The Department of Objects

For the last decade, our good friend and collaborator Jeroen Smeets of The Jaunt, has facilitated journeys for artists to some of the most far-flung places on Earth as part of week-long residencies in destinations of their choosing. Building on the limitless inspiration of travel and seeking to grow The Jaunt community, Smeets first hosted a Winter Camp in 2024 that invited four artists to spend time together in close quarters, hemmed in by winter weather and providing a welcome respite for the cross pollination of ideas, art, food, stories, and adventures. For the third iteration of Winter Camp, Joy Machine and The Jaunt teamed up to bring four artists from balmy California, to the frigid tundra of the Midwest, subjecting them to a proper winter for the first time in their lives with frozen lakes, sledding, snowballs, and temperatures reaching a sublime 4 degrees Fahrenheit. The destination? The historic and picturesque Camp Wandawega, located just a short trek north of Chicago in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Wyatt Hersey, Melissa Lakey, Esther Pearl Watson, and Anna Valdez joined us in the lodges, kitchens, and bunk houses of Camp Wandawega for five days of arctic magic and only superficial frostbite. The grounds of Camp Wandawega date back more than 100 years and first served as a speakeasy and brothel during Prohibition, before being converted to a summer camp by the Latvian Catholic church. Nowadays, it operates as a truly unique retreat with all the hallmarks of a traditional sleepaway camp, a place that exudes Americana and hearkens to endless days of communion and play that feel so sorely lacking in our digital age. Encased in February ice, we explored every frosted meadow and outbuilding of the camp on daily hikes, wrapped in layers of nostalgia. Did we mention it was also cold? At camp, the artists were immediately drawn to a cozy attic storage room called the Department of Objects, quickly dubbed The Green Room (or “the warmest space we can reasonably be expected to work”), which is an extraordinary lending library of old magazines, vintage fishing lures, plaid everything, dusty books, patches, and all matter of camp ephemera from generations past–some of which joins us in the gallery. A genuine treasure trove of inspiration and this exhibition’s namesake, the Department of Objects provided countless of hours of painting and drawing that manifested in the work you see here. You can RSVP to the opening reception of The Department of Objects on October 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. or signup for our collector preview. All four artists will be present! About The Jaunt The Jaunt is a travel project that sends artists around the world to experience new locations and cultures. Once they return home, artists create a limited-edition silkscreen print inspired by their journeys.