Byrdcliffe Colony
Encyclopedia
The Byrdcliffe Colony, also called the Byrdliffe Arts Colony or Byrdcliffe Historic District, was founded in 1902 near Woodstock, New York
by Jane and Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead
and colleagues, Bolton Brown (artist) and Hervey White (writer). The Arts and Crafts Movement arose in the late nineteenth century in reaction to the dehumanizing monotony and standardization of industrial production. It was created as an experiment in utopian living inspired by the arts and crafts movement. It remains focused on the development of artistic vision.
of New York State. Byrdcliffe lay on 1,500 acres (6 km²) of south-facing side of Mount Guardian, just above Woodstock. This location provided the rustic landscape meant to inspire and elevate this art community as well as its offering of close proximity to New York City.
After finding an appropriate site near Woodstock, he called the site Byrdcliffe (a melding of his and wife Jane's middle names).
Artists, writers, musicians, social reformers, and intellectuals came from across the country to stay at Byrdcliffe and gain inspiration from the setting and people with shared artistic goals. Facilities included studios for painting, weaving, pottery, metalwork, woodworking; cottages with bathrooms and sleeping porches; a library, and a rambling villa for Whitehead and his family. He built "White Pines" as his residence with a skylit cathedral ceilinged weaving room overlooking a picturesque view across the Woodstock Valley.
The artist colony of Byrdcliffe failed to fulfill its goals of a self-sufficient arts community. It became too expensive and Ralph Whitehead’s dominating personality became a confining force. Byrdcliffe survived for almost 30 years under Whitehead’s vision until his death in 1929.
After Ralph Whitehead's death in 1929, his widow, Jane, and son Peter struggled to keep the colony alive. After Jane's death in 1955, Peter sold much of the land to pay taxes and maintenance on the heart of the colony which he kept intact. The Whiteheads intended to preserve Byrdcliffe "for the purpose of promoting among the residents of Woodstock...the study, practice and development of skill in the fine arts and crafts, as well as a true appreciation thereof..."
Although the arts and crafts
utopian experiment soon ran out of steam, the continuing magic of Byrdcliffe enthralled many notable people including the educator John Dewey
, author Thomas Mann
and naturalist John Burroughs
. Isadora Duncan danced at White Pines; Bob Dylan
lived in a house at Byrdcliffe in the '60s and early '70s; Joanne Woodward
was involved in the River Arts Repertory at the Byrdcliffe Theatre.
The Byrdcliffe Arts Colony received its name as a combination of Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead’s middle name and his wife’s, Jane Byrd McCall Whitehead, middle name. The colony is still in operation today and is located on 300 acres (1.2 km²) wooded with 35 unique Arts and Crafts buildings on country pathways in Woodstock, New York.
Byrdcliffe is an important regional example of the movement to create various types of utopian enclaves in America. Today, under the management and restoration efforts of the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, Byrdcliffe continues as a place for artists to gain inspiration, live, and work.
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
by Jane and Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead
Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead
Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead was the founder and chief benefactor of the "Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony" located in Woodstock, New York.-Early life and influences:...
and colleagues, Bolton Brown (artist) and Hervey White (writer). The Arts and Crafts Movement arose in the late nineteenth century in reaction to the dehumanizing monotony and standardization of industrial production. It was created as an experiment in utopian living inspired by the arts and crafts movement. It remains focused on the development of artistic vision.
Location
Woodstock is surrounded by the Catskill MountainsCatskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
of New York State. Byrdcliffe lay on 1,500 acres (6 km²) of south-facing side of Mount Guardian, just above Woodstock. This location provided the rustic landscape meant to inspire and elevate this art community as well as its offering of close proximity to New York City.
History
For many years, Whitehead had held the idea of creating an Arts and Crafts community where all the arts would come together, including painting, sculpture, music, metalwork and furniture making. After a failed attempt to establish a community near Albany, Oregon, he scouted the East Coast for a suitable site.After finding an appropriate site near Woodstock, he called the site Byrdcliffe (a melding of his and wife Jane's middle names).
