Westport Chair Trail

Map Location A, Westport Heritage House, 6459 Main St

I was raised on my grandparents' farm in Essex, New York. I raised my five sons here in the Boquet Valley and now have five grandchildren.

My chair design inspiration came from honoring the 175th Annual Essex County Fair and a previous agriculturally themed project, that was auctioned for a scholarship fund. I hope viewing this chair takes you back to happy childhood memories of the fair.

I am an Essex County Agricultural Society board member and the owner of 6 Beez, LLC, where I work mostly with wood products, paint, and epoxy. I accomplished this chair’s design using acrylic paint and the wood provided, while also utilizing a new digital technology that allows the images to be tactile, felt as well as viewed.

I hope to see you at the Fair!

Map Location B, Hamilton House, 32 Champlain Ave

I have blanketed my chair with a field of sunflowers… reminiscent of the field of sunflowers that grew along Stevenson Road for many years. My sister Margaret biked with me to explore the sunflowers and also helped to prime the chair for painting them! There is also a nod to the 2024 total eclipse and other iconic town elements for you to find!

I am a painter, printmaker, potter, photographer, and a huge advocate of public art, and also for slowing down in general! These illustrated chairs will help slow traffic, give everyone something delightful to experience and talk about, and a reason to stop and relax in our beautiful town. We can all sit in them and feel what it is like to be a kid again!

Map Location C, Westport Lakeside Motel, 80 Champlain Ave

Laurel’s acrylic herons will “land” on this chair in June.

Jen:

As the woman behind the scenes building this art trail, it was only fitting for Jen Williams to literally paint behind the scenes too, adding just the background of the water-inspired, marshland bird's chair. Here, she adds a speckle of light and joyful color to a serene space, while reflecting that living along Lake Champlain is a gift; one to work hard to conserve, for the humans and all living creatures who call it home.

Pst: For little ones walking on the Westport Chair Trail, there’s a Brook Trout for them to find swimming under the seat!

Laurel:

Great blue herons are so often seen in our area that we forget how majestic and elegant they are. Sometimes dancers, sometimes pterodactyls, they are always essential and integral to our ecosystem, as they go about their business of living, leaving us in awe.

I appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with my dear friend Jen Williams. Without her skills, the dancing heron would not have a beautiful stage.

Map Location D, 101 Sisco Road and Map Location F, Snowfort at 6592 Main St

I am a mom first, but I am also an artist. I gravitate toward using bright-colored acrylics and love dabbling in other mediums and painting large-scale murals. I grow flowers and veggies during warmer months, and I stay creative with my art in the colder months. Both chairs I painted represent what Westport means to me:

Sisco Rd Chair: Moving here from Tennessee in 2017, I was completely “engulfed” by the landscape. As a "newbie," I fell right in and also wanted to give back to my new community while leaving my mark. You can find my mural under the Lee Park Bridge, and I recently revamped the Essex County Fair sign at the fairgrounds. I just can't get enough of this beautiful place I'm fortunate, to call home.

Snowfort at 6592 Main St

I am a mom first, but I am also an artist. I gravitate toward using bright-colored acrylics and love dabbling in other mediums and painting large-scale murals. I grow flowers and veggies during warmer months, and I stay creative with my art in the colder months. Both chairs I painted represent what Westport means to me:

Snowfort Chair: Time doesn't stop anywhere, but sometimes it seems like it can here (please, take a seat in this chair and see for yourself!). Locals say this is the center of the universe. Why are we all so drawn to this place, and why do true locals fight so hard to protect it? Turns out, we all may have more in common than we think.

Enjoy my rendition of Westport, New York!

Map Location E, Lake View Elementary (BVCSD), 25 Sisco Road

Ms. Barber and elementary students at Boquet Valley were very excited to work on the Big Westport Chair and volunteers stayed after school to add their personal touches. Students in grades two, three, four and five painted the base coat of primer and green donated by Toni Mowery and then added details to show their favorite experiences while walking. Footprints of different colors signify how we like to walk and talk with our friends and family. Students wanted flowers and friendly insects too because it’s fun to stop along the way and notice the little things!

Map Location G, Chazy Westel at 6512 Main St, and Toll Gate House, Route 9N

The "chair" project intrigued me from the first time it was proposed. I painted chairs to represent our agricultural landscape and our wonderful local resource known as the CATS trails. Although this is my first outdoor public art piece, I have created art for as long as I can remember. Drawing, painting, crafting, designing and pottery have been a forever passion and hobby. My professional career began teaching art to children and that desire for creativity continues. I am honored to be part of The Westport Chair Trail.

Map Location H, Westport Library Green, 6 Harris Lane

Chairs are like a library; a place to read a book, listen to music, and, yes, to slow the flow in respite. It’s fitting that this chair is situated on the Westport Library lawn. Grateful to have painted this chair, it’s essential I mention the contexts within which it’s situated and those who made creative contributions:

This library lawn site would not have been possible without the leadership in 1884 of founder Alice Lee. The Westport Chair, originally invented by Thomas Lee between 1900 to 1903, consisted of single, full-dimension-width, unfinished boards. This whimsical version is an interpretation of Lee’s original. 

The logos, designed by Ashley Parker for the Westport Library Association, evoke the iconic Westport landmark. Simple yet elegant, they enhance this chair’s identity.

Professional design experiences and longtime familiarity with Westport influenced me for this project. This outcome respects the existing architecture that shares this space, and yet is not lost in the landscape. White, dark brown and green are site compatible. Warm gray eludes to the natural wood of Thomas Lee’s original. Assigning colors to the various elements, representing seat, back, and arm independently from the supporting structure, was inspired by architect Gerrit Rietveld’s 1918 Red Blue Chair; its primary colors added in a playful way. 

I wonder if the world in the early 1900’s was small enough that Lee’s original influenced the work of Rietveld, or is it the quest by humans in search of a comfortable chair is universal. I’d like it if you’d sit for awhile and contemplate that.

After spending 22 years building sets and scenery for Broadway shows, concerts, and museums in New York City, I came to Westport, NY to renovate my family’s cabin.

During my time recreating and reimagining the cabin, I fell in love with the rugged beauty and the small-town charm of Westport, which led me to make it my permanent home.

I strongly believe that art is the backbone of a community, and it has been a privilege to use my skills as a carpenter to create a canvas for the artists of this community to showcase their work.