MacDowell's fellows spend weeks or months in one of 32 spartan studios
scattered throughout the woods--each one centered around one large room
and outfitted with a thin rug, a desk, a chair, a fireplace, and perhaps
a bulletin board (and on request, with a piano, sculpting tools, or other
gear). Most artists sleep in central dormitories and take breakfast and
dinner in the main hall, where tables come alive with conversation. Lunch,
by contrast, arrives silently around noon in a basket at the door, so as
not to interrupt artists at work.
Personally it sounds amazing. I am not an artist but the thought of spending all
day in a quite cabin in the woods with breakfast and dinner chatting to interesting
people really appeals. I would probably spend the day reading, studying and perhaps just walking and thinking.
The picture of the studios are especially good.
The idea of a holiday retreat run on similar lines very much appeals. The Colony
itself has a 22 million dollar endowment so it doesn't need to charge but I
guess something without that would. I have been looking at a few retreats
advertised in New Zealand but none has jumped out at me yet.
MacDowell Colony
About a month ago I was talking to a few people at
curry about an artists
retreat that I had read about in a magazine.
After a bit of searching I found the article I had read
in FastCompany about The MacDowell Colony.
The article gives a good description of how it works:
Posted 2006-10-26