Women's Art Colony Farm (also referred to as The Farm or Women's Art Colony and Tree Farm) was a self-supporting women's artist colony in

LaGrange, New York LaGrange ( ) is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 15,975 at the 2020 census. The town was named after the estate of the Marquis de Lafayette. History The town was originally established in 1821 as "Freedo ...

(outside of

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

) founded by Kate Millett and Sophie Keir in 1978.

Founding

In 1970 the artist and activist Kate Millett published ''

Sexual Politics ''Sexual Politics'' is the debut book by American writer and activist Kate Millett, based on her PhD dissertation. It was published in 1970 by Doubleday. It is regarded as a classic of feminism and one of radical feminism's key texts. ''Sexu ...

''. The wildly popular book netted Millett approximately $30,000 in earnings. One year later, in 1971, Millettalong with future wife, photojournalist Sophie Keirbought 10 acres of land and buildings in

, a small town in

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...

and close to Poughkeepsie. The pair began restoring the property's fields and buildings. In 1978, the Women's Art Colony was established, financed by selling

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...

s. Women applied to work at The Farm, also paying a small fee for food, in exchange for room, board and studio space. The Farm was also a space for feminist discussion. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described The Farm as:

"a utopian women’s arts colony, and where bare-breasted women grew Christmas trees that Ms. Millett would sell on the
Bowery The Bowery () is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north.Jackson, Kenneth L. "B ...
each December. In the early days, said Linda Clarke, an old friend, neighbors would complain about the nudity and call the police, until Ms. Millett won them over."

In 2012, The Farm was registered as a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, and was renamed the Millett Center for the Arts.

Awards

In 2012, Millett won a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts to, in-part, create an archive of The Farm.

Legacy

Sisters of Jam, an artists collective based in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden, created a book based on The Farm, called ''A Piece of Land''. The collective was invited to stay at The Farm in 2010, by Millett. The book includes photographs by Michelle Koals and Jane Winter, past residents of The Farm, as well as archival artifacts. The collective have participated in several talks and exhibitions to showcase work based around The Farm.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Women's Art Colony Farm records
at the

Sophia Smith Collection The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. General One of the largest recognized repositories of manuscripts, ar ...

, Smith College Special Collections
Kate Millett papers
at the Rubenstein Library, Duke University
''A Piece of Land''
by Sisters of Jam *
Photographs from 'The Farm'
by Sisters of Jam Artist residencies Poughkeepsie, New York Artist colonies 1978 establishments in New York (state) Organizations established in 1978 Feminist art organizations in the United States American artist groups and collectives Arts charities Arts organizations established in the 1970s History of women in New York (state)