Amy O’Brien, Co-Founder

Amy grew up in La Jolla, California.  She danced and choreographed professionally in New York City for 23 years.  As a multifaceted artist, curator and builder, Amy has been saving, restoring and revitalizing old buildings in Atlanta, Idaho since 1998. Inspired by the work of Atlanta native, historian and artist Kerry Moosman, Amy has restored four structures: dug them out of the dirt, dismantled and relocated, built foundations, peeled back layers, stabilized supports, re-roofed, replaced flooring, insulated, repaired doors, windows, hardware and wallpaper. Her research on family history and procurement of historic photos inform the interior furnishings and décor for each project.  She is a member of the Atlanta Historical Society, a non-profit organization that works to preserve and restore Atlanta’s old cemetery and historic structures and is Co-Founder of The Atlanta School.

Rachel Reichert, Co-Founder

Rachel Reichert lives and works in Milwaukee, WI, and Idaho City, ID. Rooted in a practice of craft, Reichert’s work exists at the intersection of artmaking and place-building, ranging from jewelry, small sculpture, installation, and photography to building museums, artist residencies, and other ephemeral spaces and experiences.

She co-founded The Atlanta School in 2014, and in 2015, she began a seven-year commitment to planning, rebuilding, and programming the James Castle House, a historic home and artist residency where self-taught artist James Castle lived and worked for over forty years. In 2022, she completed the restoration of the Erma Hayman House, a historic home and contemporary cultural space. She joined the team at Ruth Foundation For The Arts in 2022.

She sees artmaking and place-building/repair as one practice.

Seth Ogilvie, Co-Founder

Based in Nashville, TN, Seth Ogilvie is a storyteller trained in philosophy but inspired by nature. He’s told the tales of frontiersman hermits and rebels throughout his almost two decades in the American West. He wields a pen as skillfully as a camera reimagining explorations a mountain pass or a high desert lake.

With work and projects appearing in media outlets, from The Atlantic to the Idaho Statesman and from Public Television to 60 minutes, he’s developed a style that pays homage to the culture and history of a place while still being accessible to the outsider. His focus has always been on developing community and helping that community access the wilderness. He is a Regional Emmy award-winning director, producer, and writer, as well as a less accomplished woodworker.