Artists, writers, musicians, social reformers, and intellectuals came from across the country to stay at Byrdcliffe and gain inspiration from the setting and people with shared artistic goals. Facilities included studios for painting, weaving, pottery, metalwork, woodworking; cottages with bathrooms and sleeping porches; a library, and a rambling villa for Whitehead and his family. He built "White Pines" as his residence with a skylit cathedral ceilinged weaving room overlooking a picturesque view across the Woodstock Valley.
The artist colony of Byrdcliffe failed to fulfill its goals of a self-sufficient arts community. It became too expensive and Ralph Whitehead’s dominating personality became a confining force. Byrdcliffe survived for almost 30 years under Whitehead’s vision until his death in 1929.
After Ralph Whitehead's death in 1929, his widow, Jane, and son Peter struggled to keep the colony alive. After Jane's death in 1955, Peter sold much of the land to pay taxes and maintenance on the heart of the colony which he kept intact. The Whiteheads intended to preserve Byrdcliffe "for the purpose of promoting among the residents of Woodstock...the study, practice and development of skill in the fine arts and crafts, as well as a true appreciation thereof..."
Although the arts and crafts
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
utopian experiment soon ran out of steam, the continuing magic of Byrdcliffe enthralled many notable people including the educator John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
, author Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
and naturalist John Burroughs
John Burroughs
John Burroughs was an American naturalist and essayist important in the evolution of the U.S. conservation movement. According to biographers at the American Memory project at the Library of Congress,...
. Isadora Duncan danced at White Pines; Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
lived in a house at Byrdcliffe in the '60s and early '70s; Joanne Woodward
Joanne Woodward
Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward is an American actress, television and theatrical producer, and widow of Paul Newman...
was involved in the River Arts Repertory at the Byrdcliffe Theatre.
Merger with Woodstock Guild of Craftsmen
Upon Peter Whitehead's death in 1975, Byrdcliffe was left to the Woodstock Guild of Craftsmen who have continued to maintain and administer programs at the colony. In 1979, the Byrdcliffe Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historical and architectural significance. Byrdcliffe's cottages have been rented since 1984 only to working artists, maintaining sympathy with the founder's creative vision.The Byrdcliffe Arts Colony received its name as a combination of Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead’s middle name and his wife’s, Jane Byrd McCall Whitehead, middle name. The colony is still in operation today and is located on 300 acres (1.2 km²) wooded with 35 unique Arts and Crafts buildings on country pathways in Woodstock, New York.
Woodstock Brydcliffe Guild
Now owned by the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild (WBG), a non-profit arts and environmental organization with over 600 members, Byrdcliffe is the oldest continuing arts colony in America. The Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild is a multi-arts membership organization. Its Kleinert/James Arts Center hosts local and national performing, visual and literary artists. The WBG offers a variety of classes in the arts.Byrdcliffe is an important regional example of the movement to create various types of utopian enclaves in America. Today, under the management and restoration efforts of the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, Byrdcliffe continues as a place for artists to gain inspiration, live, and work.
See also
- Art colonyArt colonyright|300px|thumb|Artist houses in [[Montsalvat]] near [[Melbourne, Australia]].An art colony or artists' colony is a place where creative practitioners live and interact with one another. Artists are often invited or selected through a formal process, for a residency from a few weeks to over a year...
- Arts and craftsArts and craftsArts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
- Greenwich VillageGreenwich VillageGreenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
- History of artHistory of artThe History of art refers to visual art which may be defined as any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes, expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a worldview...
- Provincetown, MassachusettsProvincetown, MassachusettsProvincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
- Taos, New MexicoTaos, New MexicoTaos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
- UtopiaUtopiaUtopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
- Woodstock, New YorkWoodstock, New YorkWoodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
External links
- Official Site Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild
- Cornell University
- Albany Institute of History & Art
- The Winterthur Library - Overview of the collection on the Byrdcliffe colony