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P R O F I L E | L E G E N D S I N T I M E
I
n considering all that ancient
places articulate—from beauty,
identity and memory to community,
continuity and a sense of the
sacred—one must contemplate
the world without them. It's a disorienting
idea, this absence of fundamental
attachment. A kind of cultural dislocation,
as we are, principally, in and of place.
"We were born into place, and we live
all our lives in place," explains Thomas
Mayes of the National Trust for Historic
Preservation. "Where we are born and
live has a tremendous impact on our
lives. Artists are often keenly aware of
this connection, even if not consciously,
and I think you can read that connection
at artists' homes and studios."
Of the buildings in this singular category,
some of the most culturally significant
are part of the Historic Artists' Homes
and Studios (HAHS) program, which
developed out of an initiative proposed
by the National Trust for Historic
Preservation in 1999 to recognize
architecture not directly under its
umbrella that nonetheless was making
valuable contributions to the preservation
of its buildings and collections. With
financial support from the Henry Luce
Foundation and Wyeth Foundation
for American Art; the formation of an
expert advisory committee to establish
rigorous guidelines for membership; and
the appointment of a full-time program
manager to expand the program for
the public and consortium members,
HAHS now operates as a coalition of
36 "associate sites" of the Trust, all
former homes and studios of American
artists. HAHS represents an even
greater number of artists, however. Two
properties in the program—the Bush-
Holley House and the Florence Griswold
Museum, both in Connecticut—served
as art colonies for multiple Impressionist
painters, for example, while the Pollock-
Krasner House and Study Center in
New York was home to two Abstract
Expressionists, Jackson Pollock and Lee
Krasner. Collectively, HAHS sites work in
P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F T H E C . M . R U S S E L L M U S E U M
36 DIGS.NET
| 11.29.24
