Hidden in Plein Sight 

Public billboard located on Route 23A in the Catskills near Hunter Mountain 
Commissioned by Shandanken Projects & co-sponsored by the Athens Cultural Center
August 1- 28, 2023

This work contrasts the interior of a prison cell with the painting, “View on the Catskill-Early Autumn” by Thomas Cole who was known for his famous 19th century paintings of the Hudson River Valley. The early Hudson River School painters depicted the region as the canvas for a bucolic American Dream which often foreshadowed their fears of an industrial take over of the landscape. Referencing this artwork found in the public domain, poses difficult questions about who has access to public space, including bucolic parkland, pastoral fictions, and prisons themselves.