MacDowell

I wrote a pretty extensive post about my first experience at MacDowell that you can read here.

Location/grounds

MacDowell is spread across 450 acres of rolling hills near Peterborough, New Hampshire. It’s the oldest artist colony in the US and is absolutely idyllic. Colony Hall is a central location where residents eat, present their work, and hang out. The James Baldwin Library houses books, recordings, and films from past artists and is absolutely stunning. There are extensive hiking trails and they even have snow shoes that you can borrow if you want to trek through the woods during winter. Studios can sometimes be more than a mile away from Colony Hall, (my current situation at Kirby) but the walk is so beautiful that most residents don’t mind. (plus odds are pretty high that you’ll come across some wildlife along the way)

Studios/Housing

Marian MacDowell definitely had isolation in mind in planning the layout of her artist colony. The studios are far enough apart that you feel completely alone. They really have this kind of “cabin in the wilderness” vibe. About a third of them are live-in studios (translation: they have a shower). However, they all have everything you’d need to comfortably compose all day. (including a grand piano in every music studio) If your studio isn’t a live-in, you’ll also get a bedroom in one of the cottages with a shower. All studios come with a bed and it’s quite common for artists to sleep in their studio regardless.

Adding to the feeling of seclusion, there is no internet in any of the studios and that’s by design. It’s a bit shocking at first, but I (and most of the other residents I’ve talked to) prefer it this way. Removing that one very major distraction does wonders for productivity. However, if you do need internet access, there’s wifi at the library.

Food

The food here is absolutely fantastic and every meal is crafted by a professional chef. If you’re a breakfast person, you just write down your order in the kitchen, grab a cup of coffee, and chat with one of your fellow residents until your food is served. Blake delivers lunch right to your studio every day in the most adorable picnic basket. Dinner is served family style and I’m consistently surprised at how they can make healthy food so incredibly delicious.

Fellow artists

Composers are usually a minority here, but I find that to be a big plus. Perhaps it’s because I’ve only been here in winter, but I’ve found that most of the other residents are full time writers or visual artists. At any given dinner you might be sitting next to a veteran artist at the top of their field or someone fresh out of grad school. I would say the average age here is maybe mid-40’s and the atmosphere is extremely supportive and fun. There aren’t block sessions here, so artists arrive and depart according to their own schedule. This is a great way to meet lots of different people, but it also means that you’ll likely only have a week or two to get to know most folks before you or they leave. Artists typically stay anywhere from two to eight weeks. I spent five weeks here in 2017 and four weeks in 2019. 

Yaddo 

I saw a lot of familiar faces from MacDowell during my residency at Yaddo the following year. It’s quite common for artists to alternate between the two because you can only re-apply to either one every two years.

Location/grounds

Yaddo used to be the opulent estate of a very wealthy family and is situated near Saratoga Springs, New York. The centerpiece of this property is a massive mansion where meals are served and some artists are housed. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see much of the mansion because they were in the middle of major renovations. In addition to the mansion, there is a very large house called “West House” where artists gather for presentations, drinks, board games, etc. There is also quite a bit of forrest here to hike and I regularly came across wild turkeys when I was out and about.

Studios/Housing

Studios range from ultra modern to very rustic and I was very lucky to been given one that was constructed in 2015. It had a kind of Scandinavian architectural vibe to it and was a great place to be during the winter. (Yay, heated floors!) Some studios are very isolated, but many of them are within view of each other and the common areas. Mine was a few hundred feet from the mansion and right next to another modern studio. However, the building’s design allowed for maximum privacy whenever I needed it. My studio was basically set up like a fancy little apartment with a large desk and a grand piano.

Food

Again, this was very similar to MacDowell. There is a full time chef and kitchen staff who prepare all meals. Lunch boxes are left out for artists in one of the common areas and dinners are served buffet style. The quality of the food is excellent and the chefs are very keen on healthy meals. It was quite common to have a vegetarian lunch or dinner, but I always felt satisfied.

Fellow artists

I crossed paths with eight artists at Yaddo who I had seen at MacDowell the previous year and it’s difficult not to compare the two. The demographics are very similar and so are the balance of artistic disciplines. There were two other composers there (both with a jazz emphasis) and a whole bevy of writers and visual artists. In total, I think there were around 35 residents at any given time, though I was told that the number is higher during warmer weather. (some of the writers’ studios don’t have heat, so those are shut down in winter) Artists arrive and depart on their own schedule, so you get the same kind of revolving door effect as MacDowell. Artists also frequently give presentation of their work and invite everyone to their studios for socializing, dance parties, karaoke, etc.

Marble House Project 

Marble House is fairly new (I think it started around 8 years ago), but it was one of the best residency experiences I’ve had. They have a unique focus on sustainable agriculture and food that I found really inspiring.

