PROJECTS > Easement

Dear Mr. McGrath and Mr. Keefe,
My name is Kenneth Pietrobono and I am a New York based artist. I am looking forward to the 2016 iteration of ‘Stream’ and would like to propose the following artwork for your consideration:
Easement (Vermont 1), 2016
The goal of this work is to examine the creation of value relative to private property and the legal frameworks that uphold it.
This work will begin with two days of the artist’s labor digging a grave on your property at a site of your choosing. Unearthed soil will be returned and a border placed around the exhumed land. In exchange for ownership of this work, the artist will be provided with a legal easement (facilitated by legal counsel, Bill Dakin if necessary) granting sole use of the marked land to the artist for a set period of time. The artist agrees to no physical use of the marked land without your written permission but will begin a conceptual and legal investigation examining the ways private property is protected, exchanged, negotiated and ultimately rendered incapable of being returned to its natural state – that of no ownership.
The artist agrees that all legal investigations will be strictly presented to you, the owners. Further, the artist agrees that all questions regarding your property and positions as its legal owners will fall to your discretion and to your ultimate approval or rejection. In exchange, the artist will maintain all related original materials of the work (documents, images, etc.) with copies provided to you. The artist also receives the right to exhibit and display materials and documentation relative to the work citing you as the owners of said work. The easement may be renewed, with all parties consenting, for your continued ownership of the work and the artist’s continued access to the land. Upon the end of the legal easement and decision to not renew, the property will be fully returned to you, the land owners and the artist will relinquish all rights and claims to the marked land. Should you wish to retain ownership of the artwork after termination of the easement, a monetary value relative to the appraised land value of the returned plot will be provided to the artist as payment. Should you choose not to retain ownership of the artwork, ownership will return to the artist.
I look forward to hearing from you and am happy to answer any questions you may have and consider any alterations you may propose to facilitate this arrangement. I do hope you will agree and that this process will provide interesting insight to your property for all parties involved.
Kenneth Pietrobono