In 1940, Albert Metz, a philanthropic music enthusiast, renovated a 1840 dairy barn into a summer music school for violin students from all over the world, complete with a stage, practice cabins, dormitory-style bedrooms and farm to provide guests with food. In 1968, Sandy and Caroline Paton moved in and ran their infamous record label Folk-Legacy Records for 50 years. When Russell and I saw it a year ago, we fell in love with the structure and felt we could continue its creative legacy.
With our Brooklyn space, tiny yet efficient, it was enticing to envision using the same model of operating in Brooklyn in this rural location, accessible to the city, with room for artist guests. While camping out and getting some of our own studio time in, much of the year has been devoted to clearing out the spiders and raccoons, repairing plumbing, cutting down trees and clearing brush, demolishing old ceilings and walls for us to begin this new chapter.
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