KODA x Stilt City to Bring Artist Residency to Revamped Bungalow
More than 10 years later, a bungalow that had been flooded by Hurricane Sandy is about to have new life as Stilt City Retreat. In early 2025, two KODA artists will be using the space at 100-10 Rockaway Beach Blvd. conducting research and producing community engagement projects, but to help make that happen, this Saturday, September 7, there will be a fundraising celebration to help support the effort.
On Saturday, September 7, all are welcome to the revamped, elevated bungalow turned artist space next to 101 Deli for the “Jackhammer Party” from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., to help support future efforts there. That future will be an artist residency partnership made possible by KODA and multidisciplinary artist Rowan Renee’s experimental art retreat, Stilt City. Renee purchased the former bungalow in 2013, after it had been flooded by Sandy, with the vision of turning it into an artist space that would be artist-run and owned. Renee worked with Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects to redesign the bungalow with the goal to elevate the structure to meet current flood resiliency guidelines while still keeping the character of the beach bungalow style.
The Stilt City bungalow is both a 400 square-foot tiny house and a sculptural and conceptual work of art. Jaklitsch/Gardner’s design references the form of the original bungalow, while introducing streamlined and modern elements including dramatic roof lines and the use of low-cost black asphalt roofing shingles as exterior cladding. The centerpiece of the design is the sculptural re-imagining of the former front porch as a 16-foot-high hot pink metal frame that turns the facade into a stage. Many of the interior and exterior details were handmade by Renee using materials and techniques from their practice or refurbished from architectural salvage. These include the staircase banisters, light fixtures, bathroom tiles, marble countertops and an antique claw foot tub. The goal of transforming the space was met and now it’s ready to serve its purpose with the help of KODA.
“I am so grateful to the community of supporters that have helped bring Stilt City to life,” Renee said. “The success of this project is a testament to our ability to find creative ways to resist the dehumanizing impact of unbridled capitalism and uplift each other.”
Established in 2019, KODA is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to mid-career artists of diverse backgrounds. For five years, KODA has provided financial assistance, studio space, exhibition space, community engagement support and professional development workshops to four mid-career artists from diverse backgrounds per year through its residency program. KODA x Stilt City Retreat is envisioned as a retreat-style residency that will hold space for research, experimentation and the inward contemplation necessary for artists to refuel their creative practices. Resident artists will be able to share their work with the Rockaway community through intimate public events.
According to a press release, KODA x Stilt City Retreat will host four artists per year for up to six weeks at a time and organize dinners. For the first Stilt City retreat, they’re inviting artists Alex Mari and Toisha Tucker, former KODA residents, to produce projects in the space. Both Mari and Tucker participated in KODA’s Fall 2023 residency program, “Borders + Boundaries,” which consisted of a three-month studio residency on Governors Island and culminated in mid-career survey exhibitions for each of the artists. During their time at the Retreat, Mari and Tucker will use their time at Stilt City to continue working on their research projects. “Mari is a conceptual and durational performance artist based in Atlanta whose work reclaims constructs such as race, gender, sexuality, orientation and status. Tucker’s work examines structures of neocolonial oppression, white supremacy, racism and the Trump-era legacy of the fallen state,” a press release says.
“As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we are thrilled to launch our first artist retreat partnership,” KODA founder Klaudia Ofwona Draber said. “This partnership expands the support that we are able to offer the mid-career artists we work with, and we cannot wait to welcome Alex and Tucker next year. Stilt City is an artwork, and we are grateful to Rowan for inviting KODA to this retreat-style residency collaboration.”
KODA’s program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, along with major individual support.
For more information about KODA or for tickets to Saturday’s free event, check out: www.kodalab.org and for updates, follow @koda.lab on Instagram.
