Meet the Artists: Adam Kuby
Adam Kuby's Lean-to appear in the Value of Sanctuary: Building a House Without Walls, now on view in the Cathedral.
What were you thinking about when creating this piece of work? Had you spent any time considering the word “sanctuary”?
Standing in the Cathedral on my first visit I thought about how shelter and sanctuary overlap and I thought of all the people worldwide who are seeking shelter in tents and makeshift quarters. I asked myself how I might create a conversation between those fragile, temporary living situations and the (relatively) permanent stone edifice of St. John the Divine. I was immediately drawn to the carved but uninstalled stones in the back yard––feeling that they might create a metaphorical bridge between these seeming opposites. What I realized along the way is whether Cathedral or tent––both are shelters for the soul as well as the physical body, and that it can be hard to have one without the other.
What does it mean to you and/or the piece of art to be shown in a place of worship?
I’ve never created a work for a place of worship and it feels like my work is connecting with a whole new community, as well as a lineage of art in service of thoughtfulness and contemplation.
What is your Sanctuary?
My community, friends and family are my real sanctuary. So a physical sanctuary can be any place where we can gather, work and play together––whether that’s a home, a community space––or even just camping in nature.