The idea garden, located at 346 Broadway, opened with a bang: “Ben Wigfall, the Artist Revealed” celebrated Black History Month last February with an elegant exhibition of the late teacher and artist’s prints as well as selections from his collection of African Art. Wigfall had been a significant cultural force in the Kingston community dating back to the 1970s, so it might have surprised some to learn that the gallery owners were new to Kingston. From the very first day of its opening, the idea garden was rooted in the fertile loam of the local creative community.
Indeed, owners Jessica Meyer and Matt Taylor conceived their new venture as a creative, collaborative outlet reflecting diverse voices in the community. (Upcoming art exhibits include a collaboration with the Hudson Valley Seed Company in April, an exhibit on using art to break free from trauma in May, a showing of work by Kingston High School students in June, and a benefit for a local farm animal sanctuary in July. There will be related films and events those months as well, such as artist talks, a workshop to make a medicinal mushroom tincture and even learning to make your own miso.)
After they bought the long-vacant building, whose distinctive gables point to its origins as a late Victorian house, three years ago, they weren’t actually sure what form that would take.
“We had a vision of what we wanted the space to be used for, but we didn’t have an exact prior plan,” said Taylor, who is employed by the Brooklyn Academy of Music managing the venue’s website. Having “missed his calling as an architect,” as Meyer ruefully noted, Taylor made up for lost time by designing most of the space, which took two years to build. (Previously, the building was a bar and lunch place called the Rendezvous Lounge.)
The couple, who also bought a house in Kingston around the same time, carved out a multi-level gallery space on the first floor, a rental apartment on the second floor, and an Airbnb in the attic. “We wanted to keep the space flexible,” said Meyer, who runs a consulting firm specializing in executive development and leadership.
While that proved to be a design challenge, the ability to be flexible has paid off, with the upper level of the gallery space now transformed into a commercial kitchen and conference and screening room, which is rented out to various groups. The income generated from the building has freed the couple from having to make money from the gallery. “We’re working on a slow evolution of how to get the space up and running and starting to understand what might be useful in the community — what would they like to see happen and what sort of art they’re interested in seeing,” said Meyer.
Last February the idea garden hosted an artists’ panel regarding work created and facilitated by Lara Giordano and her D.R.A.W. group in which artists made work inspired by black literature. In March there was a show of art by women commemorating Women’s History Month, followed by an exhibition themed around the environment in April and a collaboration with Riley Johndonnell’s Into Yellow project, addressing mental health, in May.
Other collaborations were with The ARC of Ulster-Greene, the Hudson Valley Current, and Kingston High School, which curated an exhibit of seniors’ fine-art thesis projects. In the fall, the idea garden showed the moving, self-affirming photos of breast-cancer survivors by Charise Isis, whose work has garnered coverage in the national media — a doubly significant exhibition given that the photographer, a Kingston resident, had previously been represented in only one group show in the city.
I recently interviewed Meyer and Taylor about their ideas for the space, careers, and vision for the future:
Jessica, where did you grow up and how did your career in consulting develop?
Jessica Meyer: I was born in Ohio and moved to Florida when I was 12, where I went to graduate school for industrial/organizational psychology. After school I worked for a small consulting firm and then for Publix supermarkets, the largest employee-owned supermarket chain in the country. In 2002 I met Matt in Tampa and we moved to New York City in 2005. I went back to internal consulting for Memorial Sloan Kettering and in 2015 I started my own consulting practice. I work predominately with physician leaders in academic medical centers.
Matt, where did you grow up and how did you get into web development?
Matt Taylor: I grew up in New Jersey. After attending school in Florida I traveled around the country doing retail work and got a business degree. When I came back to the Northeast I was working for K-mart remodeling stores, which involved some tweaks with design. After my dad was in a car accident I moved in with my mom and sister in Joplin, Missouri, to help out. My mom was a journalist who created on online paper and I helped with that; growing up I was always interested in computers. I went back to school at Ohio State then attended the University of South Florida and started building websites. After we moved to New York I worked for some ad agencies before getting the job at Brooklyn Academy of Music. They’re a nice organization and I’ve been with them for eight years. I work remotely one day a week and am in the city for three.
How did you get interested in art?
MT: Both my parents were into photography, but it wasn’t until I was 35 on a trip to Europe that I started photographing everything. After we moved to New York I did street photography and began making photographic montages. (For our Into Yellow collaboration, I created a Kingston photomontage scene. My gallery is in the bathroom, where my 4 x 6 pieces are hung.) The photomontages morphed into social commentary, and I put together an online site showing other artists’ socially engaged work. It’s called activistart.org, and the idea garden evolved out of my desire to create a physical space for this. This community is amazing and changing and we’d like to be a place that thoughtful dialogue can happen on important issues to the people who live here, and have lived here for a long time.
