About Upstate Workspace

Upstate Workspace is a residency project in Columbia County, New York that will launch in mid- 2009. The goal is to take available structures and modify them to function as subsidized live work artist studios. The spaces will be offered below market value to interested artists.

The first (and currently only) space of Upstate Workspace is an 1850’s Timber Framed Greek Revival Church in Taghkanic, NY converted by Critical Mass Studio.

Upstate Workspace can be contacted at upstateworkspace@gmail.com.

The Church

The space is 1700 square feet with 28 foot ceilings, many windows and skylights, 1 and ½ baths, a small kitchen and a sleeping loft. The property is on 1/2 an acre in a small hamlet, but very private and will work for a couple. The Church is designed for a visual or performance artist but may function for writers as well. The space has a long uninterrupted wall backed with plywood, track lighting, double doors, lots of light and radiant heat floors.

Location

A google map for residents can be found here.

Columbia County is 2 hours North of New York City in the Hudson Valley. The Church is located within easy driving distance of the Berkshires, Catskills, Mass MoCA, The Hessel Museum, TSL, Clark Institue, Dia Beacon and many local galleries.

The Church is within 5 miles of two lakes, various hikes, and 20 minutes from the town of Hudson, NY.

Although a train from New York City serves the town of Hudson, it is recommended that all applicants for the Church have or rent a car.

Application

Email us at  upstateworkspace@gmail.com for more information about applying. When not in use as an artist workspace the Church is available for rent at market rates.

Photographs

The black and white photos are from before the renovation.

Architects

Critical Mass Studio is an architectural collaboration founded by Chad Smith and Mike Jacobs, and is the result of a shared vision and commitment to the city, its landscape, and its space. The studio is grounded in the belief in an expanded cross-disciplinary collaboration, fostering a density of innovative ideas and solutions. http://criticalmassstudio.com/



To transform the church into an artist retreat, Critical Mass chose to leave the exterior mostly intact. The siting of the church nave was aligned on a north-south axis facing the street. The new organization reorients this interior to an east-west axis, connecting the interior to the expansive wetlands landscape to the west while maximizing the natural light and ventilation. The construction was approached with a cabinetmaker's sensibility: with a maximum of artisan wood joints and a minimum of mechanical fasteners. The new stair, new bookcase and the spliced structural beam are all constructed out of recycled timbers joined on site.