SPOTLIGHT
Kate Browne, Artist, Hero’s Hill (#62 on UAW Map)
Can you tell us a little bit about what you do? And how long you’ve been in your current position. I have been a working artist for over forty years. I spent the first half of my professional life directing and creating theater productions and I then took my work outdoors to site specific public spaces. I’ve made 9 large-scale outdoor performance installations both in the United States and internationally. Hero’s Hill, debuting at Upstate Art Weekend in Ellenville is my latest artwork.
Use three words to describe yourself: Perceptive, Collaborative, Artist
What brought you to the Hudson Valley/Catskill Mountains? My family has had a house here for over 100 years. I spend my summers outdoors building large-scale models of artwork that I am workshopping for future site-specific projects.
What do you love about your job? I love to involve people in my work, I enjoy listening to and recording their stories and to feel that my work is useful in community building and to engage with people outside of the art world to gain insights. As a multidisciplinary artist, I like to work in a variety of mediums: sound, theater, sculpture, symbolic objects, and everyday materials.
What exciting things do you have planned for UAW? Hero’s Hill is my new temporary art installation, designed as a roadside attraction, next to Route 52, set against the old Ellenville Train Station and the magnificent Shawangunk Mountains. Hundreds of reflective aluminum letters wrapping around a gravel mound repeatedly spell the phrase WE WANT THE NEXT HERO TO ARRIVE ON TIME. John Philip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever plays whenever the viewer pushes the start button on the sound column. Horns blare, drums beat, cymbals crash, and, in less than a minute, the music slows, runs down, and abruptly stops, surprising the viewers, jarring them out of their revelry to think only in the present, without fanfare, about their heroes. The music is part of our individual memory and collective mythology. The artwork, in its entirety, is reminiscent of great American mythology, its heroes, and the American Landscape, both natural and artificial.
Best place near you to get:
Breakfast? Twin Ravens Coffee Co. on Canal Street in Ellenville
Lunch? Morning Sunshine - Ellenville
Dessert? Blue Devil Dairy Bar & Grill - Ellenville
What are your favorite local stores? Top Shelf Jewelry and Alpana Bawa
What’s your favorite art/creative space to visit? Market Street Studio in Ellenville and Storm King Art Center.
What is one tip for people experiencing UAW for the first time? Last year was my first UAW. I enjoyed driving around the Ellenville area to see all of the amazing art and locations. I am delighted to be a part of UAW 2025.
What is a fun fact about you that might surprise people? Upstate is a great place to experiment with large-scale artwork. I often begin my projects in the Ellenville area - exploring local materials - wood for my COCOON series and nearby gravel for Hero’s Hill. Many of my artworks are workshopped here before they appear internationally.
Now for the speed round! Pick one or the other:
Valley or mountains?: Mountains
Car or train?: Train
Walk or hike? Hike
Sun or snow? Sun
Indoors or outdoors? Outdoors
Diner or restaurant? Restaurant
Market or shop? Market
Clear or clouds? Fog
Sunglasses or hat? Sunglasses
Abstract or realist? Abstract
Contemporary or modern? Contemporary
Sculpture or painting? Sculpture
IRL or digital? IRL
Look or listen? Listen
See or feel? See