BASILICA X H0L0 PODCAST

Deeply rooted in its geographical location, Basilica Hudson has evolved over the last decade in tandem with the City of Hudson and the region’s ongoing transformation. Basilica has drawn inspiration for its mission and programs from the city’s eclectic and epic history, as well as the region’s legacy of arts and environmental movements. As a platform for innovative voices in arts and culture, it strives to explore the new culture of the people who live there, within the context of those who were here before us. 

Basilica Hudson is situated directly on the Hudson River, which itself is one of the biggest “superfund sites” and ecological disaster of epic proportions in the USA, and which served as a  catalyst for  the modern day environmental movements that took root in the region.

The “Niagara Falls” painting by Thomas Cole, founding father of the Hudson River School Painters (the first american arts movement) was somewhat responsible for the creation of the National Parks Department, and government entity that acknowledged the power and the beauty of nature which is their responsibility to protect for the people of the country. 

What role do art and culture movements play in the change we want to see in the world?

In honor of its 10 year anniversary in 2020, Basilica as an organizer of and platform for innovative expression and culture, extended its commitment to the climate crisis and the intersections of social, ecological and economic inequity. We will all have to work together to elevate the places we live during the post-COVID, post-Trump and post-Truth era.

What we will explore during this podcast is the role that “places of assembly” in Upstate NY play during this major moment of transition, revision and healing in the aftermath of a pandemic, a divisive political climate, social media fueling post-truth mania. 

Every episode of PLACE OF ASSEMBLY will feature a new artist space. We will look at any space that exists in the physical world, and in some way house creative communities and cultural production.

During this time of enforced isolation, while all of our places of gathering and work have been closed off to us, we are in a unique position to consider what these places mean to us.

Place of Assembly is produced by H0L0.NYC in partnership with Experimental Sound Studio Chicago and 8 Ball Radio.

Co-host Sam Hillmer is a Brooklyn-based musician, artist, and curator. He is creative director of the Queens-based venue H0l0, founding member of the band Zs, and one half of the art duo Trouble.  He also makes music as Diamond Terrifier. Recent collaborations include Dirty Projectors, Laurel Halo, Arto Lindsay, and Tauba Auerbach.

In 1998 Sam co-founded the new music presenting organization Wet Ink, from 2010-12 he ran the weekly out music party PRACTICE at erstwhile Williamsburg venue Zebulon, from 2013-16 he founded and operated Ridgewood based venue Trans-Pecos, in 2016 Sam participated in beginning the live music program at Maspeth Queens based Knockdown Center, and in 2017 co-founded H0L0.  Sam has led music and performance programs for fine arts based institutions including Sculpture Center, the Queens Museum, Pioneer Works, and art fairs New Art Dealers Alliance, Satellite art fair, and Miami Project.

Sam has been active as a youth and community based arts organizer for over 20 years.

Co-host Melissa Auf der Maur, Co-Founder and Director of Basilica Hudson, was born in Montreal, Canada and raised with a fine arts education, focusing on music and photography. From 1994-1999, Auf der Maur was a member and bass player of the alternative rock band Hole and is featured on the Grammy nominated album Celebrity Skin. She joined the Smashing Pumpkins in 2000 for their Farewell World Tour. She has also released two solo albums, Auf der Maur (2004) and Out of Our Minds (2010). The latter project comprises an album, a comic book, and a fantasy film which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Auf der Maur’s photographs have been exhibited internationally, including at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and have appeared in such publications as Spin, Elle, Nylon, and American Photo. In 2010 with filmmaker Tony Stone, she co-founded Basilica Hudson, the multidisciplinary arts center supporting the creation, production and presentation of independent and innovative arts and culture while fostering sustainable community, ecology and economy. Basilica welcomes over 40,000 visitors each season to a wide range of music festivals, performances, and large scale market place events, alongside a regular film screenings series, an artist in residency program, and other community gatherings.  

H0L0 – is a Ridgewood Queens based music and performance venue devoted to outsider communities of creative practice.  H0L0 was founded in July of 2017 by Sam Hillmer, Marco Boggio-Sella, and Craig Kalpakjian.