Location/grounds

The grounds of Marble House were a functional marble quarry for many decades and, as the name implies, has a house (mansion, really) made of marble. The property is more developed than many of the other residencies I’ve been to, but it’s still absolutely gorgeous. The house is surrounded by finely manicured lawns and a majestic fountain. Behind that, there is an absolutely massive vegetable garden, barns, and a chicken coop. Following a trail to the back of the property and you’ll find some outdoor art installations, a pond, and a rustic cabin made mostly from… yes, marble. (and also a really fun outdoor rotating marble couch!) Tina and Jonathan work full-time in the garden and are incredibly knowledgable about farming, botany, wildlife, and whisky. They are an absolute treasure and really transformed my experience there. Though none of the artists are required to help with the garden, you’re welcome to anytime you feel inclined. Tina and Jonathan are happy to educate you on planting/harvesting and I found that helping them after hours of composing to be profoundly cathartic.

Studios/Housing

Everyone gets a bedroom in the main house, though I have to admit that I never used mine. (I prefer to sleep where I work when possible) The music studio is across the street from the main property and is isolated enough that you can make as much noise as you want anytime. It has a loft bedroom and tons of random instruments to play around with. (including a piano and an old skool electric organ)

Food

Residents pair up each night to cook for everyone else, so you’ll wind up cooking at least once a week. I really enjoyed this aspect of MHP though. I love to cook and I learned lots of new recipes from my fellow artists that I still make on a regular basis. MHP sources nearly all of their ingredients from their own garden and other local farms. They’re sticklers for quality/sustainability and I really appreciate that. They also regularly host large family dinners for local folks and have made a genuine and effective connection to the surrounding community. This experience really made me think more about where our food comes from and the importance of sustainable agriculture.

Fellow artists

This residency typically lasts three weeks and all artists arrive at the same time. There are usually eight artists total: One musician, a few writers and a few visual artists. However, one thing that makes MHP really unique is the culinary artist in residence. This isn’t a hired chef who cooks for everyone, but rather a fellow artist with their own test kitchen and access to the bounty of the garden. I was scheduled to cook the first night and was very fortunately paired with our resident culinary artist, Sung Kim. She taught me a fantastic Korean fried chicken recipe and we became fast friends. Actually, I became very close with all of the MHP residents and they even helped me pick out a suit for my wedding . 🙂

I also have to mention the staff and owners of MHP. They were absolutely fantastic and also became good friends in my short time there. Danielle, Deena, Marnie, Tina, and Jonathan: Thanks for making me feel right at home!

At the end of the residency, they open up the property to the public for open studios with performances, readings, etc. This was a really fun event and was quite well attended.

I-Park 

Location/grounds

In my opinion, the 500 acres of I-Park are the most beautiful and mysterious of any residency I’ve ever seen. The studios are clustered fairly close to the main house, but the rest of the property has an extensive network of trails anchored around a massive pond. I spent an embarrassingly substantial amount of my time there foraging for mushrooms and loved every minute of it. Simply maintaining these trails is a full time job and I-Park takes conservation very seriously. You have a few options when it comes to navigating the pond: rowboat, floating living room, swimming, or giant floating baby stroller. Ambitious art installations dot the landscape in unexpected places and, in the four weeks I was there, I felt like I only scratched the surface of this place.

Studios/Housing

Every artist is assigned a bedroom in the main house and a studio somewhere on the property. In my case, I was given studio B, which is very large (maybe 1000 square feet) and very new. However, most of the studios are substantially smaller. It is possible to sleep in your studio rather than the main house, but there’s one big catch… The studios don’t have bathrooms, so you’ll end up making frequent trips to the main house. There’s also another building that houses the offices and a common area where residents can hang out, watch movies, build a fire in the wood stove, etc.

Food

I-Park hires a chef to cook dinners five nights a week, but also provides ingredients for all other meals. It’s up to residents to prepare breakfast, lunch, and weekend dinners. However, we didn’t have any trouble coming up with meal plans and scheduling who would cook when. Again, like with Marble House, I felt like this was actually a great bonding experience and generally pretty fun.

Fellow artists

Like Marble House, I-Park’s residents arrive together for a three week session. There are typically around 6-8 artists for each session. 

In my group, we had two architects, an animator, two visual artists, and me… the lone musician. Everyone was quite talented in their given field and there was a lot of genuine interest in each others work. This made for a really supportive atmosphere and close friendships. Like Marble House, there’s an open studios event that’s open to the public. It was great to see what everyone had been working on interact with so many folks in the community. Because I was working on a piece that hadn’t been premiered yet, I decided to put together an interactive installation in my studio utilizing natural materials I found on my many foraging adventures. I was also able to work with Turkish animator Çağıl Harmandar on a short project and I hope to collaborate with her again in the future.

Atlantic Center for the Arts 

Location/grounds

The ACA campus is located in a rural area near New Smyrna Beach, Florida and the facilities are quite impressive. All of the buildings are connected by an extensive network of boardwalks and the grounds are much more developed than most residencies I’ve attended. A separate building houses the kitchen/dining hall and there’s a beautiful little library just a few steps beyond that. There are specialized studios for each discipline and everything seemed to be pretty well maintained. It’s quite a ways from any restaurants, grocery stores, or basically anything for that matter. They provide bicycles to get around campus, but if you need snacks, beer, etc., you have to bike a mile or two to the closest gas station. Also, you’re bound to see some interesting wildlife including some very friendly giant turtles.

