Fukushima,” says artist Jenny Torino.
Jenny worked with two groups of children, aged 5 - 11, at the Alamo Sunriver Community Center after school program to make two of their own large-scale mushrooms which will join the display at the festival. The children also created mini mushroom forests of their own. Earth Fest attendees can make their own mini mushroom forests with Jenny.
Jenny Torino holds a BA in Theater from James Madison University and a Masters of Science in Clinical Nutrition. Jenny is a Teaching Artist in Wickham Works' Mi Voz program at Dulce Esperanza, an enrichment program organized with the Warwick Area Farmworker Organization. Previously she worked as a teaching artist for the Rhode Island Museum of Art and Science, where she facilitated workshops that married art and science concepts. Jenny is also part of the performance art team Torino:Margolis. Jenny and her partner Benjamin Margolis work with communication technology, the body in-extremis and invasive electronics to transform the body into a demonstrative object that breaks apart and redefines voluntary and involuntary action. Torino:Margolis have performed at the Rhode Island School of Design, Postmasters Gallery, Exit Art, Columbia University’s MACY Gallery, Piksel Festival (Bergen, Norway), Issue Project Room, HEREart, The Tank, The Westside Dance Project and Monkeytown.
Elizabeth Laule has created a short puppet play, The Tale of Grandmother Turtle, for Earth Fest, to be performed with audience participation. Grandmother turtle explains to her grandchildren how she became stuck in floating plastic debris in the ocean and her shell became deformed.
“The play brings up facts around how our plastic waste ends up in the ocean, and how ocean currents 'collect' it in areas called Garbage Patches.” Beth did two workshops with the Green Cub Clubs at Sanfordville and Park Avenue Elementaries. Students wove and tyed repurposed plastic –common household trash that they collected at home– to fabric capes, creating the 'ocean surface capes' that will represent the garbage patch in the play.
Beth’s play also holds out hope - “WE are the most destructive force on our precious planet, but we are also the only hope for maintaining Earth's habitability. Our current and future actions have the power to either destroy or sustain life on Earth.”
Inviting participants to think about how their individual actions can either help to perpetuate a problem OR move toward a solution, she has created an interactive board where they can write: "Things I do that hurt the Earth"/"Things I do that help the Earth". And to help audiences process their emotions around Earth’s current state, she has created another board where audiences can share: "When I see Earth hurting because of human action, I feel"/"When I see Earth healing because of human action, I feel".
Beth Laule, a versatile, multi-media artist, trained in theater and scenic painting at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. She has worked in the theater industry in New York City as a scenic artist and props craftsperson. She works with many materials including fabric, paint, wood, foam, cake, and found objects. Beth credits her mom and grandma for her sewing, drawing and painting skills.
“The play brings up facts around how our plastic waste ends up in the ocean, and how ocean currents 'collect' it in areas called Garbage Patches.” Beth did two workshops with the Green Cub Clubs at Sanfordville and Park Avenue Elementaries. Students wove and tyed repurposed plastic –common household trash that they collected at home– to fabric capes, creating the 'ocean surface capes' that will represent the garbage patch in the play.
Beth’s play also holds out hope - “WE are the most destructive force on our precious planet, but we are also the only hope for maintaining Earth's habitability. Our current and future actions have the power to either destroy or sustain life on Earth.”
Inviting participants to think about how their individual actions can either help to perpetuate a problem OR move toward a solution, she has created an interactive board where they can write: "Things I do that hurt the Earth"/"Things I do that help the Earth". And to help audiences process their emotions around Earth’s current state, she has created another board where audiences can share: "When I see Earth hurting because of human action, I feel"/"When I see Earth healing because of human action, I feel".
Beth Laule, a versatile, multi-media artist, trained in theater and scenic painting at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. She has worked in the theater industry in New York City as a scenic artist and props craftsperson. She works with many materials including fabric, paint, wood, foam, cake, and found objects. Beth credits her mom and grandma for her sewing, drawing and painting skills.
Sarah Divi creates site-specific fiber art installations from unwanted items rescued from the dark corners of closets. She finds inspiration in taking familiar objects and presenting them in unfamiliar ways. Her interactive artwork invites the audience to engage physically and emotionally.
