http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2010/08/11/news/doc4c6216c112797414502640.txt

Today’s Front Page

August 11, 2010

NEWS
TSL CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF CULTURE

TSL Co-directors Claudia Bruce and Linda Mussmann on the front step of the TSL warehouse Tuesday afternoon. TSL is celebrating its 20-year anniversary. (David Lee/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers)
By Lindsay Suchow
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Published:
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 2:14 AM EDT
Time & Space Limited is celebrating two decades in the city of Hudson, and while a lot has changed since the early 1990s, the organization remains a vibrant fixture for arts and culture in the community — and its co-directors and founders intend on keeping it that way for years to come.

TSL’s co-directors and founders Linda Mussmann and Claudia Bruce are using the milestone as an opportunity to reflect on past achievements and embrace the possibilities of the future — not to mention the party they’re throwing this weekend in Ancramdale.

“It’s all been a pleasure,” said Mussmann of the last 20 years at 434 Columbia St., the site of an old bakery which she and Bruce converted into a workspace. “Growing with the community and helping shape and influence the cultural scene in not only Hudson, but Columbia County and the region, are certainly the overall high points.”

TSL was founded by Mussmann in 1973 in New York City, with Bruce joining as co-director three years later. In 1991, TSL became one of four theater companies nationwide to reject a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, which mandated that recipients of NEA funding sign a censorship clause, Bruce said.

The refusal of the grant, combined with the escalating cost of living in Manhattan, served as “the writing on the wall” for the duo to relocate TSL to Columbia County, said Bruce. The couple were familiar with the area since they acquired a home in Gallatin in 1983.

“There was a lot of ‘How do we stay in New York?’ going on,” said Bruce. “Luckily, after we were (in Columbia County) for a while, we found warehouse space. And the rest is history. Little by little by little, we keep moving forward, step by step.”

Mussmann said a major change TSL has undergone since relocating to Hudson was the introduction of a plethora of offerings for kids.

“We took on children’s programming — that’s something we never did in New York (City),” said Mussmann. “That was influenced by the needs of the community, our neighbors. Many of the kids didn’t have a lot … so we provided things for them to do. And that’s included a whole host of things.”

One of Mussmann’s fondest memories in connecting with area children was when she received the Dewitt Clinton Masonic Community Service Award, the highest honor the organization bestows on a non-masonic organization, she said.

After receiving the accolade, the masons helped TSL send a group of children from Hudson to spend three weeks at Camp Turk Masonic Youth Camp in the Adirondacks.

“It was a life-changing experience for some of those kids, because it was three weeks away from Hudson,” Mussmann said, adding some had never left the comfort zones of their communities at that point in their lives.

TSL’s options for children were bolstered even further with an appropriation from then-Congresswoman, now-U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, which was used to create an area specifically for young people.

“It’s a dedicated children’s space which we just opened this year, and we’re hoping to finish that whole project this year,” said Mussmann. “The appropriation that Kirsten Gillibrand gave us was a big boost that came at a time when the economics were particularly harsh on arts organizations. We did a lot with her gift, and it opened an opportunity for the youth to use our space.”

Another big change at TSL, Mussmann said, was its break into the broadcasting business with the installation of two large satellites atop the facility’s roof five years ago. The dishes enable TSL to offer live transmissions of the Metropolitan Opera’s Emmy Award-winning series “The Met: Live in HD,” as well as live performances from the National Theatre in London.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to see this incredible art form right here in little ol’ Hudson, New York,” said Mussmann. “It’s brought an art form to this community which people are extremely grateful for, when you consider the average ticket at the Met is 200 bucks and (requires) a trip to New York. Come right here, and see the opera live.”

Mussmann also lauded TSL’s free outdoor movies in Pocket Park at 330 Warren St., as well as free concerts on the waterfront.

Festivities are certainly in order for TSL’s year-long 20 Years in Hudson celebration; the merriment kicks off this weekend with a Big Barn Barbecue at the historic Spencer-Shimkin 1799 Barn in Ancramdale at 6 p.m. Saturday. Music will be provided by the Raya Brass Band and Divine Catering will man the grill. Attendees can also enjoy homemade desserts and a raffle to win a new iPad.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. RSVP via phone at 518-822-8448 or by e-mail at anya@timeandspace.org. Detailed directions to the historic barn can be found on TSL’s website at www.timeandspace.org. All proceeds from the event will benefit the center.

Looking forward, one of Mussmann’s major goals involves ongoing improvements to the facility; particularly, making TSL a greener and more energy-efficient building.

“I would like to address some of the energy issues and be a leader in that area,” she said. “I would love to see TSL be a first to do that.”

Long term, Mussmann would also like to see the expansion of the center’s programming.

But overall, Bruce said she wants TSL to remain a “vital place in the community” more than anything else.

“We’re very proud of the fact that we have seen so many young people come through here,” said Bruce. “We’ve known some of them for a long time, and every once and a while, one we’ve touched in some way or another will wander through the door, and it’s very emotional and touching. They say to us, ‘We’ll always remember what we did at TSL.’ That’s our legacy and I hope that continues after we are long gone.”

To reach Lindsay Suchow, call 518-828-1616 or e-mail lsuchow@registerstar.com.