Artists & Writers Colonies contains detailed information about more than 260 programs from across the United States and overseas. Residencies and retreats, fellowships and grants, colonies and creative spaces—they’re all here, well-researched and cross-referenced. Artists & Writers Colonies lists all the information any artist—beginner or professional—needs in order to find the perfect place to pursue the most ambitious of creative endeavors.
Artists & Writers Colonies will be an invaluable resource for anyone who craves or needs the time, space, and community support to take his or her work to a new level. The perfect place for any artist to escape from the routines and demands of daily life—from a quiet weekend in the woods to a year-long residency program—is in its pages.
Artists & Writers Colonies includes programs for architects, ceramists, writers, poets, photographers, painters, sculptors, performance artists, composers, filmmakers, potters, media artists, scholars, storytellers, journalists, and more.
Had we but time enough ... and money, all of our creative dreams could be realized. Enter
Artists & Writers Colonies, which contains detailed listings for some 200 opportunities that provide "the time, space, or money for you to work on creative projects that the conditions of your everyday life prevent you from completing." The listings include application requirements, provisos, facility descriptions, and historical information about the colonies. One residency program (the Anderson Center) is located at the former home of the man who discovered the process of puffing cereal grains; another (the Watershed Center) offers free brick clay to artists. While Nebraska's Art Farm requires 15 hours of labor a week from its residents, New York Mills requests that its residents share their creativity with the local, rural community. Sheds at the Norcroft writing retreat come equipped with thesauruses and rocking chairs; artists at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center work in "hay lofts, barns, and on outdoor patios."
When the author of the first edition of this book was unable to do a second, a group of hard-working interns jumped in. They did a fine and diligent revision, though one can't help wondering whether a more experienced editor would have gotten more out of the six writers and artists whose essays about their artist-colony experiences accompany the book's listings. Regardless, the book succeeds at its ultimate goal, which is to inform artists and writers about the opportunities available to them, so they can approach the colonies best suited to their needs. Still, say the authors, no matter how well you plan your creative immersion, "there will certainly be surprises." Not to worry: "the unexpected can be a source of inspiration." --Jane Steinberg
