Habitat For Artists (HFA) is an evolving artists’ collective that explores the nature of creativity, the role of the artist in communities and ways to create dialogue with new audiences. It was founded by artist Simon Draper in 2007 and is based in New York’s Hudson Valley. HFA is a collaborative initiative that addresses notions about sustainability as a central component of an artist’s working process. HFA uses the art studio as a public collaborative space and they serve as a catalyst for the discourse that results from the application of these ideas to works of art. The artists work out of small, temporary, reusable art studios, made from reclaimed materials and installed in a variety of public locations. HFA member artists are committed to using repurposed materials, limiting carbon footprint while maximizing social impact, engaging with the public and bringing viewers to become active participants in their projects.
HFA encourages artists to think about how we might be more creative about our consumption of materials and our use of energy and land. Could we be doing more with less? In thinking about the space to create, “How Much? How Little?” Artists explore the creative possibilities of interdisciplinary community collaboration and project-based educational programming.