ART IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION

INTERVIEW: Dr. Brent Ridge & Josh Kilmer-Purcell, The Farmers of Beekman 1802

(all images from Beekman1802.com)

SHOPPING LIST:

- Luscious goat milk soaps

- Seeds for bountiful (and Presidential) harvests

- Hand-woven linens

- Sagacious gardening tips

- Anecdotes of the trials & joys of farm life

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All of the items in the shopping list above can be found in real life at The Beekman Farm & Mansion in Sharon Springs, NY. The seasonal home of Dr. Brent Ridge & Josh Kilmer-Purcell boasts acres of farmland, organic grass pastures, an heirloom vegetable garden, and an historic farmhouse dating back to the 1800s! Beekman 1802, as their company and “experiment in seasonal living” is called, has proven to be a grand success! (Just check out this month’s Vanity Fair…Dr. Brent, Josh, & the Beekman goats are stars!)

Art In The Age is honored to carry Beekman 1802 soaps, cloths, and seeds. We’re excited to see small companies who share our values really making a go of it! The more people out there who  believe that there is still a place for honest labor and American traditions in contemporary living…the better! We had the opportunity to pick the brains of Dr. Brent Ridge & Josh Kilmer-Purcell, and find out more about the inception of Beekman 1802, and the exceedingly enviable, dichotomous lives of Brent & Josh…

Briefly introduce yourself and tell us how you came to be involved in your line of work.

Josh is a former advertising executive turned New York Times best-selling author. Brent is a physician turned media executive, though now both of us consider ourselves farmers, plain and simple.

Our company, BEEKMAN 1802, is an integrated media and lifestyle company devoted to the artisanal, the hand-made, and to the belief that each season gives us cause for celebration. The company is centered around the 200 year old Beekman Farm in upstate NY originally built by William Beekman, the first judge of Schoharie County, NY, and at the turn of the 19th century one of the most successful merchants in central New York.

BEEKMAN 1802 is committed to environmental sustainability, supporting local micro-economies, and developing debt-free business models.

When we “bought the farm”, we knew that our ultimate goal was to make it biodynamic. While that is a long-term project, we initially started thinking (and making) all the things we could using goat milk. The soaps turned out so well, that the business took off before we really even realized what was happening.

A friendly Beekman Farm goat!

What are some examples of historical/traditional methods that BEEKMAN 1802 still utilizes, unchanged?

All of our soap are hand-made and hand-wrapped just as they would have been made and wrapped 200 years ago.  Of course, what makes the soap “special” is the quality of the main ingredient—the goat milk. Our goats graze the land of our organically managed farm and drink the mineral-rich spring water that once made our village of Sharon Springs world famous. All of our linens are hand-woven on a loom and our stationery turned out on a hand-powered letter-press

What is your favorite BEEKMAN 1802 product and why?

My personal favorite is the Year in the Country gift set. We developed a different soap scent for each month on the farm.  When you unwrap January, we tried to capture that blast of winter that hits your face when you first open the door.  When you unwrap July, you are immediately transported to our herb garden. Our website, www.beekman1802.com, really allows people to experience our life on the farm right along with us, and the soaps, too.

How would you personally use this product?

We use the soap every day, of course. We started making the soap for our own use the very first winter we were on the farm. Winters in upstate NY can be very harsh, but we noticed that our skin did not dry out the way that it might typically during the winter months. Friends who tried the soap said the same thing. That’s how we knew we had a great product.

You are lucky to be able to experience both city & farm life (TO & FROM BLOG). How does one lifestyle inform the work you do in the other? What are the advantages/disadvantages of living in two disparate worlds?

It is very difficult (both physically and financially) to run a successful small farming business these days, and we constantly draw on our background in the creative arts and media to figure out new approaches that can help introduce the farm to wider audiences. Creating a marketplace for the products you produce the underlying principle of every business, whether you are in the city or in the middle of nowhere.

Describe, in your opinion, The Most Perfect Outdoor Party.

We entertain at the farm frequently.  We actually set a rule that we would limit it to every other weekend during the summer when there’s so many chores to do. But we love to have guests come over in the late afternoon, harvest from the heirloom vegetable garden and then prepare the dinner.

Do you have any good/real ghost stories from The Mansion?

The Mansion has a very rich history, including being on the Underground Railroad. There are five spirits that inhabit the house. One of those, Mary Beekman, “writes” her own historically accurate blog on our website.

The Beekman Mansion during a holiday party.

Tell us one secret or “little-known fact” about yourself.

Well—Josh’s life is, quite literally, an open book. What most people probably don’t know about me is that I am quite an adventurer. I’ve trekked through Africa, lived with the tribesman in South America, jumped out of airplanes, and on and on…

Looking back, in what unexpected ways did your previous career trajectory prepare you or lead you to Beekman 1802. Was there any foreshadowing?

Both of us have a profound respect for American heritage and lament that we seem to be losing so many of the values, skills and the work ethic that made our country great. We are very proud that our prior careers have given us the opportunity increase the awareness and importance of those things that are ‘Made in America’

What visual artists/musicians do you find culturally stimulating at the moment?

Oh, my.  That list could go on for days and days. We are inspired by so many things. We are especially drawn to folk art and outsider art. I recently inherited my father’s custom-made Gibson banjo, and hope to find time later this year to start learning to play.

The recent emphasis on this “return to roots” (example – organic foods, buying local): Do you think this is a trend or a cultural revolution?

I think it started as a trend. In fact, I think that trend was on its way to petering out. But thanks to the much-needed “correction” mandated by the current economic climate and to the presence of the Obama family in the White House, I do feel as if we are at the beginning of a cultural revolution.  Viva la revolucion!

Where do you see Beekman 1802 in ten years? What are your hopes and dreams for the brand and The Mansion?

After we have sufficiently created a market for the products from upstate NY, we hope that the Beekman 1802 brand will be strong enough that we can use it to create opportunities for artisans across the country.

Beekman hayfields in late summer.

What are your impressions of the Art In The Age brand/philosophy?

We were introduced to Art in the Age by a friend of ours at Vanity Fair magazine, and immediately connected with the philosophy. Our retail partners are stewards for our “brand”, and we choose them very, very carefully.  In fact, we require an “interview” process. 

Your products are all one-of-a-kind and handcrafted, but yet your raw materials (agricultural products) are inherently reproducible.  Do you draw a line between natural/unnatural forms of reproduction? You may be interested in this passage from “The Work of Art In The Age of Mechanical Reproduction” (Walter Benjamin, 1936)…

An analysis of art in the age of mechanical reproduction…leads us to an all-important insight: for the first time in world history, mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual. To an ever greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with manufacturing, mass production, or assembly lines. Business is an art. Production can be an art form, too. These are phenomenal American contributions, too.  However, I do not think that technology is supreme or that its use should come at the loss of its origins.

Letterpressed wildflower notecards from Beekman Stationers.

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A hearty and heartfelt thank you to Dr. Brent and Josh for sharing their time, knowledge, and products from their incredible enterprise with us!