News and Events December 2022
Passing rain clouds from the bluff by the Kohlberg House (photo: Peter McMahon)
The Naked Archive
Unseasonably warm weather eased our early November artist/scholar residency, which hosted four researchers working on the Bauhaus and related subjects including children’s books of the era and nudism among the German avant guarde and how it translated to the US.. The group of multi-lingual scholars examined photographs and art archived by CCMHT as well as over 400 books relating Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius, Serge Chermayeff, Juliet Kepes and their circle, translating Hungarian, German, and French inscriptions, dedications and letters. We plan to continue this research initiative on a semi-annual basis since this year we just scratched the surface. The film maker, Ryan Foley, documented the proceedings and we plan to release a short film in early 2023. Stay tuned.
Nauset High School Collaboration
A new group of budding designers from Nauset High’s architecture program are taking on the challenge of re-designing the Hatch house. A group visited the site on School Pride Day. Our current CCMHT paid intern (Ben Caldwell lower right) is a dedicated surfer and ace landscaper.
Infrastructure
By end of the year we hope to finish converting our heating/cooling, cooking and hot water systems to all electric, thus removing oil and propane from all four CCMHT houses. These systems are much more energy-efficient and the state is reimbursing a large part of the expense. We also hope the dehumidification feature will help preserve the building interiors.
Lecture in Romania
In October, Director Peter McMahon gave a Zoom lecture to a group of architecture preservation students at Ion Mincu University in Sibiu Romania. Their teacher, Liliana Cazacu, came on a CCMHT house tour when she was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard a few years ago. Romanian preservationists are grappling with how to approach Communist era buildings.
Day of Mourning / Cedar Swamp
2020 artist in residence mayfield brooks was just back for a couple of days with a friend to participate in the National Day of Mourning in Plymouth hosted by the United American Indians of New England (decolonizing since 1970). The day after we walked in the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp in Wellfleet and marveled at the trees and mushrooms.
The National Day of Mourning began in 1970 when Wampanoag tribal leader Frank James (Wamsutta) refused to participate in a sanitized Thanksgiving commemoration in Plymouth, and wrote his own speech. James was also the music teacher for decades and Nauset High School. For more on this go to: National Day of Morning.
Mayfield’s continuation of the Whalefall project Sensoria: an Opera Strange (Dancespace Project, New York) was included in the New York Times Best Dance Performances of 2022as well a top ten highlight in Art Forum.
