In 2009 the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz mounted a retrospective exhibition about the Floating Foundation, its influences and the photographers who were part of what happened there. The Foundation continued to be an influential center for photography in New York until two years after Sherwood's death in 1984. Coleman described it as 'moored at the literal edge of Manahattan, marginal by definition, it served a key role as the medium of photography itself moved from the periphery to the center of cultural discourse and creative activity.' The houseboat was originally moored at the 79th Street Boat Basin, but in later years it traveled up and down the Hudson River. Within a few years she added a classroom and darkrooms.

The Foundation was founded by photographer Maggie Sherwood in 1970 after she bought an old houseboat, painted it purple and offered it as a gallery and photo center for many of her friends. It was also one of the first institutions to engage in teaching photography in socially marginalized communities such as prisons, mental institutions and drug rehabilitation programs. Eugene Smith, Arthur Tress, Mary Ellen Mark, Les Krims, Judy Dater, Lisette Model and Lee Witkin.

It is famous as a gathering place for a generation of influential New York photographers, including W. Here’s a link to a video with directions from Home Depot How to Build a Ground-Level Deck.The Floating Foundation of Photography was a New York photography exhibition space, meeting place and teaching center. You’ll need a carpenter’s level, circular saw, and power screw gun. The material includes concrete piers, 4-by-4 posts, 2-by-6 joists, decking and deck screws.ĭeck building is labor-intensive, using heavy material and it requires working outdoors, so plan your time accordingly.

You can do it yourself for $710, the cost of the material, and save 66 percent. If you’re budgeting for a new deck, here’s the numbers: A deck contractor will charge $2,090 to build a basic rectangular 10-by-12-foot ground level floating deck using a pier system of blocks and composite surface decking. The decking is then secured to this framework. They have slots in their tops and, depending on the height of the deck, hold either vertical posts or horizontal support boards. The foundation for a ground level deck is made of cement piers that sit directly on the ground. And while a conventional deck is attached to the house, a floating deck stands free from it and therefore is easier to build. This eliminates the need to dig holes and pour and mix cement for the footings.

Floating foundation deck system