Windows Down Music Blasting: Resistance

There is beauty to be discovered in grand moments of inspiration, to seemingly smaller ones, like light dancing between trees. Being able to capture and share that experience drives my passion. A mood that I am perpetually in search of, particularly in art, nature, and community.

So I am trying something new and extending an invitation into moments that inspire me, from simple to wonderfully complex. I’m starting with a pie-and-tea breakfast conversation in late Spring with two talented artist friends, Elizabeth Keithline and Eileen Power. 

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Eileen extended her arm, flexed her palm, and said, “It’s called Resistance.” Her movement and words were simple and entrancing, almost hypnotic. She went on to describe her next steps for sourcing, creating, coordinating, and the desired collaboration, all in preparation to install as part of the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild Group Exhibition S.C.A.P.E. at Woodstock Spa. 

My heart fluttered. The unseen texture of the journey can often be the most inspired part of an expression. I asked, but I almost would have insisted on capturing her process. The work resonated in that moment as it does now. Her strength to create and the spirit of ‘Resistance’ inspired my soul— a pure expression of art, nature, and community interwoven. 

A one-minute film, and yet, I had more to ask of Eileen, which was to sit down with me to answer five questions. So we gathered in late Summer over some Overlook Bakery cookies and tea, to talk “Resistance.” 

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QUESTION 01

Amanda Russo Rubman: Your sculpture and installations frequently feature ladders. What draws you to use them as a medium in your art?

Eileen Power: I think ladders are intrinsically beautiful. And for me, they symbolize transcendence. For each of my ladder sculptures, I try to have a spiritual component, so with a nod to Led Zeppelin, I call the series “Stairway to Heaven.”

QUESTION 02

Amanda Russo Rubman: In the short Film on “Resistance,” we see you creating, collaborating and installing at Woodstock Spa. Can you share more about the collaboration and why it was important to you?

Eileen Power: Collaboration was not only important to me; it was VITAL to the execution of the sculpture. Luckily, seven friends, all artists, agreed to meet me in the field. Todd Brannon, the Sculptor Installer extraordinaire, was also there to weigh in on what I was thinking about could actually be executed…I appreciate the Film that you (AR) made of the process. There aren’t enough films about artists in the process of making work. We, as artists, talk about it, but we don’t often see it… I’d also like to shout out to Mimi Young and Richard Hall for the film they did for me last October. Collectively, your contributions to the Hudson Valley art scene’s visual narrative are really important.

“Artists know that if we get together, whether for a piece of pie, to attend a site visit, or to join up at a protest, something productive will happen. We just keep going because we know that art makes a contribution.”— Elizabeth Keithline

QUESTION 03

Amanda Russo Rubman: Your passion is evident. Do you think we have a pertinent role as artists in this climate?

Eileen Power: Yes, artists or messengers, and in the current political environment, I felt I needed to make a political statement, in a quiet/spiritual way. The wall width of the ladder is the design mean of its height. In other words, you can strive for visual harmony in the midst of political chaos. And there are seven ladders because, in various cultures, the number seven is considered very sacred.

Group photo: Adam Weiss, Robert Ohnigian, Linda Dubilier, Jeff Moran, Eileen Power, Jen Dragon, Todd Brannon, Joan Ffolliott, Mark Roberts, Gina Porcelli and Muriel Stallworth.

QUESTION 04

Amanda Russo Rubman: Is there special significance to showing in your hometown of Woodstock in the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild Group Exhibition S.C.A.P.E., curated by Linda Dubilier and Jen Dragon?

Eileen Power: I’m honored that I was asked to participate in this biennial exhibition. I think Linda Dubilier and Jen Dragon have created a beautiful landscape of amazing sculpture. It’s particularly meaningful to me to be part of a collaboration between a 120-year-old Art colony and a new, expansive, integrative venue.

QUESTION 05

Amanda Russo Rubman: Are there other current projects making your heart flutter, or that we should keep an eye out for?

Eileen Power: Yes, thank you for asking. A maquette for a potential future sculpture, and I’ve begun making print-related printmaking at Woodstock School of Art. Here’s where we have to give a major shout-out to Kate McGloughlin for creating these world-class printmaking studios and showing us how it’s done. I think I’m beginning to understand what this work is about, but I’m not ready to talk about it. It’s something eternal and timeless. And when I’m in the studio trying to work it out, sometimes, when I’m lucky, I experience that feeling of non-legality transcendence, which takes us full circle to my love of ladders. 

Amanda Russo Rubman:After capturing the onsite staging, editing the Resistance process film, attending a robust opening event, and interviewing Eileen, I continue to reflect on the unseen moments—Liz crafting a message to invite artists together; Eileen quietly writing the words that would become the track for the short film; Linda Dubilier gazing out the window of Woodstock Spa and recognizing the potential to bring people together around art in nature; and Jen Dragon curating artists who would inspire us. Our community is an endless source of inspiration.

Giving oneself the freedom to be vulnerable can lead to these very moments of evolution, trust, certainly, art, and inspiration. A simple invitation to come together over tea and pie led to a layered journey of discovery.

Thank you, Liz Keithline, for your foresight, and thank you, Eileen M. Power, for your trust.

Here’s to discovering the next adventure in the Hudson Valley with the Windows Down Music Blasting. 

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Windows Down Music Blasting is an INSIDE+OUT column produced by Amanda Russo Rubman as she drives throughout the Hudson Valley in search of moments of inspiration, from simple to wonderfully complex. All photos by Amanda Russo Rubman.

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Amanda Russo Rubman is a multi-disciplinary artist whose creative practice is driven by a deep love for the Hudson Valley. Her work celebrates light, texture, and the surrounding landscape.  As the founder of AR Studio NY, she blends film, fashion, and sculpture to create immersive invitations to viewers to engage both physically and emotionally. Known for her ability to evolve with each project, Amanda fosters a sense of shared experience through her work, often involving local artists and makers. Whether through installations, events, or collaborations, her art is a constant invitation to explore beauty, imagination, and the connections between us all. Learn more about Amanda’s work HERE.