Artist In Residence: Erika Rachel
Art is a major theme throughout The Inn Between.
Our houses are artist curated, our Mangonada Bus was once a cross country interactive art piece, and our artist in residence program is in its infancy. The Infrathin Artist Residency program at The Inn Between, is a chance for artists to get away from their everyday, to get outside, and create art in new ways.
We challenge our artists, by collaborating with them to produce functional pieces for our guests to engage with.
During their stay, We give our resident artists a space to create in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. It’s a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, and a chance to explore the quiet rural charm of Concan, Texas. As a result of our collaboration, the artist leaves behind a momento of their stay with us.
Our first resident artist was NY/NJ based artist Erika Rachel. Erika is a self taught abstract painter, who uses her paintings to examine her life, lessons learned, and vision for the future. Throughout her paintings are themes of personal versus private, love, loss, and belief. Erika has exhibited her work at museums, galleries, and art fairs throughout the Northeast.
We believe in collaboration, and wanted to create something truly unique with Erika.
We wanted to make something neither one of us had ever done before. As a result, Erika painted pieces of wood with abstract brush strokes. After she finished painting them, we took her paintings and built them into teepee playhouses for our guests to enjoy. Creating art that is both unique and functional is an important part of our practice at The Inn between.
While guests are on vacation, they step into what artist Marcel Duchamp describes as the Infrathin; an in-between space, or the space between two things. While on vacation, guests are in-between their everyday reality and something other.
In the spirit of collaboration and community, we hosted our first ever Artist Potluck, and invited members of our rural community to dine with Erika, learn about her work, and participate in a collaborative project.
Together, with Erika and members of our community, we painted our town’s first Turquoise Table. The Turquoise Table is a global movement to encourage community by the simple act of putting a turquoise table in your front yard. The Turquoise Table is a safe space, a place to gather, connect, and get to know your neighbors.
