Anatomy of a Failed Attempt at Artist Stalking

I will blame it on being overworked and overwhelmed but I did not do my research properly. I took someone's word and it wasn't until after I visited the location and returned to Indiana did I realize my mistake. I have accepted this fact as Columbus, Ohio is easy to return to and I was a little hesitant on including a female before I knew I would visit. Perhaps I am not supposed to.



I was informed by a good friend of mine that Ann Hamilton lived in her workspace as she had dinner there one night with a number of artists that taught at Ohio State University. It was dark and my friend didn't tell me until later that she wasn't 100% positive. She did, however, provide me with the address and that was my entry to Ann Hamilton Studios. I also didn't feel the need to double check the information because I believed her but alas, memory doesn't always work in a factual way.



There was a large "Absolutely No Parking" sign in the driveway with one vehicle inhabiting the large space that could fit twenty cars. It was the first time I opted to walk right up to the front door as it looked less residential than any other artist's place that I had been to in the past. Needless to say I was a little nervous about that.

I took a few quick (and I mean QUICK!) photographs and then felt compelled to walk along the perimeter. There were bars all over the windows and a large roll up garage door that looked ideal for an installation artist to use. I was fairly convinced that someone could live there but it didn't look like anyone was home on this Sunday afternoon (no I wasn't looking inside the windows).



There was a small pathway between the abandoned church next door and Hamilton's studio space that I was drawn to perhaps mainly because of the graffiti.



Needless to say that it looked a little barren without a cheesy picture taken (yet another first). "Look at me! I'm touching Ann Hamilton's studio!" is really all this portrait has to offer.



I did find this in my examination of the edifice in that little back alley which certainly made me chuckle.



I returned to Muncie ready to start the Columbus trip off with another Artist Stalking blogpost but as I was looking the photographs, I was filled with doubt. Why? I remembered Ann Hamilton's Art:21 video clip in which she was interviewed inside a house, not a studio/living space. Her neighbors had such colorful columns in this screen shot looking over her shoulder and after a bit more online research...



I discovered that this is where she truly lives (image courtesy of Google Maps) only the neighbors had switched from blue to green.