Jackhammer Party at KODA x Stilt City Retreat

KODA x Stilt City Retreat

We are pleased to announce a new partnership between KODA and multidisciplinary artist Rowan Renee, the founder of the experimental art retreat—Stilt City, in a bungalow designed by Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects.

Launching as KODA celebrates its fifth anniversary, KODA x Stilt City Retreat will invite former KODA artists-in-residence to spend up to six weeks doing research and community engagement projects at Stilt City in Rockaway Beach starting with artists Alex Mari and Toisha Tucker in early 2025.

KODA x Stilt City Retreat developed out of the organizations’ shared commitment to support mid-career artists who engage in socially impactful art practices and community engagement work. The partnership launches on September 7 with a public “Jackhammer Party” and fundraiser with proceeds going toward the artist residency retreat.

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.

About Stilt City

The Still 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.

About Rowan Renee

Rowan Renee (b. 1985, West Palm Beach, Florida) is a genderqueer artist currently working in Brooklyn, NY. Their work addresses intergenerational trauma, gender-based violence and the impact of the criminal legal system through image, text and installation. They have been exhibited in solo exhibitions at The Green-Wood Cemetery (2023), Smack Mellon (2021), Five Myles (2021), Aperture Foundation (2017), and Pioneer Works (2015). Renee's solo projects are influenced by community-based workshops with people affected by gender-based violence and mass incarceration. Previous partners include Recess Art, The ReEntry Theater of Harlem, and The Stories We Tell.

They have received awards from the Aaron Siskind Foundation, the Harpo Foundation,  the Jerome Hill Foundation, and the Art for Justice Fund.  Their installation, No Spirit For Me (2019), was included in the critically acclaimed exhibition Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration, curated by Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood at MoMA PS1. Rowan Renee is an artist-in-residence at KODA in the “Healing” season, and is also the founder of Stilt City.

About Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects

Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects is an award-winning architecture and design practice with an international reputation for design excellence. Founded in 1998, and led by firm principals Stephan Jaklitsch and Mark Gardner, the studio is based on the belief that design is for people and possesses the ability to communicate collective values, provide relevance, and create meaning. Jaklitsch/ Gardner Architects  believe that there is fundamental value in designing distinctive buildings, spaces, interiors, furniture, and products of all scales that contribute to the quality of how people live. Jaklitsch/Gardner is a Black-and-LGBTQIA+-owned architecture and design studio.

About KODA

Established in 2019, KODA is celebrating its 5th anniversary in 2024. KODA is a nonprofit arts organization based in New York dedicated to mid-career artists of diverse backgrounds. We grant residencies to allow for experimentation and facilitate creative projects through strategic partnerships with socially engaged partners. We are the go-to thinking spot and serve the community through exhibitions of contemporary art, events and outreach to strengthen art education. KODA works with mid-career conceptual artists who explore social justice related topics. They surface the world’s economic and social challenges through their insightful research and concepts. Our work is designed around the needs of individual artists, with the main aim to provide them with due exposure and scholarship. Our projects include residencies and survey exhibitions, community and education programs as well as partnerships with socially engaged businesses. Our work is aligned with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Image Release

Registrants, instructors, and guests attending the program agree they may be photographed, videotaped, and audio taped during the event. Photographs, videos, and voice recordings are the sole property of KODA Arts Inc., which reserves the right to publish attendees’ likeness online and use it in promotional materials.