Conarro devised this project as an immersive community engagement initiative wherein ten artists from east coast metropolitan areas spent a week with the community of Gustavus, Alaska, a landlocked town by Glacier Bay National Park with a population of 443. Before arriving in Gustavus, the ten artists met in Juneau. There, they met community members, hiked to the top of Mount Roberts, and took part in an off-the-grid retreat to John Muir cabin. In Gustavus, the visiting artists stayed at a centrally located cabin. Throughout the week, each visiting artist (ranging from musicians to architectural designers to culinary artists to video artists) paired with a Gustavus resident (ranging from a naturalist to a carpenter to an inn owner). Each pairing took the form of a low-key interaction where both the visiting artist and the resident shared information and ideas with the other. The results of these exchanges ranged from drawing a new design for a community gazebo to the creation of original music, the development of place-based recipes and health literature, the documentation of the groundbreaking of a new homestead, and the creation of temporary beach art with the local elementary school. In addition to these pairings, the group roamed the town, explored Glacier Bay National Park, and attended (and performed in) community functions.

Conarro devised every aspect of this initiative to create a casual structure for creative interaction that benefited both the parties involved and the broader communities from which each party came. The project highlighted the juxtaposition of big-city residents with people who made a conscious decision to eschew the metropolis for a rustic life. Simultaneously, the project highlighted the common threads that unite people who chose opposite environments for building their lives and communities. This cross-coastal collaboration boosted business and creativity in Gustavus while providing insight and perspective to the visitors, who carried this inspiration back to their metropolitan communities.

This project was made possible with a Community Arts and Development Grant from the Alaska State Council on the Arts.

References include: 

Terry Winters, “Perfect Lovers” by Félix González-Torres, Jason’s Article