Libby Mitchell

I live in the beautiful northwest corner of Connecticut, in West Cornwall, just three miles from the covered bridge. Two summers working for my very good friend, Charlie Paley, brought me here. When Charlie and Jeff were having a beer, Jeff mentioned that he needed an office manager. That beer led to my job at the Wassaic Project.

I’ve lived and worked in many places. I’ve been a stockbroker,  a teacher, and I’ve started a school. I’ve sat on boards, had three children, been a stay-at-home mom. But it’s living and working here, in this magical, beautiful part of the world that has brought me a new perspective. My friends and co-workers are artists and farmers, investment bankers and cleaning professionals, masons and lawyers, babysitters and pastry chefs, entrepreneurs and arborists, real estate agents and highway crew members, teachers and carpenters. I’m given the opportunity every day to have conversations with people from completely different backgrounds with completely different views from my own. I welcome and cherish every one of those conversations.

One night last June, after our annual benefit, it hit me: this is the place and this is the environment where bridges are built. It is the place where disparate views live, the place where a beer at The Lantern can lead to a friendship between two of the most unlikely characters. Those friendships and my part in that bridge-building fill me with joy.  

Come visit, come watch the artists work, come buy their work, come see our neighbors and watch their excitement as we build our next installation. Come feel that thing I feel every day. Come build a bridge of your own!