ARTWaorks
When an art center’s plan to build a state of the art theater and art exhibition space in Frenchtown New Jersey required the demolition of an old factory and its derelict chimney where a large colony of migratory birds would soon be roosting, ArtYard built a 20 foot sculptural tower in a hurry to provide an alternate home for the endangered chimney swifts. ArtYard’s new building, which will replace the existing structure of the abandoned hatchery at 13 Front Street, will include two art gallery spaces and a performing arts theater.
Art Yard’s mission is to serve as an incubator for creative expression and a catalyst for collaborations that reveal the transformational power of art. “This mission,” says ArtYard’s founder and executive director Jill Kearney, “has taught us to regard obstacles, such as the bird conundrum, as creative opportunities. We consulted with Chimney Swift experts, collaborated with the town in citing the tower, and ended up with a result that looks more like a beguiling piece of sculpture than a nest for birds.”
“Art often provides the opportunity to wrestle with unintended consequences,” says Kearney. “And chimney swifts have lost habitat due to deforestation and the capping of domestic chimneys. Chimney swifts cannot perch on a horizontal surface and require a protected shaft-shaped nesting space. And an art center is a great boon to a community unless you are a chimney swift who has flown all the way from Peru looking for a place to breed. We decided that our first act of creativity in the new space would be to build a chimney and invite the birds to come.” Chimney swifts are small, dark and cigar-shaped birds that are voracious consumers of mosquitoes and other insects. They need tall, hollow, and protected places to build their nests, which are fragile little cups fashioned out of sticks and attached with saliva.
“We needed to provide an inviting environment that protects the birds from predators and creates a naturally cooled, dark space,” said architect Edward Robinson, who together with architect William Welch is designing the ArtYard project. “That gave the birdhouse its tall tapered shape. And the terne coated copper top is both a predator guard and an opportunity to create a finishing detail against the sky.”
Inspired by the swifts that the tower is intended to house, Robinson initially chose plain cedar boards that would lap around the tapered form for the cladding, because it is durable and holds up to outdoor conditions. Local farmer and theatrical fabricator Bill Short constructed the tower. Local businesses and individuals assisted: Opdyke Lumber donated materials, and Harry H. Gordon Studios donated art installation skills and the use of a crane. William Welch suggested using a Japanese technique of preserving and finishing wood called Shu Sugi Ban. Burning off the organic surface and creating a dark charred sacrificial layer allows the material to last much longer than raw cedar, and also gives the structure a dark and distinctive quality.
Chimney swifts usually arrive between mid and late April, and are expected at any moment.
ArtYard is a newly formed non-profit contemporary arts center located in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Through its diverse programming, ArtYard hosts art exhibitions, film screenings, and performances. Founded by a group of artists, writers, filmmakers and curators, ArtYard is an incubator for creative expression and a catalyst for collaborations that reveal the transformational power of art. For more information, please visit www.artyard.org.