Page 24 - Holly Carney Issue (3)

The Joy of Artist Residencies

By Paula Margulies

Artist residencies are a terrific way for creative types of all
stripes – writers, painters, dancers, sculptors, photogra-
phers, and filmmakers -- to beef up their resumes, get a
tremendous amount of work done, and see some of this
great country of ours. As a fiction writer I've been lucky
enough to be accepted at three programs: Caldera in Sis-
ters, Oregon, in 2006; Red Cinder Artist Colony on the Big
Island of Hawaii in 2007; and The Vermont Studio Center
in Johnson, Vermont, this coming October.

Residencies are usually awarded based on an artist's
work. Some programs only accept published or acclaimed
applicants, but many will consider emerging artists who
have won awards or otherwise distinguished themselves.
A few require references with the application, and many
want artists and writers who are able to spend a commit-
ted length of time at the facility. They usually offer some
type of housing, which can be anything from a log cabin
to a room inside a house. Most include meal plans and
some provide space to cook your own meals. The majority
expect you to get there on your own and provide for your
own transportation while you're there.

If you're a working woman with kids and/or a busy day job,
24 an artist residency is the ultimate getaway. Imagine two-
three weeks of nothing but fresh air and free time. You'll
meet many other artists and writers. You get to sleep in or
stay up late, read, explore, ruminate, meditate, breathe –
and create your art.

A great resource for locating artist residencies can be
found at www.artistcommunities.org. Also, watch for an-
nouncements in industry publications and newsletters for
your artistic field.

Here is an excerpt from a note I sent to my agent after my
stay at Caldera in Oregon:

The residency was an incredible interlude -- so peaceful
and beautiful. I awoke each morning to a blanket of snow
on the deck and trees outside the window of my A-frame
cabin. I'd build a fire in my little wood burning stove and
listen to NPR on my shortwave radio while I made coffee,
then worked until 1:30 or so. I usually hiked around Blue
Lake or Suttle Lake in the afternoon, or sometimes went
in to Sisters, which is a really pretty little town. There are
lots of ranches off of Highway 20, and everyone has a few
llamas interspersed with their cattle. The forest in Central
Oregon is all Ponderosa pine and Douglas firs, spreading
for miles up the valleys and into the hillsides.
There was a blue heron who fed in Link Creek right outside
my main window. He flew up into the air one day in the
middle of a snow storm. It was a lovely sight.
I also discovered a pair of bonded eagles that nest at Suttle
Lake.

July/August 2008