What's in a Name? What is PLAND?

We've done it! We've given the land in Taos a name and some intention. It's called PLAND. Within this odd word is a plan but also land. It may also be read as Plan D -- not Plan A or B, not even C, but sort of a last resort. We tend not to like misspelled words nor acronyms, yet PLAND emerged as both. We enjoy the ambiguity of it as well as the awkwardness; surely this is the sensation of starting a project without end, without specific expectations, without money, water, electricity or shelter. What we do feel certain about is that PLAND will be an opportunity to test a lot of ideas, to share space and expansive possibility with a range of amazing people. PLAND will be a think-tank, a laboratory, an outpost that is defined by its challenges as well as its incredible beauty.

PLAND stands for Practice Liberating Art through Necessary Dislocation and through this land-based residency experiment, we aim to do just that. For me, there is potency in each of these words and linked together (especially in the context of the Taos mesa) there is thundering power.

Other developments: my spring semester Special Topics class at UCCS will be a practicum for developing the basic support structure for PLAND. Students will research the legacy of artist colonies, particularly in the southwest. They'll build a website, create a library, research relevant artists and models, solicit proposals, and undoubtedly visit the land to make something happen. Nina will be on site in Taos learning to salvage, scavenge and collect building materials while getting involved with the local community. Nancy will undoubtedly keep plugging away in Houston; she's writing some grants and talking collaboration with all sorts of fascinating people.

We aim to produce a 2-week long work party with friends and collaborators next summer. This will not only address the current lack of physical infrustructure but will also be an opportunity for incubated conversation around the future of PLAND. The work party is a very important form of cultural and community production, one we will employ as a staple of life at PLAND. All of this is sure to evolve and change, but for now:

PLAND: Practice Liberating Art through Necessary Dislocation is an off-the-grid residency program that supports the development of experimental and research-based projects in the context of the Taos mesa.

Stay tuned!