Habitable Spaces is an artist residency program and sustainable farm founded in Kingsbury, TX in February of 2012. Abandoning traditional notions of art-as-object, Habitable Spaces combines everyday actions like gardening, socializing, cooking, and building to become expressive and art in itself. The selected artists in residence are assisted by the staff in the production of interactive art works
while exploring alternative forms of living. These large-scale constructions redefine and re-imagine found objects and sustainable resources as functional and fundamental elements in architecture. Supporting the residency program, Habitable Spaces sustainable farm provides meat and produce for feeding the artists and the staff. Applying methods of permaculture design, the farm utilizes the natural resources provided while maintaining the integrity of the landscape. Composting toilets, grey water systems, dogs, and chickens are all a part of the everyday life for artists in residence and an integral part of the overall experience and creative process. The farm also provides opportunities for volunteers to participate in infrastructure projects such as garden expansion, land clearing, and building maintenance. In February of 2012, founding directors, Alison Ward and Shane Heinemeier arrived in Kingsbury, TX ready to break ground for Habitable Spaces. The first six months were a laborious time of clearing land, building perimeters, and starting the garden. Through an influx of wwoof volunteers through 2012, Habitable Spaces infrastructure had begun to come together. A small kitchen, a garden, composting toilets, a chicken coop, and a cabin are all results of the first year’s progression. We also welcomed many passing artists and began the tradition of an annual fall harvest festival and fundraiser. In 2013 the construction of the Heinemeier home and the kitchen pavilion started to complete major components of the Habitable Spaces infrastructure.
