Kate Millett Farm

An ongoing interdisciplinary art project about the communal life at Millett Farm.

In 1978, feminist author, Kate Millett founded an art colony for women in Poughkeepsie USA that remained in operation until the beginning of the new millennium. The colony was founded out of a belief that a gender-specific community would provide an environment where women artists could work unencumbered by social stigma.

Millett is best known for Sexual Politics (1970) and her ground-breaking work for women's liberation. She was a member of both the feminist and gay liberation movements that inspired feminist and lesbian separatist cultural and communal experiments in the 1970s. Millett Farm evolved from incorporating elements of the radical feminist - gay liberation - and avant-garde movements.

2010 Kate Millett invited S.O.J. to stay with her at The Farm, that became the starting point for our cultural portrait of this unique community. A close friend of Millett told us that The Farm was a workshop of Kate's mind. Many past residents from The Farm talk about Millett's strong vision for the colony, creating a experimental community devoted to both the production and the discussion of art made by women. 

We are intrigued by The Farm both as an artist colony, a feminist community and as a social experiment. But most of all because of its act of opposition. 

 

 

Public Talk and screening at Gallery Box


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May 2016, Gallery Box Gothenburg, Sweden.

Sisters of Jam was invited by The Temporary Separatists to participate in a public talk about the collective as an artistic and feminist strategy, elaborating on the project Kate Millett Farm. The event also included a screening of our video ” It takes a million years to be a woman”. The Temporay Separatists is a woman-identified artist collective that seeks to explore the use of collectivism as a feminist methodology in art practice.
(Photo: Gallery Box) Read more here!

Public Talk ”Sisterhood as an artistic strategy”

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9 / 3 2016 at Örebro Konsthall, moderator: Hanna Lekander.

Text in Swedish: Systerskapet som konstnärlig strategi. I ett öppet samtal med konstnärerna och systrarna Moa och Mikaela Krestesen i deras utställning Kate Millett Farm på Örebro konsthall, lyfts frågor som kollektiva arbetsmetoder, om att arbeta tillsammans i motsats till ”det konstnärliga geniet”. I systrarnas konstnärliga arbete växer ett projekt under längre tid utan ett förutbestämt avslut. Intresset riktas mot att mötas över generationer och vikten av systerskapets nätverk över tid. Historieskrivning kopplas till feminism där ”re-makes” ingår som en konstnärlig strategi för att öppet lyfta föregångare in i samtiden och föra en dialog med historien.

Exhibition Borås Konstmuseum

Documentation from exhibition at Borås Konstmuseum, SYSTER sept 2014 – jan 2015.

Poster by Bastion Installation Blue Barn  Sculpture LIFE and view of photo installation The Lavender House Installation view  Sculpture LIFE Black and white photograph by Jane Winter, archive material collected by S.O.J. Archive table and installation Photographs of life at Millett Farm, taken by Jane Winter and Michelle Koales Detail installation, book shell with Kate Millett´s books together with S.O.J.s book A PIECE OF LAND about Millett Farm. Detail of photo installation. Portraits of members of Millett Farm. Drawing by Kate Millett. Detali archive table, Time Magazine. Second room, three channel video installation. Three channel video installation Video installation

”The exhibition ”Syster” (Sister) listen to the dialogue between women across generations, times, places and contexts. The works connects artists across time and space, where the perspectives enrich each other. The exhibition’s common thread is between Swedish contemporary art and ’70s Los Angeles, where among other things, Judy Chicago and Sheila Levrant de Bretteville were active. Furthermore, they extend to Poughkeepsie and an art colony for women, which was driven by one of the era’s most influential feminist thinkers and artists – Kate Millett.”

Curator: Karolina Pahlén. Participants: Sisters of Jam, Jenny Wilson, Sharon Hayes, Anna Linder, Roxy Farhat, Kakan Hermansson, Annika Norlin, Bastion, Kajsa Dahlberg, Varesh Darvish, Hanna Stenman, Sara Hansson, Maja Borg, Johanna Gustavsson samt Ditte Ejlerskov och Eva-Marie Lindahl.

Catalog by Bastion for the exhibition Syster

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Bastion (Alexandra Falagara and Brita Lindvall) worked with a patchwork in mind (as a reference to the crafts that women traditionally engaged in when they “had spare time”) to create a non-hierarchical structure where the participants are given equal importance, as they all have a page each. These are also feminist design strategies that were used by the legendary graphic designer Sheila Levrant de Brettville in the 1970′s, through this action Bastion wished to put their work in dialogue with the work of hers. Each page has its own typeface designed by a woman – and to further write herstory, They´ve added information in the footer of who made ​​each font and when.  The catalog is decorated with a chain pattern of diverse expressions, which symbolizes how the various sisterhoods both engage and differ from each other.

Jenny Wilson

Sisters of Jam invited the fantastic performer Jenny Wilson as a special guest. For the Kate Millett Farm exhibition at Marabouparken Jenny Wilson has written four exclusive songs, copied on cassettes which the visitors themselves can put on and listen to. The song titles; FREEDOM, POLITICS, EVOLUTION and BIOLOGY, reminds of the slogans used in the demonstrations of the 70′s. With lyrics inspired by the thoughts of Kate Millet, Jenny has written four modern, apocalyptic pop songs you don’t want to miss. The FREEDOM/POLITICS/EVOLUTION/BIOLOGY-cassette is also released in a very limited edition (100).

freedom politics evolution biology

 

 

sometimes you’re on top of the world

A paraphrase of Kate Millet’s iconic work 
”There are Times When You’re on Top of The World”.

