Country Music

Sanctuary for Black Musicians | In The Valley Music Festival

Guilderland, NY

Role: Student

Output: Masterplan

The Hudson River Valley has played a significant role in music history, especially in the late 2Oth century. The region has been home to the world’s most famous music festival, Woodstock, in 1969. But these spaces have been dominated by white artists and white audiences. Yet, the contributions of black musicians in the region have been monumental. While Woodstock only featured three black artists, black artists opened and closed the festival, with Jimi Hendrix closing out the “3 days of peace” with one of the most iconic performances in history. But since Hendrix left his legacy at Woodstock in 1969, the Hudson River Valley has yet to see spaces for black arts and expression with such magnitude and impact. The Hudson River Valley remains a white dominated region and maintains a strong conservative social and political population. As we imagine and re-imagine the Hudson River Valley for black communities, I propose a sanctuary for black musicians and the In the Valley Music Festival for black artists to be the voices of a changing cultural, political, and ecological landscape in upstate New York.

Located on 77 acres in Guilderland, NY, the Sanctuary for Black Musicians offers hospitality for black musicians to work and record in a secluded natural landscape within the Hudson River Valley. 15 villas house up to 3O musicians. Villas are made with local reclaimed wood and thatch roofs. 6 recording studios of varying layouts are available for the musicians to use on site. Recording studios are made with ceramic blocks and panels that feature a spike motif, a form found in art across the African diaspora and acoustic foams.

A central communal space offers fitness, dining, and social spaces such as a library and cinema/lecture room.

A 4 acre sound garden is adjacent to the musician’s hospitality and enables artists an opportunity to record using electronic frequencies generated by plants. Artists can attach electrodes to plants in the garden, which then passes through a MIDI system, and is connected to an electronic instrument for music production. This practice of making music with the earth creates a connection between the land and the artists, allowing them to make unique, hyper-local compositions in-situ. The garden is also accessible for leisure and reflection.

28 acres of land are dedicated to entertainment and performances. From June-September, an outdoor music festival descends upon a dedicated outdoor 4O,OOO sq ft stage structure. The stage is designed to offer a 36O degree outdoor concert experience with acoustics embedded into the structure; the stage becomes a speaker system. The stage is a monolithic mound, made with an earth-block construction; embedding the festival stage into the natural, rural landscape. The outdoor festival area can comfortably accommodate an audience of 5O,OOO, with space offered for camping and festival amenities.