Who is Meadowsweet Dairy?

Meadowsweet Dairy is a group of artists who work together collaboratively to create sculpture and site-specific installations.  They are:

Dan Ustin

Henry Corning

Glenda Griffith

Why do you call yourselves Meadowsweet Dairy?

Our studio is in the renovated cowshed of the old Meadowsweet Dairy in Corte Madera.  The Dairy was founded in 1926.  It produced dairy products for 20 years, then became a school, and now houses our studio and 4 apartment units.  No, we do not all live here but we will by 2005 after the creamery side of the Dairy is renovated.

Who did that piece?

We did.  We work collaboratively on all the pieces.  The entire process, from collecting material, working on it, to finding a name for the finished piece, is a collaborative effort.  Sometimes more of the actual work on a piece was done by one or two people but we all provide input and contribute to the final sculpture.  

What can you tell us about your work?

We specialize in finding and presenting extraordinary natural objects as art.  We use driftwood and forest fire debris as well as stone and recycled steel which are cleaned and then modified slightly (if at all).  This same process is extended to our site specific work.  We bring together materials found on site, the natural landscape and volunteer labor from the surrounding community.  These projects call attention to interesting natural features or processes and help address environmental concerns. If we are making a habitat piece, we consult with biologists to get the design right for the creatures expected to use the site.

Is there a philosophy underlying the site works?

For us, as Suzie Gablik has written, art has a job to do.  Our work aspires to be both aesthetically powerful and practical.  We clean up neglected, trash filled areas and make their beauty accessible through our site-pieces. We provide habitat and bring attention to consumption of resources. Visit http://www.greenmuseum.org/ to learn more about environmental what artists are doing.

Where's the art? This is just collected stuff and some construction!

True enough, but how much difference is there between beauty discovered and presented and beauty fabricated and presented?