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THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD / 
HIS ROOM AS HE LEFT IT


WORKS OF JUDITH KLAUSNER + ARIEL KOTKER

JULY 7 - AUGUST 2

There Goes the Neighborhood/His Room As He Left It constructs a dialogue between a never-before-seen body of work by Judith Klausner and a magnum opus in progress (20 years and counting) by Ariel Kotker. Both mixed-media sculptors pair painstaking technical realism with flashes of the fantastical, using wit and wonder to spark deeper reflection.

Both artist’s work reflect themes of regeneration, nostalgia, safety, queerness, and disability. There Goes the Neighborhood includes an interactive element, where visitors will be invited to add to and play with a growing installation.


JULY 10; 5-8pm • Opening reception / Arts Night Out

“You must understand: we are at war” - TV commercial for Kobalt 40-volt outdoor power tools 

“Our enemy will feel the bite of our iron. Kill them!” - TV commercial for Scotts EcoSense Weed-Be-Gone

There Goes the Neighborhood uses American grass lawns (and the surrounding culture) as an analogy for systems of control, conformity, exclusion, violence, and resilience. Toy green army men wield herbicide sprayers and giant clippers, battling to save artificial turf from painstakingly hand crafted weeds and other "undesirable" elements. Remember, your lawn should look identical to your neighbor’s… yet somehow slightly greener.


JUDITH KLAUSNER is a Somerville, MA artist with a love for small, intricate, and overlooked things. She received her degree in Studio Art from Wesleyan University in 2007 after constructing her thesis primarily out of insects, and has since continued to search the details of her surroundings for inspiration. Her experience of invisible disability and chronic pain play an integral role in how she views the world and creates art. Her work has been featured by Harper's magazine, the Huffington Post, and NPR’s Here and Now, and exhibited in venues internationally including the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Susquehanna Art Museum, Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, and the Boston Children's Museum. Judith enjoys playing with her food, both recreationally and professionally.

His Room as He Left It is entirely handmade, with materials ranging from industrial cardboard to milkweed. You are invited to follow Drew Fank, a boy from the imaginary town of Sparkleton, Pennsylvania, who wanders the abandoned pencil factory and hangs out at the crash-landed flying saucer. He hunts songbirds which he eats, then stuffs and mounts. After the diner grease fire, he leaves home for Erie and the Unknown. Drew’s world is between ours and another, a waiting room where he readies himself for rebirth. Text of Drew’s Diary and two soundscapes by Wednesday Knudsen accompany the 3D work.


ARIEL KOTKER earned her diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 2003, and as a figure model in Boston, MA, learned from teachers and students alike. She has taken part in New England-based shows since 1989, with three solo showings of His Room as He Left It. She has received honors from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the SMFA Traveling Scholars Program, and the St. Botolph Club, and was a nominee for the James and Audrey Foster Prize, ICA Boston. Ariel began His Room as he Left It  after witnessing Death, and realizing she needed to make a home for her non-binary self. She works slowly while managing her chronic illnesses, and maintains a studio which she opens for Easthampton Art Walk and Eastworks Open Studios.

A.P.E.'s programming is made possible in part by sustained support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.