Sarah Anderson Lock and her husband, Greg Lock — both artists — moved to the region from Brooklyn almost 11 years ago, living first in Gallatin and now in Lakeville. As The Hotchkiss School's art administrator, she promotes the school's music, dance and arts programs. We were looking for a house in the area with a barn for studio space and got more than we actually needed in our 10,000-square-foot former chicken barn! Along with our two boys, we now work and live at the The Hotchkiss School, but we still have our place in Gallatin where we run an artist's residency, Rural Projects, out of the barn in the warmer months. When we were in Columbia County full time we always took visitors to Lake Taghkanic State Park. The park has two great playgrounds and a hiking trail that winds all the way around the lake. Now that I'm in the northwest corner of Connecticut, I really like to take visitors to the Sharon Audubon. They have a fabulous duck blind there were you can sit and observe pond life. The Hotchkiss School's setting couples culture with natural beauty. My job there involves promoting Hotchkiss arts events, of which there are many and most are free and open to the public. The Hotchkiss Concert Series has at least three major concerts during the academic year. For the summer concerts there is the added bonus of watching the sunset as the multi-faceted, glass-fronted hall has gorgeous views of Lake Wononscopomuc and surrounding Litchfield Hills. Also, the school's Tremaine Gallery is a beautiful gallery space that presents six shows a year, so there is always something interesting showing. With two young sons, pizza is a major food group at my house. I have found very good pizza in Connecticut but there is nothing better than a pizza from JoJo's in Ancram! Our whole family is ecstatic when we can take home a pizza from JoJo's. I swear, it's the crust! Speaking of crust, the absolute best pie on the face of the earth can be found at Green Acres Farm on Route 82 en route to Hudson. The Yandik family also bakes breads, cookies, and grow wonderful produce and have for several generations. For me, The Fields Sculpture Park at Omi International Arts Center in Ghent is a place that uniquely encapsulates how special our region is. I love living where two of the things that are extremely important to me, art and nature, are at my fingertips.
