The Farewell
Essay & Public Writing Installation at The Mount
Image courtesy of Lenox Library
The Farewell is a multi-site, literary and sculptural project inspired by The Mount’s exhibition “Life in the Dale: Augustus Martin’s Lenox.”
As part of my 2021 writers residency at The Mount, I delved into the local history of Lenox and Lenox Dale to discover more about this eccentric barber-cum-housepainter-cum-amateur-photographer. The result is an essay of personal and historical nonfiction that interweaves the photographer’s possible relationship with a young woman in the Dale, my parallel experiences falling for older men, and the complicated relationship our culture has with aging and gender.
Credit: Jon Verney
THE LIMITED EDITION ARTIST BOOK
In September 2021, I released the complete text of “The Farewell” as a limited edition, handmade artist books designed. I designed and fabricated the book using a combination of laser- and letterpress-printing. Approx. 30 pp, 8"x5", soft-cover with dust-jacket wrapper. Edition: 100. Price: $35.
THE PUBLIC WRITING / TEXT INSTALLATION
The installation at The Mount comprises of two sets of windows believed to be originally designed for The Mount’s Main House. Edith Wharton must not have liked them, however, and they ultimately used different windows. These windows have remained in storage ever since. On them, the two historic windows frame an interior door and act as a diptych of excerpts installed in vinyl of Rideout’s parallel narratives alongside reprints of Martin’s own photographs. Armature fabrication by Benjamin Westbrook of Hammer on Steel. A second excerpt of the essay can be found in downtown Lenox on the front windows of The Bookstore.
“Wander into the capacious stable, and you’ll find Molly Rideout’s “The Farewell,” which is a separate exhibit but fits right into the reverie. Rideout, the 2021 Edith Wharton Writer-in-Residence at the Mount, put together this installation of her lyrical text on windows here and at the Bookstore in Lenox, meditating on love, age, gender, and power, weaving stories of Wharton’s Lenox with those of her own life."
—The Boston Globe
Installation #1: The Stable at The Mount, Lenox
Installation #2: The Bookstore, Downtown Lenox
This project is made possible thanks to several generous donors. Augustus Martin photographs courtesy of the Lenox Library. Special thanks to Amy Lafave, Matt Tannenbaum, and the staff at The Mount. Thanks to Hammer On Steel for fabrication of the window armature in the stable.