By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

This winter, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park (SQHAP), announced changes to its staff and a few highlights of the upcoming 2020 season.

The facility offers a unique environment for artists to create and exhibit their work in natural and gallery settings while also working to provide a space for the community to explore and appreciate the natural world and interact with art and artists.

Earlier this month, the Art Park welcomed Syracuse-based multidisciplinary artist and educator Sayward Schoonmaker as its interim assistant director.

Schoonmaker, who grew up in Central New York, earned a bachelor of science in studio art from Skidmore College and an master of fine arts from the Department of Fiber and Material Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

After living and working out of state for a decade, she moved back to the CNY area in 2017 to pursue a master’s degree in library and information science, which she completed in 2019.

Prior to joining the SQHAP staff, Schoonmaker served as the assistant director of the MFA in Film program at Vermont College of Fine Arts, as well as a library paraprofessional in the college’s Gary Library.

For the past two years — concurrent with and as part of her art practice — she has conducted research with Dr. Rachel Ivy Clarke, assistant professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies.

“Our research employs critical design to ask how library knowledge organization systems can promote diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Schoonmaker.

Their paper, titled “Metadata for Diversity: Identification and implications of potential access points for diverse library resources,” was awarded the 2020 Association of Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) Outstanding Publication Award.

In her new role, Schoonmaker will assist in the creation and development of a visitor center, participatory art space and exhibition space in the Art Park’s current gallery.

“In the words of Stone Quarry’s founder Dorothy Riester, the Art Park is ‘an ever-changing partnership between artist and environment,’” Schoonmaker said. “Through programming and projects, I hope to highlight Stone Quarry Hill Art Park as an ever-changing destination, dynamic in creative process, artistic thought and experience.”

According to former Assistant Director Sarah Tietje-Mietz, Schoonmaker is sure to be a positive addition to the SQHAP team.

“With her background in arts and arts administration, her expertise will be a real asset to the work we are doing at the park,” Tietje-Mietz said. “She brings exciting new ideas and perspectives that are so important to an institution like ours.”

Tietje-Mietz, who joined the staff in 2018, has recently transitioned to the newly created position of director of Hilltop House & Studio — the former home of SQHAP founders Dorothy and Robert Riester.

The home, which reflects Dorothy’s artistic viewpoint, was designed and built by the Riesters, with help from local contractors Dan McCabe, Gordon Bowers and Sam Flatt.

In 2014, the Hilltop House and Dorothy’s studio were place on the National Register of Historic Places, listed as a highly intact example of a mid-twentieth century modern house and artist studio.

According to SQHAP CEO Emily Zaengle, the creation of the director position represents a significant investment and commitment of resources to the preservation and interpretation of the Hilltop House & Studio.

“The board of directors and I felt that it was an important time to take this step, given the expertise we had on staff and the growing public interest in the house,” Zaengle said. “With Dorothy’s passing just two years ago, this represents a strong commitment to our stewardship of her gift, her home and her collection. We are so excited to have Sarah in this new position.”

In her new role, Tietje-Mietz is responsible for developing and executing a plan to share the importance of the historic site through enhanced visitor experiences, interpretive exhibits, informative outreach, and preservation efforts.

“My vision and hope for the Hilltop House & Studio is to elevate the awareness of what a special resource it truly is to a greater audience,” said Tietje-Mietz. “I would like to see us become a known destination and model of preservation, interpretation and education. I hope that we can be less of a hidden gem and more of a known treasure, and that means sharing and connecting our story with the greater community.”

The new director is working to create a more in-depth tour of the house to provide visitors with a “bigger picture” of how and why the Riesters built their home, and eventually the art park, on Stone Quarry Hill.

She is also working to address and organize the Hilltop House & Studio collection and archive.

“A new gallery space in the house will have rotating exhibits that, using our archive and collection, will look at different aspects of who our founders were,” Tietje-Mietz said. “I will also be addressing the preservation needs of the structure and creating ways to make the preservation of this site part of our greater story.”

Tietje-Mietz brings to the position an educational background in traditional studio arts (BFA, Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University) and historic preservation (MSHP, Art Institute of Chicago). She is currently working on a master’s degree in arts journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University.

“These [experiences] all position me to understand this type of historic artist-made environment, and to look at it from the view of a preservationist, of an artist, and as a storyteller,” she said. “Also, I just love midcentury architecture and seeing the artist’s hand evident in their everyday life.”

Explore the new Hilltop House Instagram @hilltop_house_and_studio.

Also at the Art Park

SQHAP also announced Annie Mitchell as its 2020 Artist-in-Residence.

Mitchell is a light and sound artist “interested in what drives us as humans, the environments in which we thrive and the human connections we need to flourish.”

Using fiber optics and sound, she creates immersive experiences to evoke visceral reactions from her audiences.

Mitchell will create a site-specific installation at the Art Park during the months of July and August.

The SQHAP Artist-in-Residence program draws artists from all over the world.

According to Zaengle, the goal of the program is to support artists — with lodging and a stipend — as they explore their creative processes.

This spring, the Art Park will reveal the fourth version of “Third Iteration,” a site-specific sculpture and prominent fixture of the 104-acre property.

The sculpture is the product of collaboration between artists Matt Rink and Bland Hoke.

Interested in promoting sustainability in the arts, the sculptors reconfigured 60 decommissioned lampposts into tripods to create an installation demonstrating repetition of a similar form.

Due to high winds and direct sunlight, the fabric on the posts requires replacement about every five years.

Registration for the YMCA Art Camps at the Art Park is now open.

Open to children ages 6-14, the weeklong, half-day camps feature formal art instruction inspired by the park’s sculptures and natural surroundings.

The camps run July through August. Registration is through the Hal Welsh East Area Family YMCA.

To register for the art camps, visit operations.daxko.com.

Stone Quarry Hill Art Park is located at 3883 Stone Quarry Rd., Cazenovia. The grounds are open 365 days a year from dawn to dusk. The park’s main season runs from May through November.

To learn more about SQHAP programs and events, visit sqhap.org/ or call 315-655-3196.