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(Black and white: original drawing by Kate Millet, black and pink: paraphrase by S.O.J.)

Panel discussion at Marabouparken

A public talk across generations – with Suzanne Osten (director and researcher), Kakan Hermansson (artist, comedian and radical feminist), Sara Stridsberg (author) and Malin Hedlin Hayden (art historian).

Stridsberg also did a reading from her book ”Drömfakulteten” – in which Kate Millet appears.

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IASPIS – Studio Talk with Mary Kelly

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S.O.J. was invited to take part in a studiotalk with Mary Kelly and Iaspis director Cecilia Widenheim, during Open House september 2010. It was crowded and a well filled studio. Mary Kelly, with a lot of grace, made everybody feel included. The talk was about Marys interest in ”remix” and the 70s and 80s generations interest in the -68 movement.

Dear Kate Millett and Kate Millett Farm

stockholm2009

Stockholm 2009-08-04

We are two visual artists based in Stockholm and Umeå, Sweden. Beside our individual work as artists we also collaborate as a duo under the name “Sisters of Jam”. The name came out of the fact that we are sisters but more important that we meet and play around with ideas that we want to explore together. As artists and women our ideas is grounded in taking action in what it means being a women in today’s society.

Our discovery in Kate Millett Farm came through reading the book “Going to Iran”. Reading the book today what struck us the most is actually what comes first, the act of reaching out for the sisters in Iran. To act on your believes. The feminist struggle in Sweden feels often pointed towards the individual, it’s not global.

If we were to be given a chance to visit Kate Millett Farm our work would be about the idea of the Farm, the community, womanhood, the discussions that takes place.

Women, artists, living and working together are a unique matter that we would like to investigate as artists. We would work with painting, drawing, video, photography and would like- if possible- to make interviews with you and other artists staying at the farm.

Hope to hear from you soon…

 
All the best,
Sisters of Jam; Moa and Mikaela Krestesen

Dear Moa and Mikaela Krestesen

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I have looked over your proposal very seriously and really hope that you can get the Swedish Government’s approval to come to The Farm which welcomes you with open arms.

We’ll be planting a little tree then – which is an (illegible word) for us here.

With best wishes and admiration for your process

Sincerely, 
Kate Millett

Dear Kate Millett

haggbranna2010

Häggbränna, Sweden 2010-06-30

Dear Kate Millett,

Last summer we, Sisters of Jam- a collaboration between Moa and Mikaela Krestesen visual artists, wrote to you regarding a visit at your farm and we received a invitation from you in return. Now we finally got financial support to come and we would like to ask you when it would suit you the best?

When we wrote you the last time we explained that we are very interested in your career and your devoted, passionate work for women all over the world. Our aim is to work with a ”portrait” of you and the farm.

Of course we would take part in the common work as well and we are great chefs! We are planning to stay 10 days (we have small children so we can’t stay longer) and a good time for us would be in late September/October 2010. What are the terms for a visit? Accommodation and so on? How far is it from New York?

During this fall we are working in Stockholm at IASPIS, International artist program in Sweden, here we will work and present some of the result from our visit at your farm.

Kindly respond to us at this address:

Mikaela Krestesen
Trettondagsvägen 16
126 36 Hägersten
Sweden
Phone 00460733978876

Hope that you are well and hope to hear from you soon.

Best whishes
Sisters of Jam, Moa and Mikaela Krestesen

Dear Moa and Mikaela Krestesen

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KATE MILLETT
THE FARM
20 OLD OVERLOOK ROAD
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY  12603

Dear Moa and Mikaela Krestesen,

This is a formal invitation to help establish our new identity as a flower farm with picker rights to the next crop of strawberries, pruning rights to old roses comfortably situated next to old trees which are counted as sacred for their late flowering beauty. The tree multiplies indiscriminately (OBS I’m not sure about these last two words!) into a tangle of bush and no longer have growing rights over its garden planted with an invasive crop of Heather, which accompanies Farm hills in the western part of Ireland—just take over a western facing hill, develops a Culture all by itself. Lavender. The whole Heather (A FEW ILLEGIBLE WORDS).

Come aboard our ship of folly. Leave your bag and baggage of art supplies behind. Vassar starts its academic year with portable art supplies at fire sale prices—20% off for a good customer like myself.

Our bath rooms are decorated to a fare the well—here’s a latest flavor reproduced to my favorite chorus of (ILLEGIBLE). Thank god your gov’t has a lasting interest in the ‘extras’ of life. Like Art.

Love and best wishes,
Kate Millett

Dear Kate Millett

stockholm2010

Stockholm 2010-09-09

Dear Kate Millett,

hope you are well and happy birthday!

We have been trying to call you but we think that maybe you have left for Florida. We will try phone you later on in September, but just in case, we write you this letter as well with some information about our arrival.

We arrive in New York 4:th October around 2 pm and will drive to Poughkeepsie the same afternoon. Hopefully arriving at the farm not later then 9pm in the evening. If we would be delayed we will call you and let you know.

We are so much looking forward to our stay at the farm, meeting and talking to you!

 

Best regards
Moa and Mikaela Krestesen / Sisters of Jam