Sarah has made a large-scale processional puppet for Earth Fest. “Rising out of your floordrobe clothing pile is the ReFashion Queen, who wears and repairs her garments, honoring the labor and resources that created them. Brandishing her sewing needle scepter, she transforms discarded clothing into bold looks, celebrating their unique features and reducing textile waste. Fifty unwanted t-shirts were knit, crocheted, and sewn to construct her technicolor ensemble. Earth Fest has encouraged me to turn my creative dial to eleven and attempt a daring endeavor. I'm combining my love of repurposed clothing and knitting with puppetry, which I've long admired but never attempted.”
Sarah invites festival goers to join her and learn how to finger knit with strips of fabric from t-shirts to create bracelets, necklaces or streamer wands for the parade.
Sarah earned a BFA from Purchase College School of Art+Design and has completed art fellowships and teaching residencies with ArtsWestchester, Hudson River Museum, and WUJS Arad.
Sarah has made a large-scale processional puppet for Earth Fest. “Rising out of your floordrobe clothing pile is the ReFashion Queen, who wears and repairs her garments, honoring the labor and resources that created them. Brandishing her sewing needle scepter, she transforms discarded clothing into bold looks, celebrating their unique features and reducing textile waste. Fifty unwanted t-shirts were knit, crocheted, and sewn to construct her technicolor ensemble. Earth Fest has encouraged me to turn my creative dial to eleven and attempt a daring endeavor. I'm combining my love of repurposed clothing and knitting with puppetry, which I've long admired but never attempted.”
Sarah invites festival goers to join her and learn how to finger knit with strips of fabric from t-shirts to create bracelets, necklaces or streamer wands for the parade.
Sarah earned a BFA from Purchase College School of Art+Design and has completed art fellowships and teaching residencies with ArtsWestchester, Hudson River Museum, and WUJS Arad.
Anna West is a nature lover and an artist who expresses herself through many artforms including pyrography (burning art), which she uses to give repurposed items such as wood, bone and found objects new life.
For Earth Fest, Anna has created a three dimensional landscape piece from recycled wood, a deer skull, shells, plastic bottles, and other natural items. “Being part of Earth Fest is an honor. I love being with like-minded people who care about the earth and its conservation. I’m grateful to be included in this community event and to share my craft, especially with the youth. It feeds my soul to show how you can turn miscellaneous items that would be overlooked and thrown away into art.”
Anna is a self-taught artist. In middle and high school, hanging out in the art rooms was a refuge where she got to discover new skills and find different mediums to work in. She continues that exploration today.
Earth Fest attendees can join Anna and learn how to use a pyrography tool to make their own wood medallion necklace.
For Earth Fest, Anna has created a three dimensional landscape piece from recycled wood, a deer skull, shells, plastic bottles, and other natural items. “Being part of Earth Fest is an honor. I love being with like-minded people who care about the earth and its conservation. I’m grateful to be included in this community event and to share my craft, especially with the youth. It feeds my soul to show how you can turn miscellaneous items that would be overlooked and thrown away into art.”
Anna is a self-taught artist. In middle and high school, hanging out in the art rooms was a refuge where she got to discover new skills and find different mediums to work in. She continues that exploration today.
Earth Fest attendees can join Anna and learn how to use a pyrography tool to make their own wood medallion necklace.
Daniel Villegas is an Orange County, NY spoken word poet and bilingual emcee who immigrated to the U.S. from Colombia at age 8. His work references the Latin American experience and Hispanic culture, while reflecting the importance of self knowledge and expression. For Earth Fest he will recite his poem Back to Life (Planet Earth) accompanied by drumming. He will also act as the MC for the Grand Rumpus.
Daniel’s recent work includes serving as a teaching artist in Wickham Works’ summer 2021 Dulce Esperanza Mi Voz program; performing in Warwick, NY’s Juneteenth celebration with the Power Collective; headlining for Kevindaryan Lujan’s campaign in Newburgh, NY; and serving on the diversity committee at SUNY Orange. With the ReadNex Poetry Squad he taught workshops for students and teachers across the US funded by the Obama Administration’s 21st Century grant. He earned a BA in Theater with a minor in Latin American Studies from SUNY New Paltz and is currently recording two music albums and authoring a book.
