Folding Chair

Five years ago Joel Sisson's blend of art, social work, and lawn furniture was the talk of the town. Now the founder of the Green Chair Project is sitting on a pile of dreams and unpaid bills.

Comments (0) By Katy Reckdahl Wednesday, Jan 20 1999

Indeed, both Sisson and Hoyt seem almost relieved at the project's dwindling. "Once all the parties involved met an impasse and funding ran out, somehow Joel and I realized that we just had to dig down and work," says Hoyt. "And this summer and fall became fun again, and the kids that we're working with were magical. We had stopped focusing on organizational development and just worried about getting our asses out of debt. And it was fun."

Sisson smiles as he talks about the potential U.N. installation. And despite his quibbles with the Green Chair Workshop, he hasn't given up on launching Green Chair satellites in other cities. Even as it's about to be boxed up, his laser printer churns out proposals that outline a major collaboration of nationwide funders and nonprofits.

Fran Shea

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"We're not going to be just waiting on Death Row," Sisson insists. "It's not done yet. We'll take this thing back to my studio, but we'd rather find a new place and keep it going as a training center for the satellites across the country." Then again, there's another option: "It would be really easy to be just me and my van, working with young people."