Straw Bale House Mixer (2013)

From 2011 to 2013, I helped my mother build a small straw bale house by bringing in a timber-frame builder William Johnson. When the house was near completion, William wanted to do a styled photo shoot, but didn’t have the budget to rent furniture. I came up with the idea to invite local fine-furniture makers, installation artists, and sculptors, and to make it into a networking event. This event was a pivotal experience for me. I learned that even with little budget, one could convince people to participate in a project by creating enough incentives. Furniture-makers, for example, are generally private and always busy, they only began responding to my call once I figured out what they wanted. The guest list for the reception was carefully compiled to mix gallery owners, non-profits staff, and media personnel. The installation was beautifully photographed by architectural photographer Deborah Degraffeinreid.