Justin Lowman | Marie Cameron Studio

Welcome to the Clam House!

This is the treehouse that the campers at Montalvo’s Out on a Limb treehouse camp collaboratively built with artist and teacher, Justin Lowman (to name just one of the fabulous staff that worked with the kids on this project).

First campers got together in groups coming up with models for their tree houses. Ideas were combined and modified. Through trial and error, with lots of emphasis on process and hands on learning, they built this amazing structure (and a lot of self-confidence) by the end of the week. Clam House will be on display at Montalvo for the remainder of the summer!

Hammers and nails, saws and screwdrivers pulleys and platforms, climbing walls and ladders, friends and forest – clearly what summer dreams are made of (artists too)!

I had no idea when I signed up my son for a treehouse camp at Montalvo that he would be learning from someone with not only a background in education but a real artist! Justin Lowman created this untitled sight specific installation in Belvedere Temple back when he was doing his residency at Montalvo in 2014. While Lowman had no intention of imposing his aesthetic on the camper’s self-directed project, (in which the kids greatly benefited from his respect for process, collaboration and site sensitivity) my son is keen on getting his hands on some colored plexi after exploring Lowman’s piece.

Set in and around Montalvo’s period Belvedere Temple, Lowman introduces materials, in a non-invasive way, which act to direct flow and focus, through light physical structures and vibrant transparent colors. These elements reframe and reinterpret views. It’s like a conversation between the past and the present, traditional and modern perspectives. Lowman employs a light touch which does not overwhelm the existing building but rather allows both visions to exist simultaneously and benefit from their relationship to each other.