An Interview with Melissa McGill, Artist Behind "Constellation" on Bannerman Island
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And what is this island? Indeed its history is just as exciting, and involves usage by tribes, patriots, prostitutes, fisherman, bootleggers, and vandals. In the early 1900’s, Francis Bannerman, a Scottish-born business man from Brooklyn who at a young age began collecting scrap from the harbor which was then filled with ships, made a business of buying and selling surplus stock from government auctions. He moved his arms collection from Manhattan to Pollepel (or Polopel) Island, forced out of the city due to laws on ammunition storage. He went north to build a Scottish-inspired castle, Bannerman Castle, to hold his arms collection, the ammunition room of which blew up in 1920. In the 1970s, a fire with flames 20 feet high devoured Bannerman’s warehouse, leaving the castle ruins we pass by today, the dramatic view of which was increased after a partial collapse in 2009 (there is an organization dedicated to preserving the castle by creating events and gardens should you wish to donate).
Local artist Melissa McGill was captivated by the location and the history. In her career as an artist, Melissa explores what is and what is absent. She wanted to apply this study to the island, the castle, and pieces of the castle that no longer exist. She envisioned that points of light could glow above pieces of the castle that are now missing. Melissa is the most recent architect on this island - an architect of light and space - stars - that shine above the castle as a new constellation starting at dusk of every evening.
Even though Melissa makes art of all kinds - paint, sculpture, sound installations - this project could be the largest and most visual representation of her fascination of what is and is not in the spaces in between absence and presence. She became a director and producer of the project, working with other local artists like Niche Modern to build the lights, and worked with The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to secure what was needed to make this project a reality for launch in June 2015.
Intrigued by her role as an artist in this project, we thought Melissa a great role model for children and adults who yearn to be artist but don't know how, or who need to give themselves permission to be their own type of artist. Melissa was kind enough to answer some questions about her captivating Constellation project in this interview with us below.
Like so many who travel and live along the Hudson River, I’ve had a long fascination with the mysterious castle ruin and this island. As I investigated its history and re-imagined its present, I was moved to create a project that continues my work exploring the space between absence and presence, bringing to light the overlooked, hidden, or lost aspects of architecture, found objects, and places. The sculptural poles of Constellation reference the lines of the castle ruin and through the star-like points of lights hovering above, a new constellation is created conceptually connecting our world with others. I look up at the stars for inspiration, for a sense of reality, to remember how small we are in the universe, and to feel how we are all one under these stars.
I wanted to ask you about your type of artistic medium, and how as an artist, you are directing a project and don't necessarily touch everything that is being made by hand. I loved seeing the pictures of the glass blowers making the stars. So for budding artists, it's an example to show them and their parents the different types of artistry that can exist. So I suppose the question is - in this project, are you an artist who is not physically making things, but you are leading the construction of an idea?
My work involves an interdisciplinary process, primarily incorporating drawing, sculpture, and sound. I make a lot of work in my studio. When ideas require specific expertise that I don't have, I work with others who have that expertise so the work may be realized. Regarding the glassblowing...While I do have some experience with glass blowing and have made other work in blown glass, the globes that house the LED's had to be very high quality and luckily Niche Modern here in Beacon specializes in exactly what I needed. They were amazing to work with and they very generously donated the globes for the project. A project the size of Constellation requires a lot of expert experience in many areas…fabricators, architects, engineers, installers, lighting designers…the list goes on. Almost every single person on the Constellation team lives in this area and I am involved in every step of the process.
What did you need to go through legally to get this done, and how long did that take?
Pollepel Island with the Bannerman Castle ruin is located in the Hudson Highlands State Park so I worked closely with NYSOPRHP (New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation throughout Constellation's 3 year process). Constellation had a full environmental assessment through NY State, a NY State Archaeological Review, and NYSOPRHP executed a permit.
Financially, did this come together through different grants and/or donations? How did you approach and accomplish that?
I raised the funding independently through many channels- by crowdfunding, applying for grants and being persistent. A number of wonderful supporters taught me a lot about fundraising. Fractured Atlas is my fiscal sponsor and this is a non-profit public art work and so all donations are tax- deductible. I am so deeply grateful to Constellation's generous supporters. They have helped transform this project from a dream to reality. I still have quite a bit to raise to close the funding gap to cover installation and production. It's an on-going process and donations of support are appreciated!
The project is set to launch this weekend, June 28th. Boat tours will be offered to those curious enough for an up-close experience of this new magical constellation. Watch the video about the project here or follow along on the project's Facebook page for news and updates.
Constellation from Melissa McGill on Vimeo.
