Three White Peacocks

So I made it. Today marks my official first day of work at the Watermill. And, all in all, so far so good. After a solid 12 hours of travel by plane, airport shuttle, and the Long Island Rail Road, I arrived in the Hamptons. Surprisingly, this part of New York is not at all what I expected. In fact, there were moments where I felt like I was in Northern Wisconsin. At a glance its like every other wooded, northern countryside area I have ever been to. But, I quickly realized that at the end of each and every little private dirt road was something especially glamorous, and the stuff along the main roads was for the middle class workers in the area that help keep it all running.

The Watermill site itself is quite lovely...though in a fair amount of disarray right now. Over the course of the next two weeks we will be landscaping like crazy to pull it all together in time for an opening benefit to kick off the summer program. I will be wielding a shovel until then, before I take up scissors and measuring tape starting July 1.

The food is wonderful (thanks to our very funny Australian chef Graham) and the other artists on board seem great too. Already it is clear to me that I do not speak nearly enough languages to be running with this crowd. As I type, one of my new friends is speaking on the phone in French. He's German. Last night he was speaking Italian. I'm so American.

Bob Wilson himself clearly runs this ship, and everyone around here happily fusses and fetches for him. He was one of the first people I met when I arrived on the grounds. He gave me a walking tour of the joint...telling me about the rocks he had imported from other countries for Watermill, the carved burial stones that pre-date Jesus that I will probably be helping to install, and about his quest to have nothing more than three white peacocks in the open courtyard the night of the benefit instead of art. They will be a living counterpoint to three Agnes Martin pieces that will be on display in a facing gallery space.

I would love to share photographs, but I dont have a means quite yet because I have no digital camera. I'm hoping to find a way, though. Hang tight.