Betty Shortbus, the spring 2020 temporary installation artwork, has been repurposed for summer 2020’s pop-up market in front of the Lexington House. The original text for this work follows:
“Betty Shortbus is an installation artwork-in-progress by Alex, designed to, among other things, raise awareness about the historic Lexington House property and to have a calming effect on traffic through the town of Lexington. To be clear, it does not serve food (yet. maybe one day).
The work also hopes to fuel the imagination and stimulate childlike curiosity; human connection; the free sharing of ideas. The work gently emphasizes peace in solitude – creative activity, simple joys, learning – the exploration of the natural world.
These themes are acutely important in this age of incessant rapid globalization interrupted by a season of self-imposed isolation. 2020 is numerically symbolic of excellent ocular vision, it is often said that hindsight is 20/20. This work is an invitation to slow down and contemplate where we humans are rushing off to – in such a hurry – and why?
Something’s Cooking refers to our future hopes and dreams for the property, still in flux. Betty Shortbus draws on folly house architecture and contains references to the nearby Schoharie Creek Field Station.
Betty Shortbus includes elements and found objects evoking the personality of its fictional denizen, a Brooklyn-born farmgirl who in a previous life was a friendly State Trooper. With a bookish bent and unrestrained fascination, she is an avid kinetic learner and eternal optimist. She loves gently examining insects and aggressively stargazing. Always excited at the prospect of devouring new life experience, she learned the art of fly-fishing while re-reading Walden and knitting a colorful throw. She keeps a Rolodex aside the rotary dial telephone on her rough-hewn wooden desk. Whistles lots, greets neighbors with “Top of the mornin’!” and brews a great strong cup of coffee. She would like a typewriter to write a novel about frogs inspired by her flying dreams.
She lives in Betty Shortbus.
Betty Shortbus viewed from the Gallery at Lexington House
If you would like to participate in this ongoing creation or wish to share ideas for this project, please reach out! Join the commentary at Reddit.”