What brought you to the Hudson Valley and more specifically, Kingston?
JM: I decided to leave my job and start my own firm in an effort to slow down, of living life along with our careers. We were doing more traveling, sometimes up to the Hudson Valley. In the South, it was scary being in a rural area; I remember driving outside Jacksonville and seeing KKK stuff written in the bathroom. Here, it was like an awakening to be in a beautiful area with people who were interested in community and the possibility of having a more sustainable lifestyle.
What is your overall vision for the idea garden?
JM: If someone has a mission and is expressing something related to social issues, we’d love to have a chance to share that sort of work and to hold the space for groups discussing and acting on important issues in our community.
Your rates for renting the space, including the conference and screening room, are half for socially conscious organizations and individuals.
JM: Yes, and our events have focused on conversations that engage people. For example, there was an event on composting in which we brought in people from the city and county and private individuals. Kingstoncitizen.org had a meeting about Community Development Block Grants. We also had a talk with Hortus Arboretum and Botanical Gardens on edible backyard landscapes. Aviva Rahmani showed her short film about how art can stop a pipeline and AndiNovack discussed cannabis legalization, including farming considerations and business opportunities for women and people of color.
What’s on the roster for this year, after “The Source for Self Regard” closes in March?
JM: Our April show will be a collaboration with Hudson Valley Seed company, consisting of an exhibit of their artist-designed 2020 seed packets. In May, some local woman will be showing work that emerged from sexual violence they experienced.
Do you take a commission for exhibited artworks?
JM: We generally take 30 percent. With events featuring mission-based organizations like Rise Up Kingston, which deals with people struggling with housing security, we do not take a commission.
MT: Actually, we’ve never taken a commission.
JM: We’re not a nonprofit. We fund the gallery through the residential and business rentals and Airbnb. We’re trying to have the space support itself, which has afforded us quite a bit of flexibility.
What are some of the other groups you’ve hosted?
JM: Hudson Valley Women in Business, of which I’m a member. We rent space to the healthcare workers union and are holding a reading with Ellen Marshall, who runs an oncology support group for HealthAlliance. The Kingston Land Trust has rented space for their board meetings and retreat and the Good Work Institute met here before they opened their own space.
We’ve also featured performances by local musicians Michael Bisio and Ella Ray Kondrat.
How did you initially connect with the community?
JM: We participated in Kingston ArtWalk in 2017 after construction had just begun and met Joe Gonzalez, who was a key person in learning about the art community. Joe introduced us to Frank Waters, and it was Frank and Richard Frumess who made that show about Ben Wigfall happen.
So many galleries are booked a year or two out, but when we were just getting the building open, we were able to meet people and hear what they were interested in doing. Most of what we’ve done has been a surprise and a learning opportunity.
MT: One thing leads into the next. We’d be in the middle of a show and something would happen to extend it, so we’d have a bridge between shows. That said, you need structure to get things done and Jess has been instrumental in getting this thing going.
Is it difficult running a joint venture?
JM: We’ve been together for 18 years, but never worked together until now. I think we’ve achieved a balance. Matt brings in the creative side and art vision and I’ve brought in the operational side, the logistics on running a business.
Sustainability is obviously a priority. How is that philosophy reflected in your business?
JM: I’m really interested in reducing waste and having an art gallery without relying on a landfill. We invested a lot in the energy efficiency of the building. Ongoing, we try to run the space as zero waste as possible. We have our own set of dishes in the kitchen, which we bought used from Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore. When people rent space we ask them to follow sustainable policies to the extent they can. We have a cloth towels in the bathroom and kitchen instead of disposal paper towels. We use Community Composting Company. In our Airbnb we don’t use single-use disposal things. We stock it with a French press [avoiding disposal filters or pods in making coffee] and provide loose-leaf tea. We buy refillable soaps in bulk from Bring Your Own Store in Woodstock.
The space, charmingly tucked under the eaves, is also a designer’s dream.
JM: We’ve furnished it with items from 15 to 20 local artists and makers. Megan Offner of New York Heartwoods made the headboard, desk, and shelving out of a downed tree, and our tenant, who is a ceramicist, made all the dishes. There’s artwork by Kat Howard, recycled rag rugs, and lighting from Lite Brite Neon. We also furnish the space with works by local artists and books by local authors.
Any specific future goals?
JM: Our vision for the Airbnb is to do an artist’s residency for part of the year. We’ve been in talks with another well-established art facility that doesn’t have residential space.
MT: We want to use the backyard, which has a stage with full electrical capabilities, including lighting. The rail trail is located on the next block, and we’ve got bike parking.
JM: We’d also like to provide space for people who haven’t necessarily felt they had a place in the art world. We try to create an environment that feels really comfortable to people who have important messages to share.
For upcoming events, visit theideagarden.org.
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