Cos Cob, CT: The James Stevenson Lost and Found Lab announces the selection of its inaugural artist-in-residence, artist and author Annie Weatherwax. Founded by Josie Merck, the Lost and Found Lab is named after cartoonist James Stevenson’s New York Times series and provides live/work space for visual artists, writers, and scholars exploring the relationship between language and art. The Lost and Found Lab celebrates Stevenson’s work as a renowned children’s book author and New Yorker cartoonist by providing a peaceful and private sanctuary in which to dedicate unrestricted time to one’s craft.

Annie Weatherwax began her career sculpting cartoons and superhero characters from DC Comics, Nickelodeon, and Pixar. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, All We Had —which, according to her, was written “one picture at a time”—was made into a movie directed by and starring Katie Holmes and premiered in 2016 at the Tribeca Film Festival. “I am thrilled and honored to be the inaugural artist-in-residence at The James Stevenson Lost and Found Lab,” says Weatherwax. “I am a long-time fan of Stevenson’s work and the lab’s mission couldn’t be more in line with my interests.”

Driven by the desire to understand her dyslexia, Weatherwax has written extensively on the relationship between language and visual literacy. She is currently experimenting with hybrid forms of storytelling, working in the capacity of "The Literary Cartoonist,” combining text with kinetic typography, drawing, and animation. 

“We are delighted to welcome an inaugural artist such as Annie Weatherwax who, like James Stevenson, mines multiple veins of creativity—seeing and telling stories in pictures and words. We are off on an exciting adventure together,” says Lost and Found Lab Founder Josie Merck.

Passive House Architecture: Light, Space, Beauty + Conservation
The Lost and Found Lab is the vision of artist Josie Merck, to whom Stevenson (1929-2017) was married.  Josie, a painter and passionate environmental advocate, has manifested her vision of an artist/scholar residency with a dedicated focus on prioritizing green construction and living. 

A contemporary style building designed by Thalassa Curtis formerly of Joeb Moore and Partners of Greenwich, CT and completed by Alex Chabla of the same firm and constructed by Prutting and Co. builders of Stamford, CT, the “LAB” building, sits atop the footprint of the former 1947 house which was carefully dismantled and returned to the market by Joe Derisi of Urban Miners, of Hamden CT. The original Douglass fir construction material has been repurposed as much as possible throughout the building. The construction is Passive House (Passivhaus) design with high energy conservation as an imperative.

Working and domestic spaces are on the lower floor, research and viewing spaces in the upper library and central gallery. Clerestories fill the building with an abundance of natural light on both levels. The zig-zag roofline was a beloved motif of Stevenson, reminiscent of old bathhouse silhouettes at a summer community on Long Island Sound near Niantic, CT. 

Vasilka Bukov of Bukov Landscaping of Banksville, NY arranged and planted around the massive glacial debris, rocks, and boulders, unearthed on-site during the excavation for the new construction.

About Annie Weatherwax

Winner of the Robert Olen Butler Prize for Fiction, Annie Weatherwax's short stories have appeared in The Sun Magazine, The Southern Review, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, All We Had, was a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award and is now a major motion picture from Tribeca films. She has written extensively on the synergy between the mind and the eye, and the link between language and visual art including for The New York Times, and the Ploughshares online blog. Weatherwax spent her early career sculpting superheroes and cartoon characters. Her portfolio includes characters from Nickelodeon, DC Comics, and Pixar. In 2017, she received the Hamilton School Life Achievement Award, given annually to individuals with dyslexia. Past recipients include  Dr. Matthew Schneps, astrophysicist at the Smithsonian and Harvard University, and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Philip Schultz.  For more information, visit annieweatherwax.com.

About The James Stevenson Lost and Found Lab
The Lab’s mission is to provide a work and living space to visual artists, scholars, curators, writers, composers, arts professionals, or interdisciplinary thinkers drawn to exploring the relationship between visual art and the written word.

The Lost and Found Lab team came together following the release of the documentary Stevenson: Lost and Found executive produced by Josie Merck and David Grubin and directed by New Zealand-based filmmaker, Sally Williams.  Archivist Janine St. Germain provided guidance in securing long-term stewardship for the Stevenson archives, uniting his papers with other New Yorker collections at Yale University’s Beinecke Library. St. Germain joins Josie Merck as Co-Director of the Lost and Found Lab and Sally Williams continues to provide consulting support on the project.

Cos Cob, CT, with its close proximity to New York, has its own history of hosting artistic intellectual exchange dating to the late 19th century. A longtime resident, Josie Merck’s vision is to create a contemplative space for artists to have time to devote to their creative endeavors.

The James Stevenson Lost and Found Lab artist residencies are currently arranged by invitation only. 

Contact: Janine St. Germain, janine@lostandfoundlab.org | lostandfoundlab.org