701 Center for Contemporary Art

I'm settled into this magical building, which is renovated to the most elegant state. I live here alone, though it is often packed with people in the daytime. The place was the community center for the Olympia Mill village, and plenty of folks remember when they swam in the pool here, or got their first haircut. Neglected, it was condemned a while back, and the roof fell in. Some visionaries put it back, kept the spirit, preserved the astounding texture of the walls, and lovingly funded a gallery, and a gorgeous live/ work space where for this brief moment I get to live, and work, and share soup with multitudes. I'll make an installation honoring this place and its memories that will open February 5, and will close with original music and choreography around April 5. Stay tuned.

http://www.701cca.org/

Spartanburg Day School HallowGreen

For their parade, I helped these wonderful kids create costumes out of my favorite materials: the ones that would have been thrown away. We had a ball!

Italy with Ellen

In a country that has won my heart and mind through its historical depth, magical food and unending visual delights, we can reframe our own way of seeing and thinking. That is the objective in my class this spring, guided by the ancient Etruscans, some leaves and sidewalk found objects. Through book/collage/ poetry exercises, we will be finding our voice by learning another kind of creative language. This said, I want to share my most delicious teaching opportunity so far- a class in Orvieto, Italy May 18-24. Follow the link below, call me (864-868-4250) if you would like to ask about it, and sign up by Febuary 15th if you can, so the nuns know how many rooms to reserve for us in this beautiful convent.

http://www.italydiscoverytours.com/kochansky08.html