User:Salemartworks

Salem Art Works (SAW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt sculpture park and arts center in the grounds of a former dairy farm in Salem, NY. The park is dedicated to supporting both regional and international artists in the creation of progressive and new material. The 119 acres of Carey Hill Sculpture Park and farm land features work of emerging and established artists that promotes an engagement and appreciation of contemporary art in the region.

History
The Carlos Cary Dairy Farm in Salem was purchased by artist Anthony Cafritz in 2005 and has since been transformed into Salem Art Works, a thriving artist community and cultural hub. SAW's intimate campus is surrounded by thick woods, running streams, ponds, pastures and rustic out buildings that reflect its history as an old dairy farm.

Artists Colony
Cafritz first envisioned an interdisciplinary arts center while attending Bennington College in the early 1980s. The concept of a communal and collaborative art space grew from an interest in Black Mountain College, an experimental college that redefined the boundaries between teacher and student. Work on Salem Art Works began in February 2005 with the clearing of the grounds and out buildings for the sculpture park and the construction of studio spaces for the first artists in residence. In the early stages, Salem Art Works drew together a small board of artists and neighbors. Since 2005 Salem Art Works has grown to accommodate up to 100 artists per season and host visits by over 1000 members of the public each year. Cary Hill Sculpture Park contains work by over 90 artists, including Mark Di Suvero, Bernar Venet, Peter Lundberg, Serbian born Zoran Mojsilov and Nora Simon. Sculptures sit amongst rusty farm machinery and lush pastures that spread themselves up Cary Hill creating an eclectic horizon for the Vermont border and the Green Mountain range.

Salem Art Works is built as a communal space with residents sharing accommodation and domestic duties. The idea that all of the arts share common moments of inspiration and expression is central to Salem Art Works' philosophy. "You get a group of people together and the possibility of invention comes. That's the ethos of this place", said Cafritz in 2005.

Annual Events

 * Salem Arts Music Festival "For the eclectic music lover", SAWFest is an annual music festival featuring musicians and organic food vendors from around the region.
 * Public Iron Pour Residency This weekend of the molten metal and primal elements welcomes the public, local and international artists for the spectacle of live iron pouring.
 * Season Celebration and Silent Auction This auction of regional, national and international work is a celebration of SAW's life and a way to ensure SAW's longevity.
 * Harvest Festival Organized by the Salem Chamber of Commerce, this festival features the produce and crafts of SAW's local community.
 * Intercollegiate Iron Pour This gathering of colle students brings together young artists from across the northeast to pour iron and blow glass.