AGRISCULPTURE : A Love Story

adapted from a spoken word performance by Amy Lewis Sweetman for "Warwick Anthology" 

the live storytelling event put on by the Village of Warwick NY's Dramatis/Poet Laureate of 2018-2019 : Donna Haley

Albert Wisner Public Library 

July 27, 2019

 

May of 2012 - I had just founded my second design practice called AGRISCULPTURE : Farm Equipment – Lovingly Rethought.  I had my first big commission – a set of three fountains made out of disc harrows for Cornell Cooperative Extension, and I was on a mission. 

 

Every farm repair shop I called said – “Lady – we know the machine you’re looking for – but we scrap the parts.  Go knock on some barns!”  At first I thought they were joking.

 

I drove from Cornwall, where I grew up – and where it felt nice to be again after about a decade studying, living and working around the world.  (I graduated Cornell University in 2008 with a professional Bachelors Degree in Architecture - and worked my way from Rome to Dubai to Los Angeles.)  Aiming for Pine Island – and I wanted to go through Warwick – on County 1A specifically – as that was how I went to The Jolly Onion back in the day as a kid.

 

Approaching the light where Route 94 meets County Route 1A – I told myself this is a day of action!  I am not stopping!  Green light I’ll go left – up the hill to Ochs Orchards.  Red light – I’ll do a right and head on County 1A.  The light was red.  I took a right.  I flew past the first farm – and slowed down in time to stop at the second.  Only seeing cows in the freestall – I backtracked to the milkhouse door. 

 

A farmer opened at first knock.  “Hi I’m Amy – and I’m looking for disc harrow parts.”  He told me he just might have some, and gave me his name and phone number – “Doug… Sweetman...!”  Little did I know – he knew exactly where to find his 3 discs. 

 

As fate would have it, I had not yet found someone to weld this project for me, and I was not yet a welder myself.  Doug offered to weld the fountains – he had 25 years of farm welding experience – but none in art.  He said he’d weld for free.

 

“FREE???  You understand the magnitude of this project – right Doug?  This is huge!  It will wreak havoc on your life - I promise you!”  He told me he understood.  “Ok then – my one condition – of accepting your working for free Doug… you must give me your best work.  Whatever your personal best is – that’s perfect.

 

“Deal” he said.    

 

We welded those 3 fountains in the evenings all Summer long – 3 months – in Doug’s farm shop- after he was done with the night milking.  We always took a break from welding to watch the sun set over the hill.  We shared some great conversations.  Late one night - just before we finished the project – I was leaving the farm and Doug said – “Amy – I gotta tell you something.”  I turned around – keys in my hand – and waited. 

 

“I LOVE YOU.”

 

The funny and crazy and beautiful thing about this farmer and welder in Warwick with 4 kids at home… was that I absolutely loved him too – and I told him so that night.  Four years and one day later – we were married. 

 

About 7 years later – here we are today.  So now you know - exactly how I came to be StepMomma Amy – the wife of Farmer-Welder Doug – and the creator of AGRISCULPTURE – on the Sweetman Dairy Farm of Warwick, NY.

 

I’m home.

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Amy Lewis Sweetman is an American Artist - born Amy Lewis - on February 21, 1985 in Newburgh, NY.  

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