Art Barns: When Geography Plays a Role in Arts Identity

September 8, 2015; Hyperallergic

Recently, the farming town of Port Austin, Michigan, was put on the map as a cultural destination. Typically known for its rural, agricultural roots, art is now transforming this town and highlighting some of that history.

An arts-focused project is now underway to transform old, dilapidated barns into art and artistic statements. Local artists from Detroit, including Jim Boyle and Scott Hocking, are taking these unused buildings and repurposing them as art sculptures and monuments. According to Hyperallergic, “As with all his work, Hocking draws from the available materials—in this case, the barns in various states of use and decay that Boyle is seeking to inject with renewed purpose in the face of the waning family farming industry that has supported the Port Austin area for decades. From what I understood, Hocking was in the process of rebuilding a barn into a boat.”

“Art barns” is a new phrase in this community, and one that will draw on both local residents and interested parties from other areas of Michigan and beyond. Could this be a new trend and a new economic driver for the town that spurs both economic development and tourism dollars? This has the potential for history and art to come together to revitalize a region and continue its legacy.

This isn’t a new concept, after all. Across the United States, agriculture and farming are central to the way of life of many communities. They carry with them their own rich cultures and traditions, and should be embraced for such. Appreciation for art like this is demonstrated through development and funding opportunities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which encourages rural communities to integrate public art.

Many communities in the United States have unique attributes that contribute to the notion of the American “melting pot.” For example, New York City, due to its distinctly urban character, has an extensive public transportation system. How was this specific identity embraced? By placing public art at the train stations. Public art is a way to highlight and transcend a community’s history and future moving forward.

Art isn’t just something we do in our spare time because it is fun or a luxury. Art is an economic driver, a place maker, an identity transformer, and a way of life. Using art to transform and highlight the history of a place does more than make us feel good; it encapsulates the past and packages it for the future to ensure its sustainability and success.—Jennifer Swan

About the author

Jennifer Swan

Jennifer Swan is currently the Associate Director for Arts Services Initiative of WNY (ASI). In this role Ms. Swan assists in positioning ASI as the link between the arts and cultural community and other sectors of the region. She provides outreach and administrative support to ASI’s partner networks including the Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance (GBCA), Cultural Alliance of Niagara (CAN), and serves on the Arts Partners for Learning (APL) Leadership Team. Ms. Swan is the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization (DEC) Grant Program Coordinator for Erie and Niagara Counties. Previously Ms. Swan was the Business Manager for the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus where she was responsible for the day–to-day operations, working alongside the Board of Directors and committees. Major projects included the involvement of the Chorus in the Music Culture 716 collaborative and extending the Chorus’ regular season to include special performances at community events such as the National Historic Preservation Conference held in Buffalo in October 2011. Ms. Swan currently serves on the Chorus’ Concert, Marketing, and Nominating Committees. From 2009-2011 she managed and maintained the box office and front of house at the Lancaster Opera House, and orchestrated and organized an annual fundraiser for two years. Here she solicited donations and managed all aspects of the event from preparation to day-of activities. Her other arts and cultural work includes judging Congressman Higgins’ Congressional Student Art Competition in 2012, 2013, and 2014; past work includes Music is Art’s The Big Easy in Buffalo Committee, Volunteer Coordinator for Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center’s Artists and Models: Nocturminal fundraiser, Marketing/Concert Crew for Slee Hall at Lippes Concert Hall at the University at Buffalo, and Music Librarian and Marketing for the Amherst Chamber Ensembles. Additional work in the for-profit sector includes Promotions for Citadel Broadcasting and Righteous Babe Records, and management and marketing for several individual music projects. Ms. Swan has presented at a variety of community-wide engagements including to Leadership Buffalo’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Day (June 2014), Daemen College’s Art and Community Class (April 2014), University at Buffalo’s Management Career Development Class (November 2013), and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Evening with the Professionals at Buffalo State College (October 2012). Ms. Swan has a MA in Arts Management from the University at Buffalo and a BA in Communications/Broadcasting with a minor in music from Buffalo State College. While at the University at Buffalo she traveled abroad with NUROPE (Nomadic University for Art, Philosophy, and Enterprise in Europe) to Sweden and Finland, completing an intensive scholarly program entitled Beyond Bergman and Nobel: Scandinavian Cultural Policy and Performing Arts. As a result of that academic excursion, Ms. Swan co-wrote an article forUB International titled “Summer School in Arts Management Held in Finland and Sweden.”

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