Verb : to set apart, to resist being affected by, to cast off or let fall off by natural process to promote new growth.
/ : indicates a new idea, something that is an offshoot of what has come before.
/ Shed is an ongoing meditation on where we live in Northern New Mexico, a celebration of its nature and fleeting of time. In effort to reflect the unique beauties of NM cultures, traditions, and endemic materials through a shared experience around a dinner table.
A rally point of integrity and meaningful actions toward creating a more connected and meaningful world.
/ Shed is run by me, Johnny Ortiz, a 14-plus generation Taoséno along with the integral work of partner Afton Love and a rotating team of friends and family.
Each dinner is built and destroyed for eight to twelve people a night four to six times a month, filled with guests from the surrounding areas. Small courses of wild and endemic plants and animals are served on vessels made by us out of micaceous clay from the same area my ancestors dug from, pit fired in a similar vein. While the project is based primarily on the food, it is also largely about those who come to participate in the experience. The dinners then become an interactive and shared experience between strangers who share the same love for this place.
The village of Vallecitos is the future permanent home of / Shed. Located in the Tusas Mountains of northern New Mexico. It is a rich high alpine ecosystem situated at almost 8,000 feet above sea level at the very southern tip of the Rocky Mountains.
Vallecitos has long been land used for seasonal hunting and food/medicine gathering. More recently Vallecitos had been a vibrant village for logging where the Chili Line train once ran. After abandoning the train and moving southward, the people of Vallecitos did the same. This left only a few families behind, most of which still practice living off the land in some form or another.
When I moved back to New Mexico, I would travel all the small villages and think to myself, ‘I could live here.’ Now not many spots strike that same thought. I have truly found my place and am fueled with excitement to be finally setting roots. Vallecitos is not purely disconnected, but not completely connected either. Vallecitos is the perfect location for all the processes that become / Shed. We are enthralled by the idea of being part of a small village where we can function in a community while also being on the cusp of the wild. Inviting folk of New Mexico and afar to step outside of their normal spaces and journey out to us.
Along with food and guests, the project consists of many facets, all of which, at the heart, need to tell a story of the land we inhabit. We live just down the road from the mercantile where we grow food, raise landrace churro sheep, a couple bison, rio grande turkeys, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, bees, and soon to be a dairy corriente cow.
The mercantile we aim to fix and use as our center for all things involved in our dinners is a pivotal space in our village, sitting and greeting each person journeying to or past Vallecitos.
In the time of the train, Vallecitos was filled with life. Our Mercantile was once also a cantina, drive-through liquor store, gas station, farm, and post office. Soon it will be a space to explore and celebrate our culture, environment, and community. Not only will the mercantile be a space to gather and share stories around our dinner table, but it will also be a space to share wholesome foods and products produced by us and friends in the area.
On the property are also four half functional sheds, one of which holds 400 bales of hay from our fields, and an Adobe home that will function as rooms for guests after dinner. While the bulk of this campaign is for the mercantile, we see it all as one and your donation goes towards getting the space as a whole up and running.
I am the creator and primary force behind / Shed. I’m a 14-plus generation Taoséno. My mother’s family derives from the Montoya and Martinez family and my father’s side from Ortiz and Concha. Growing up partially in Taos and partially on the Taos pueblo, I escaped after dropping out of college and left New Mexico, as every kid in Taos wished (wishes) to do. While in the first semester of college at UNM, I realized that to be a better cook I needed to immerse myself completely rather than partially, so I dropped out and moved to Chicago. After years of traveling the US to hone my craft, I found myself working in some of the greatest restaurants in the states: Alinea in Chicago, The Willow’s Inn on Lummi Island and Saison in San Francisco. I have since moved back to New Mexico excited to immerse myself completely in the unique and immense beauty of the landscape and people I am from.
We have immense dreams and visions for this space and realize we need help to make it all happen. With our dinners, each ticket purchase supports us in being able to continue to do what we do, and the money that is shared through this campaign all goes directly to getting the new space(s) fixed up and running. In an effort to be transparent with where the money is going, we have made an index of items your donations will go towards. shed-project.com/transparency
In an attempt to build something substantial while bypassing the traditional system of investors, we have designed a multi-faceted donation system that allows people to invest in beauty, integrity, and meaning in the world. Kickstarter is one part of the system. The other two can be found at Shed-project.com/support
Phase One is getting the Mercantile property fixed up and functioning by spring 2020. In total it will take us roughly $500,000 to complete renovations and to begin operations. If you have been to a dinner already, you have contributed to Phase Zero. Phase Zero of this project has already been accomplished by obtaining the land and getting / Shed off the ground. With your help, we believe accomplishing Phase One is just around the corner.
Though accomplishing this in itself is a huge feat, we are still looking ahead. Once Phase One has been accomplished we will start to unveil the following stages.
We aim to build a community of supporters, all working towards making the world a more beautiful place and inspiring others. By joining this community of support you help to affirm and build the engaged community necessary to support / Shed in continuing to do so on a larger level.
We are a project-based around dancing with nature, and with that comes the need to be fluid. Rather than damning and trying to control, we simply celebrate the fleeting nature of it all. We thank you from the very bottom of our hearts for finding excitement and meaning in our project. We look forward to continuing exploring, growing and sharing all the subtle beauties of doing so.
Each contribution through Kickstarter is a non-tax-deductible gift, shared out of the hearts of each of you to be part of our next stage. Again, thank you for your generosity and warmth.
We are tenacious and will push forward despite any conditions. With each donation however you will make the journey move much more swift and meaningful. Thank you again for joining us on this journey.