Dré Wapenaar

Every time someone says something bad about Facebook I always defend it because it connects people and reconnects people better than any other network before it. Sorry, but it does. I reconnected with my friend Cristin Foley last year who the last time I saw her (12 years ago?) was headed to NYU. Now she's living an ex-pat life as the co-owner of an art gallery in The Dominican Republic. She's also doin' a little guest posting today!

My husband and I have been searching for a housing solution for some land we have in the mountains of the Dominican Republic. The goal is to have a sculpture park where artists in residence can do their creative thing in exchange for room and board. Their final work will become a permanent addition to the park. In the midst of our search, we were especially blown away by the designs of Dutch artist Dré Wapenaar. His hand-built tents have been commissioned as installations by various institutions around the globe, including a piece that found its permanent home in the courtyard of the highly acclaimed MassMoCA. The way in which Wapenaar blurs the lines between public housing and sculpture culminates in works of art that are truly out of this world. These temporary, futuristic structures come in a multitude of designs and styles (check out more here). My personal favorite being the suspended Treetent (above)—creepy crawlers, try me. Best of all, they would leave no footprint on the stunning Jurassic Park-esque landscape. Don't you just love it when eco-friendly is so design fabulous?!—Cristin Foley, co-owner Pimentel Foley Fine Arts

Thanks C-Fo!