Summit and Stone Begins: First Cohort Gathering at Studio West

This past weekend marked the beginning of something meaningful for Sterling Roots.

As part of the Rural and Traditional Arts Fellowship, administered through a partnership between the New York State Council on the Arts and Shake on the Lake, we gathered for our first cohort at in Buffalo—an inspiring new creative space opened by Torrey Johnson.

Photo Credit: Torrey Johnson, Studio West

This fellowship brings together a wide range of rural artists across New York State, each rooted in their own discipline and place. Within this cohort are artists working in fiber, printmaking, metalwork, rural landscapes, tintype photography, ceramics rooted in native culture, woodworking, sculpture, and soundwalking. The depth of work represented reflects the strength and diversity of rural creative practice across the state.

Over the course of the weekend, we shared ideas, spoke about process, and began to understand how each project is shaped by land and community. These conversations planted new seeds—connections that will continue to develop as the year progresses.

For Sterling Roots, this fellowship centers on Summit and Stone: Metalwork from the Adirondack High Peaks—a new series of site-responsive work developed through direct engagement with Mount Marcy, Algonquin, Dix, Haystack, and Whiteface. This work will translate alpine terrain, ridgelines, and summit ecosystems into hand-forged metal forms, continuing the studio’s long-standing relationship with the Adirondack landscape.

The opportunity to work alongside other rural artists—each with a distinct approach yet shared connection to place—adds another layer to this project. It reinforces that this work is not created in isolation, but as part of a broader rural creative network across New York State.

We are grateful to have been welcomed into this space and this cohort.

Photo Credit: Torrey Johnson, Studio West

Special thanks to Torrey Johnson of Studio West for hosting and photography, to interviewer Emma Wiseman, and to photographer Jill Bornand for documenting the weekend.

You can learn more about the fellowship and its mission here: https://rtaf-ny.org/

FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH SUPPORT FROM THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS WITH SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE AND THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE.