National Trust for Historic Preservation Announces Major Expansion of Historic Artists' Homes and Studios Program

The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced today the addition of 19 new affiliate sites to its prestigious Historic Artists' Homes and Studios (HAHS) membership network, representing the largest expansion of the program since its founding in 2000. This landmark expansion also comes during HAHS' 25th anniversary year and marks a historic milestone in the program's evolution.

HAHS is a peer-to-peer coalition of sites that brings these museums together to conserve the legacy of creativity in the visual arts in the United States. This network of sites leverages the knowledge and experience of individual members to benefit the entire coalition in critical areas, including historic preservation, visitor and community programming, and communications. The Affiliate category was created in 2022 in order to broaden pathways for entrance into the program for sites that may not follow traditional models of operation, interpretation, or visitation.

The acceptance of these Affiliate members into the HAHS program marks a significant benchmark in HAHS' ongoing commitment to diversifying the consortium to present a more complete picture of American artistic achievement. The new class notably includes numerous sites representing the legacy of women artists, HAHS' first sites presenting both Asian American and Indigenous artist experiences including a Japanese American and South Korean American artist couple's former loft in lower Manhattan, and the workspaces of several generations of Native artists in both the Northwest and Plains regions. Two sites created by self- taught Black artists in western New York and in Mississippi are opening to the public. These diverse locations span multiple states and represent various artistic movements and time periods in our nation's art history. From intimate studio spaces to expansive compounds, artist-designed buildings and landscapes to sprawling vernacular art environments, each site provides visitors with an authentic experience of the places where inspirational art was conceived and created.

These new additions bring the total number of HAHS member sites to 80, across 31 states in the nation, further strengthening the program's mission to advocate and support the preservation and interpretation of site-specific artistic heritage for the benefit of the public and future generations. Several of these new members have been part of HAHS' extended community for years, accessing the program's unique resources throughout preservation efforts, and the transition from private home to public museum.

"It is an honor to welcome 19 new sites into the HAHS network during this anniversary year," said HAHS Director Valerie Balint. "This extremely diverse group represents the richness and breadth of place-based art legacy in this country. It has been a pleasure to witness some of these sites evolve from nascent preservation initiatives to spaces of meaningful public engagement and to welcome them into membership alongside other more established sites that are at important moments of new expansion, innovation, and storytelling. All these new Affiliate sites have much to offer the public audiences they serve, but also their peers within the existing HAHS coalition. As with each site within HAHS, these inspirational new Affiliates are all worth a pilgrimage to experience."

The new sites are:

• The Beer Can House, Houston, TX | The Beer Can House is a significant folk art environment created by John Milkovisch (1912-1988), who transformed his ordinary home into an architectural wonder by covering it with thousands of aluminum beer cans, tabs, and tops arranged into shimmering curtains, mobiles, and wind chimes. The site features not only the mesmerizing metallic exterior, but also unique concrete pathways embedded with marbles, rocks, and colorful found objects. Now preserved by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, this one-of-a-kind home showcases the creative potential of everyday materials while offering visitors the chance to explore both the decorated exterior and interior spaces where Milkovisch lived and worked on his unusual artistic vision.
• Carolee Schneemann Foundation, New Paltz, NY | The Foundation, housed in a historic 1750s residence, preserves the home and studio where pioneering artist Carolee Schneemann (1939-2019) lived and worked from 1965 until her death, including her extensive personal library, archives, and artistic interventions embedded throughout the structure. The house itself serves as a living archive, featuring original elements that appeared in Schneemann's iconic works while containing her meticulously organized archives of over 2,000 books, photographs, slides, and documents that provide insight into her creative process. Open by appointment only, visitors can experience the intimate connection between the artist's domestic life and her groundbreaking artistic practice through features like hand-painted tiles, collaged walls, and her preserved in-house studio containing works in progress from her final projects.
• Dog Mountain, Home of Stephen Huneck Gallery , St. Johnsbury, VT | A unique property that combines a landscape decorated with outdoor sculptures, a dog-friendly park, and an art gallery showcasing the whimsical wood carvings and prints of folk artist Stephen Huneck (1948-2010). At its heart stands the Dog Chapel, a structure inspired by New England meeting houses that features dog-themed architectural details, stained glass windows with dog portraits, and walls covered in visitors' photos and memories of beloved pets. The site welcomes visitors and their four-legged companions to freely explore hiking trails, swimming ponds, and fields of wildflowers while experiencing Huneck's vision of a place that celebrates the healing power of dogs, nature, art, and love.
• The Emile Brunel Studio/Residence and Sculpture Park, Boiceville, NY | The sculpture garden and multi-arts center boasts a collection of concrete sculptures created by pioneering photographer and founder of the New York Institute of Photography, Emile Brunel (1874-1944). The site bridges multiple cultural legacies, housing both Brunel's century-old statuary and serving as a platform for celebrating the Indigenous heritage of the Munsee Esopus Lenape people through educational programs and an artist-in-residence program. The property, which includes Brunel's original Studio/Residence, is situated along the Catskill Park, and combines art preservation, nature sanctuary, and cultural education in one distinctive location.
• Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village, Simi Valley, CA | A remarkable folk art environment featuring thirty-five sculptural structures (including 15 bottle houses) built entirely from discarded materials, with walls crafted from tens of thousands of glass bottles collected from local dumps. Created over nearly 30 years by self-taught artist Tressa "Grandma" Prisbrey (1896-1988) starting at age 60, the site showcases incredible architectural ingenuity and artistic vision through its colorful bottle-walled buildings, mosaic pathways decorated with found objects, and whimsical features. This one-of-a-kind folk art landmark, one of the earliest and most significant women-made art environments in the United States, offers guided tours where visitors can experience Prisbrey's creative reuse of everyday materials and her humorous, resourceful approach to architecture and environmental art.
• The Jacobson House, Norman, OK | The Native art center served as both residence and artistic sanctuary for Oscar Jacobson (1882-1966), the influential director of the University of Oklahoma School of Art, and the groundbreaking Kiowa Six, indigenous artists who had studio space in this home. The house, built in 1916-17 with distinctive Swedish architectural elements, was designed to blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces through its generous windows, deep porches, and elaborate gardens. Now serving as a gallery and cultural center, the Jacobson House continues its legacy of fostering Native American art and culture through exhibitions, workshops, and educational events, while preserving the unique space where Oscar Jacobson helped launch a watershed moment in 20th-century American Indian art.
• Langlais Art Preserve, Cushing, ME | The art preserve offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore over a dozen large-scale wooden sculptures created by artist Bernard Langlais (1921-1977) along an accessible quarter-mile path winding through meadows and woodlands overlooking the St. George River. The 90-acre site includes a seasonally open Barn Studio that showcases smaller sculptures and offers hands-on art activities inspired by Langlais's creative process, as well as his preserved workshop, filled with his tools and works-in-progress. Beyond the outdoor sculpture garden, visitors can enjoy over two miles of woodland hiking trails and experience how Langlais's vision of integrating art with the natural landscape continues to evolve through conservation efforts and new artistic programming.
• Lelooska Foundation & Cultural Center, Ariel, WA | Visitors to the Lelooska Foundation receive a rare opportunity to experience authentic Native American arts, performances, and cultural traditions in a historic setting that has served as both home and creative space for Indigenous artists since the 1960s. The site features two ceremonial houses where it presents living history programs with traditional Northwest Coast masks, songs, and dances passed down through generations, alongside a museum housing over 600 Native American artifacts and artworks. What makes this place truly special is its continuous legacy as both a working artist studio and educational center, where visitors can witness traditional Native arts being actively practiced and taught while exploring the original home and workshop of Chief Lelooska (1962-1996), which has been carefully preserved to maintain its historic character.
• Louise Bourgeois Home/The Easton Foundation, New York, NY | The Easton Foundation, housed in two historic Chelsea townhouses in Manhattan, preserves the former home and studio of renowned sculptor Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010). The site offers an intimate glimpse into Bourgeois's creative world, featuring one of her iconic spider sculptures in the shared garden, her preserved living spaces, and an extensive archive of her personal effects including diaries, clothing, and art materials. This site includes a small exhibition space presenting artworks and archival materials, and the carefully maintained historic spaces where one of the past century's most influential artists developed her revolutionary sculptural forms. Access is currently limited to pre-scheduled group tours, most of which are arranged through cultural and educational institutions.
• L.V. Hull Home & Studio, Kosciusko, MS | The site represents a remarkable fusion of home and artistic canvas, where self-taught artist L.V. Hull (1942-2008) transformed every surface into an evolving art environment through vibrantly painted found objects, creative assemblages, and carefully curated collections of cherished items. The site is the first home-studio of an African American female visual artist to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places at the national level, and the first home of any African American art environment creator to receive this recognition. While the original artwork has been preserved offsite, visitors can still experience Hull's creative imprint through the sun-faded outlines on the walls, her signature multicolored dots on the bathroom sink, and the original nails that once held her dense artistic displays, all of which will be incorporated into the site's interpretation when it opens to the public.