Daniel’s recent work includes serving as a teaching artist in Wickham Works’ summer 2021 Dulce Esperanza Mi Voz program; performing in Warwick, NY’s Juneteenth celebration with the Power Collective; headlining for Kevindaryan Lujan’s campaign in Newburgh, NY; and serving on the diversity committee at SUNY Orange. With the ReadNex Poetry Squad he taught workshops for students and teachers across the US funded by the Obama Administration’s 21st Century grant. He earned a BA in Theater with a minor in Latin American Studies from SUNY New Paltz and is currently recording two music albums and authoring a book.
Past events ...
Summer 2021, Highlights from Voces/Voices, Public Art Exhibition and Mi Voz,
Summer Enrichment program with the children of Dulce Esperanza/Warwick Area Farmworkers Organization, Warwick, NY
Summer 2021, Highlights from Voces/Voices, Public Art Exhibition and Mi Voz,
Summer Enrichment program with the children of Dulce Esperanza/Warwick Area Farmworkers Organization, Warwick, NY
An artist’s voice is as distinctive as their fingerprint. It is a unique expression of their creative vision and their way of looking at the world. Wickham Works presents Voces/Voices, a summer outdoor exhibit showcasing area artists responding to the theme Finding Your Voice.
The pieces are on display August 14th-31st at Railroad Green, Lewis Park, and Pine Island Park, Warwick, NY.
Blacksmith artist Dave Kurdyla has created his largest solo project to date, a nearly 600 pound steel sculpture that will be placed in Railroad Green. With one side composed of crisp clean lines and the other featuring organic hand-forged shapes, the artwork explores the space between order and chaos where creativity and change can happen.
Stitched both by machine and by hand, Raheli Harper’s large-scale fabric map placed in Lewis Park represents the never-ending journey of finding one’s voice. For Harper, this is a process of unearthing parts of herself that have been buried, gaining new views of what surrounds her, and giving new truth to her voice.
Matt Barile has created an “invisible” soundscape for Pine Island Park. Walking into the gazebo triggers the audio composed of voices of local young people sharing what is important to them in words, music, and sounds. Barile worked with students in the Dulce Esperanza Summer Enrichment Program and students from The Rock Underground Music Schools in Pine Island and Greenwood Lake to give youth a chance to express themselves through this artwork.
Emily Welch worked with young artists from the Alamo Farmworkers Community Center to create a two-sided mural in Pine Island Park. The mural features a landscape of the black dirt fields as a backdrop to framed paintings by individual youth.
For Voces/Voices, Claire Gilliam has created two new works that build upon her recent body of work and exhibition in Fleischmann’s, NY, exploring the latin alphabet, communication, and the evolving nature of language. Large-scale blue cyanotypes on gauzy fabric hold the mark of her body and her written alphabets, while a second piece made in clay calls to mind ancient cuneiform tablets and becomes a relic to be discovered. Gilliam’s works will be installed in Lewis Park and Railroad Green.
Brooke Hamling and Wendy Insigner have each created a set of panels sharing their voices as poets. In Railroad Green and Lewis Park, visitors will find a series of poems that celebrate the power of words to express one’s individual experiences.
For the first time, Kris Campbell will present her entire #iamCOLORseries of six 11-foot square translucent cross-stitch tapestries of flowers, each celebrating a different color, in Pine Island Park. Kris was recently named the Arts Council of Rockland’s Visual Artist of the Year.
Voces/Voices will also showcase the work of young artists in Wickham Works’ summer arts programs––the Dulce Esperanza enrichment program run by the Warwick Area Farmworker Organization and the Student Youth Leadership Academy at the Warwick Valley Community Center.
There will be two free public opening events: Saturday August 14, 2021, 4:00pm, Art Walk and Reception, Village of Warwick. Starting at Railroad Green and walk to Lewis Park, meet artists Gilliam, Kurdyla, Harper, and Hamling and Insinger. Reception to follow in Lewis Park sponsored by the Warwick Historical Society.
