Landscape Experience (2015) was a two-week summer session organized by Experience Economies (Gavin Kroeber and Rebecca Uchill) at Mildred’s Lane, the 93-acre rural art complex overseen by artists Mark Dion and J. Morgan Puett. It brought together artists, urbanists, writers, curators, historians, and others (both invited guests and wider publics) to experimentally engage a variety of landscapes—from the physical grounds of Mildred’s Lane to the complex cultural geography of the Catskills to wider global landscapes of political power.
The session's centerpiece was a three-day road trip, planned in collaboration with writer and cultural critic James Trainor. Moving north from Mildred’s Lane on the Delaware River, the itinerary took in Borscht Belt ruins, Hudson River School sites, early 20th-century bohemian enclaves, and contemporary art spaces—both public and domestic.
Public highlights included a discussion with artists and designers Damon Rich, Jae Shin, and Rodney Gilbert on the urban cultural landscape of Newark, N.J., the opening of artist Hope Ginsburg’s exhibition Land Dive Team, a silent walk led by artists Gina Siepel and Sarah Smith, a performance orchestrated by artist Pablo Helguera, and an evening with Trainor and fellow authors John Green and Michael Blanding spent exploring the cartographic imaginary.
With the further participation of: Betsy Athens, Merve Bedir, Dan Borelli, Dina Deitsch, Eric Ellingsen, Sarah Urist Green, Marie Lorenz, Tea Mäkipää, Cara Starke, Karinne Keithley Syers, and Mark Tribe.
More details and documentation at the Experience Economies site.