• Mary Nohl Art Environment, Fox Point, WI | A notable artist-created home where Mary Nohl (1914-2001) transformed every aspect of the property, from the house itself to the 59 concrete sculptures dotting the landscape, into a comprehensive work of art. While public access is carefully limited to preserve the site, those who visit receive an intimate guided tour exploring Nohl's creative vision through both the physical space and archival materials like her personal diaries and correspondence. The site stands as one of the most important artist-built environments preserved in America, particularly significant for its creation by a woman artist in the mid-20th century. Access is limited to pre-scheduled group tours arranged through the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
• Olive Rush Studio & Art Center, Santa Fe, NM | The Art Center preserves the historic home, studio, and garden of pioneering artist Olive Rush (1873-1966), who transformed this 100-year-old adobe house into a vibrant artistic and social hub where she painted each day, hosted fellow artists, and mentored Native American painters. The property combines Rush's original frescoes and painted furniture with her orchard (including remnant two-hundred year old apple trees) and historic garden, where she entertained at tea parties and maintained a bountiful selection of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. This intimate museum, in its inaugural year of operation, offers visitors a rare glimpse into the life of one of Santa Fe's most influential women artists, known for breaking artistic boundaries by combining modernist techniques with Indigenous art influences while fostering a supportive creative community in the Southwest in the early 20th century.
• Pope's Museum, Ochlocknee, GA | Pope's Museum is the oldest surviving artist-built environment created by a woman in the United States. It was the home of Laura Pope Forester (1873-1953), who is one of the few documented female artists in the early 20th century to create such an extensive outdoor art installation. The site showcases 20 original sculptures and dozens of murals created by Pope Forester using her own mortar mixture, including striking tributes to women's achievements, military veterans, and literary figures, all crafted by this self-taught artist who broke cultural barriers of her time. Visitors can tour the restored 2-story home with its unique architectural features like a balcony made from sewing machine parts, explore the historic gardens filled with heirloom plants, and view the impressive 100-foot-wide World War II memorial wall that all stand as testament to Pope Forester's artistic vision.
• Prophet Isaiah Robertson's Second Coming House, Niagara Falls, NY | Striking art environment created by Prophet Isaiah Robertson (1947-2020), a self-taught artist who transformed his home into an immersive religious artwork, featuring a dramatic 25-foot painted cross and intricate religious imagery crafted from wood, paint, and beadwork both inside and outside the property. As the only artist-built environment of its kind in Western New York, the site showcases Robertson's divinely-inspired creativity through painstakingly preserved and recreated elements, including his signature "perfectly imperfect" painting style and symbolic religious artworks. Opened earlier this year, visitors can experience this unique cultural landmark through guided tours that explore themes of immigration, religious expression, and artistic vision, while learning about Robertson's remarkable journey from Jamaican carpenter to visionary artist.
• Reuben Hale House, West Palm Beach, FL | The house and sculpture garden offer visitors an intimate look into the life and work of distinguished artist and educator Reuben Hale (1927-2018), showcasing his diverse artistic legacy through sculptures, paintings, drawings, holograms, and photographs displayed throughout the 1925 Mediterranean Revival home where he lived and worked for nearly 50 years. The property features over 200 of Hale's works, much of which highlights his enduring artistic theme of the 'Emerging Woman,' reflecting his belief in women's profound impact on society. This historic site, located in the El Cid Historic District, preserves not only Hale's artwork but also his living and working spaces exactly as he designed them, from his handcrafted furniture to his architectural modifications of the house itself.
• Shigeko Kubota Video Art Foundation, New York, NY | The foundation, located in a historic SoHo loft, preserves the living and working space of pioneering video artists Shigeko Kubota (1937-2015) and Nam June Paik (1932-2006), who occupied the space from the 1970s until 2015. The raw loft space remains largely unchanged since the artists' time there, with approximately 80 percent dedicated to artmaking and featuring their original video works, archives, and personal effects displayed in their original positions. As one of the last remaining "Fluxhouses"-artist cooperative buildings established by Fluxus founder George Maciunas-the site offers visitors a rare glimpse into both the birth of video art and SoHo's transformation into an artists' community through by-appointment tours that include access to extensive multi-media sculpture, video, photo, and paper archives.
• S.P. Dinsmoor's Cabin Home and Garden of Eden, Lucas, KS | S.P. Dinsmoor (1843-1932) created the sprawling sculpture garden, featuring a three-story limestone "log cabin" that he built as both a home and an artistic statement about Populist politics. The site showcases Dinsmoor's innovative concrete sculpting techniques, including elaborate biblical and political scenes featuring 150+ life-sized figures that tell allegorical stories about corporate greed, labor rights, and social justice through interconnected tableaus rising to three stories high. This unique art environment also includes Dinsmoor's final resting place-a concrete mausoleum he built himself where visitors can still view his preserved body in a glass-lidded coffin of his own construction.
• Spiral House Park, Saugerties, NY | In its first year of public operation, Spiral House Park is set on 45 acres of transformed bluestone quarry in the Catskills, featuring a stunning five-story spiral house and more than 40 large-scale sculptures made of hand-cut bluestone, crystal glass, and stainless steel, all created by artist Tom Gottsleben (1950-2019). The centerpiece Rainbow Portal, a 31-foot-diameter circle of twelve archways made of stone and colored crystal glass, casts colorful reflections by day and glows magically at night. The home and art are interconnected by meandering landscape walls and extensive native gardens that showcase the intersection of sacred geometry and nature, with 1.5 miles of woodland trails, all set against dramatic mountain views.
• Valley of the Moon, Tucson, AZ | A garden landscape created by visionary artist George Phar Legler (1885-1982) as an immersive fantasyland designed to promote kindness and tolerance through magical experiences. The site features twenty-six distinct historic structures built in a unique Storybook Style, using concrete, chicken wire, and recycled materials to create an enchanted landscape specifically scaled for children's perspectives. True to its founding mission of inclusion, the site continues to serve diverse communities today, offering specialized programming for underserved groups including transgender and gender non-conforming youth, while maintaining its century-old tradition of theatrical adventures that promote kindness and acceptance for all.