If you happen to be an artist of any stripe – or a lover of the arts -- you already know that the MacDowell Colony is a special treasure in the Monadnock Region. The art colony, the oldest of its kind in the country located on 450 acres in Peterborough, is dedicated to nurturing the creative spirit of artists providing them with a stress and distraction-free environment in which to create. The stays are free to artists who are selected in an application process (including housing and meals) – the only criterion for acceptance is artistic excellence.
Since the MacDowell Colony was founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, a pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell, the colony has hosted more than 6,000 artists – writers, poets, playwrights, visual artists, sculptors musicians and composers -- including legendary names such as Leonard Bernstein, Thornton Wilder, Aaron Copland, James Baldwin, Spalding Gray, Alice Walker and many more. The colony has supported in residence winners of at least 61 Pulitzer Prize winners.
Perhaps the most charming aspect of a colony artist’s stay is the lunches which are quietly hand-delivered in a basket to the doorstep of each of the 32 personal studios (breakfast and dinners are shared by the 20-30 artists in residence in a common dining room). The stays are a quiet, contemplative and often artistically productive retreat … one that artists relish as a pause from their busy lives to pursue -- without interruption -- their art.
While artists are on retreat, guests to the MacDowell Colony are welcome (with advance notice) to visit the Colony’s main building and the library, which houses the collected works of MacDowell Fellows in all media. You can also visit the MacDowells’ gravesite which is a registered historic marker, and is located down the road from the Colony.
Another public event, Medal Day (this year held on August 12, 2012) is when artists-in-residence open their studios to the public and an award is given to a resident artist who has shown to be outstanding in his or her field. This year the Edward MacDowell Medal will be awarded to photographer Nan Goldin. The ceremony begins at 12:15; lunch follows at 1:15 p.m. -- you can bring your own picnic lunch or purchase a basket for $20. The open studio tour is from 2-5 p.m.
The Colony also hosts MacDowell Downtown, a series of free artist presentations offered on the first Friday of the month from March through November at 7:30 p.m. at the Peterborough Historical Society in downtown Peterborough. Each season features several MacDowell artists who volunteer to share their work with the local community at a public presentation which have included film screenings, readings, visual presentations and more. These are free and open to all.
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