Sunday August 15, 2021, 12:00pm to 4:00pm, Art Fiesta, Pine Island Park, Kay Drive, Pine Island. Join Wickham Works and the Warwick Area Farmworkers Organization for traditional home cooked Mexian food, music, and a celebration of the artists - Matthew Barile, Kris Campbell, Emily Welch and students from the Alamo Farmworkers Community Center youth program, and the Dulce Esperanza summer enrichment program. Event is free and open to all. Sale of food supports the WAFO's summer enrichment programs.
This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.
The pieces are on display August 14th-31st at Railroad Green, Lewis Park, and Pine Island Park, Warwick, NY.
Blacksmith artist Dave Kurdyla has created his largest solo project to date, a nearly 600 pound steel sculpture that will be placed in Railroad Green. With one side composed of crisp clean lines and the other featuring organic hand-forged shapes, the artwork explores the space between order and chaos where creativity and change can happen.
Stitched both by machine and by hand, Raheli Harper’s large-scale fabric map placed in Lewis Park represents the never-ending journey of finding one’s voice. For Harper, this is a process of unearthing parts of herself that have been buried, gaining new views of what surrounds her, and giving new truth to her voice.
Matt Barile has created an “invisible” soundscape for Pine Island Park. Walking into the gazebo triggers the audio composed of voices of local young people sharing what is important to them in words, music, and sounds. Barile worked with students in the Dulce Esperanza Summer Enrichment Program and students from The Rock Underground Music Schools in Pine Island and Greenwood Lake to give youth a chance to express themselves through this artwork.
Emily Welch worked with young artists from the Alamo Farmworkers Community Center to create a two-sided mural in Pine Island Park. The mural features a landscape of the black dirt fields as a backdrop to framed paintings by individual youth.
For Voces/Voices, Claire Gilliam has created two new works that build upon her recent body of work and exhibition in Fleischmann’s, NY, exploring the latin alphabet, communication, and the evolving nature of language. Large-scale blue cyanotypes on gauzy fabric hold the mark of her body and her written alphabets, while a second piece made in clay calls to mind ancient cuneiform tablets and becomes a relic to be discovered. Gilliam’s works will be installed in Lewis Park and Railroad Green.
Brooke Hamling and Wendy Insigner have each created a set of panels sharing their voices as poets. In Railroad Green and Lewis Park, visitors will find a series of poems that celebrate the power of words to express one’s individual experiences.
For the first time, Kris Campbell will present her entire #iamCOLORseries of six 11-foot square translucent cross-stitch tapestries of flowers, each celebrating a different color, in Pine Island Park. Kris was recently named the Arts Council of Rockland’s Visual Artist of the Year.
Voces/Voices will also showcase the work of young artists in Wickham Works’ summer arts programs––the Dulce Esperanza enrichment program run by the Warwick Area Farmworker Organization and the Student Youth Leadership Academy at the Warwick Valley Community Center.
There will be two free public opening events: Saturday August 14, 2021, 4:00pm, Art Walk and Reception, Village of Warwick. Starting at Railroad Green and walk to Lewis Park, meet artists Gilliam, Kurdyla, Harper, and Hamling and Insinger. Reception to follow in Lewis Park sponsored by the Warwick Historical Society.
Sunday August 15, 2021, 12:00pm to 4:00pm, Art Fiesta, Pine Island Park, Kay Drive, Pine Island. Join Wickham Works and the Warwick Area Farmworkers Organization for traditional home cooked Mexian food, music, and a celebration of the artists - Matthew Barile, Kris Campbell, Emily Welch and students from the Alamo Farmworkers Community Center youth program, and the Dulce Esperanza summer enrichment program. Event is free and open to all. Sale of food supports the WAFO's summer enrichment programs.
This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.
Wickham Works would like to thank the following Sponsors for their generous support of Voces/Voices: Alario & Associates, CPA, Bluestone Acupuncture, Branded845, consciousfork, De Buck's Sod Farm, NY, Fetch Bar & Grill, GC Optics, Glenn P. & Susan D. Dickes, Irace Architecture, Nourish Your Mind Integrative Mental Health & Nutrition, Owen McShane D.D.S., Pine Island Chamber of Commerce, Rhythm & Rhyme Childcare Center, Roe Brothers Inc, Sugar Loaf Mental Wellness, The Rock Underground Music School, Warwick's White House.
2020 Summer Exhibition