Studios/Housing

Composers share a nice recording studio with a grand piano. There’s also a large exhibition hall that’s used for presentations and performances. That said, the only private space that artists have is a dorm room that reminds me mostly of a motel. There is a small desk in each room and, because I was working under a deadline, I spent much of my time there. I was able to borrow some nice studio monitors, but I would say the working conditions weren’t ideal. That said, I think the goals of this residency are more about education and interaction with other artists rather than isolated creative work.

Food

Buffet lunches and dinners are served five days a week, but residents are on their own for the weekends. If you don’t have a car, you can catch a ride on a weekly shuttle to get groceries, etc. I think it was probably combination of the sheer number of artists and my own looming deadlines, but I felt that preparing our own meals wasn’t as much of a bonding experience as other residencies.

Fellow artists

All artists arrive and depart around the same time and I think sessions are typically around three weeks. ACA structures these sessions with three “master artists” and several younger artists who study with them. In my case the master artist was Derek Bermel and I learned a lot from him. Aside from being a fan of his music, I think he’s an excellent teacher and all-around fun person to hang out with. Our group of eight composers ranged from a few people still in grad school to a few who had recently embarked on a composition or teaching career. I was really impressed with the stylistic variety within the group and really enjoyed getting to know them. In addition to this there was a group of visual artists and a group of writers. Composers were far outnumbered and I would guess that there were around 40 residents in total.

Though there were opportunities to mingle with other artists, the structure that ACA puts in place tends to segregate the disciplines. Additionally, there’s less emphasis on solitude for creative work and more on group activities with an educational bent. Scheduling for presentations, group meetings, and individual lessons is a major part of the experience here. I think it could work well for someone who is especially interested in critical feedback and more of a classroom setting, but not necessarily someone looking for a lot of uninterrupted time to work.

Copland House 

Location/grounds

Copland House is quite literally Aaron Copland’s house in Westchester County, NY. He lived here for quite some time towards the end of his life and much of the home’s contents are his personal belongings. (including some pretty rad retro furniture) Technically, the house is in a neighborhood, but there’s a lot of space between houses and it still feels pretty isolated. I was there for the month of February and there was several feet of snow on the ground the entire time. Special bonus: I saw the same family of deer cross through the back yard twice a day every day I was there.

Studios/Housing

The house is actually quite modest given the fame of its previous occupant. It has a couple of bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and a large music room surrounded by windows. This room has two pianos, an extensive collection of recordings, and a simple desk that Copland used himself. It’s an inspiring environment, and my level of productivity there was far greater than I had ever experienced before.

Food

CH provides you with a stipend for food, but it’s up to you to get groceries and cook. They provide a car for you to get around town, but I didn’t really get to use it much. The snowstorms were relentless while I was there and I just opted to have groceries delivered once a week.

Fellow artists

There are none. It’s just you and this house that’s dripping with history. I thrived in this environment, but I can imagine that some might not enjoy it so much. That said, the friendly CH staff are in the building next door if you have any questions or just need a bit of human contact.

Avaloch Farm Music Institute 

I was only at this residency for a few days, so my experience with it isn’t extensive. However, I think it’s a really unique place and serves an important role in the musical community.

Location/grounds

Located in a very rural area near Boscawen, New Hampshire, Avaloch has some of the best music-specific facilities that I’ve seen. The campus is centered around a main building with a kitchen and dining room that doubles as a performance space. On the other side of a large field, there are a handful of cabins just large enough for quartets or quintets that are used as rehearsal and recording spaces.

Studios/Housing

Avaloch has dozens of bedroom suites that remind me of a nice hotel room. Bathrooms are shared with your suite-mates, but there’s a decent amount of privacy and I found the accommodations to be quite comfortable. There are also several well-equipped practice rooms just down the hall from each bank of suites. Avaloch isn’t really designed to provide isolation for creative work, but that’s not really it’s function. This is a performer-centric place and composers go there to workshop and rehearse with ensembles.

Food

All meals are prepared by chef Peter Novom (who is coincidentally the younger brother of my wife’s best friend from elementary/high school) and are absolutely delicious. It’s a great time to socialize and food is a constant topic of conversation.

Fellow artists

This place is a melting pot of musicians. During the summer, many of the performers are new music folks, but it’s not uncommon to find yourself sitting next to a medieval fiddler at lunch or sharing dessert with a classical opera singer. Though the residents here are artistically more homogenous than the multi-disciplinary residencies described above, there is a lot musical diversity. That said, a substantial percentage of artists here will know each other from the real world and there’s a kind of continuous reunion vibe here. There were concerts every night and I heard some really outstanding performances. Avaloch is rife with musical talent and it’s an inspiring place to workshop and experiment with performers.