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Macdowell Annual Report 2007

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Macdowell Annual Report 2007 ANNUAL REPORT – April 2006 through March 2007 CONTENTS 1 The Mission 3 Message from the Chairman 4 Report from the President and Executive Director 6 Centennial Celebration 8 Artists-in-Residence 20 MacDowell Artists in the Community 22 Fellows Executive Committee 23 The Edward MacDowell Medal and Medal Day 24 Events 26 Gifts for Residencies and Studios 31 Campaign, Centennial, and The MacDowell Circle Contributors 35 Message from the Treasurer 36 Board and Staff 37 A Gift to MacDowell Cover: Filmmaker Ignacio Alcantara. Photo by Victoria Sambunaris. Above: Filmmaker Christine Schiavo. Right: Shop Studio artwork and photo by Cassie Jones. THE The MacDowell Colony nurtures the arts by offering creative individuals of the highest talent an inspiring environment in which they can produce enduring MISSION works of imagination. In 1907, the Colony was founded by American composer Edward MacDowell and Marian MacDowell, his wife. Since its inception, the Colony has supported the work of more than 6,000 women and men of exceptional ability. Situated on 450 acres of woodlands and fields in Peterborough, NH, the Colony has 32 studios. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. Works of art conceived, developed, and completed during residencies at MacDowell have added immeasurably to our country’s cultural life. In 1997, The MacDowell Colony was awarded the National Medal of Arts for “nurturing and inspiring many of this century’s finest artists.” More than 250 creative artists come to the Colony each year from all parts of the United States and abroad. Anyone may apply. The sole criterion for acceptance is talent as judged by a juried committee in the applicant’s discipline. A residency lasts from two weeks to two months. Accepted artists are given a private studio in which to work as well as room and all meals. There are no residency fees. The Colony encourages artists from all backgrounds to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, handicap, sex, religion, marital status, or national origin. To continue to provide an ideal working place for gifted artists, The MacDowell Colony depends on public interest and generosity and is very grateful to the many who have given their support. 1 My five weeks at MacDowell have been perhaps the most extraordinary, exhilarating, and productive of my career, not solely for the obvious — the sheer beauty of the setting, the comfort of the studio, the removal of almost all worldly distraction, the great food, the solitude that invites complete focus and concentration — but also for the incredible sense of community created by staff, fellow Colonists, and place that states what our contemporary culture so rarely does: “Art matters. Your work matters.” — Playwright Charles Morey Above: Filmmaker Eric Saks; Interdisciplinary Artist Jenifer Wightman 2 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN This is a momentous year for MacDowell, our 100th birthday. Amazingly, the Colony staff, always totally busy in making the place run, has brought an extraordinary burst of extra energy to planning and launching the Centennial celebrations that continue all year with concerts, exhibitions, and screenings all over the country. The Colony has published a handsome book of essays by Colonists and produced a film by four MacDowell filmmakers. Even the kitchen, the vital heart of the colony, is being rebuilt! Two special highlights of the year will be the totally original birthday celebration on Medal Day weekend in August and a monster gala in New York in December. And, backing the staff, members of our board of trustees have thrown themselves with notable excitement into all these efforts. Of course we want to have fun and celebrate, but what’s the ultimate purpose in this year of calling attention to MacDowell? It is to guarantee that we are healthy and vital for another century and that everyone we can reach understands what the arts mean to America and what MacDowell, uniquely, contributes to both. Robert MacNeil Chairman 3 REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR This year we see the fruition of many years of work not only in the 100-year life of the Colony but also in the planning of its Centennial celebration. In the pages of this report you will find descriptions of the latest work of 254 talented creative artists coming from 35 states and 9 countries. These artists were selected from 1,700 applicants attracted by the reputation of MacDowell’s Fellowship experience. Artists who come for the valuable uninterrupted time comment on the benefit of meeting peers from disciplines different from their own, affirming Edward and Marian MacDowell’s belief in the affiliations among the arts. This year saw the culmination of the work of many Board committees who had the foresight and energy to use the opportunity of the Centennial to take both a forward and a critical look at many aspects of the Colony: the artists experience, the physical plant, the financial position, and the “place” that MacDowell wants to hold as both an artists colony and in the arts in the next 100 years. It has been a lively, rewarding, and intense time for MacDowell and a wonderful parallel to all of the excitement that the Centennial celebration is providing. We learned a lot. For example, in our annual financial powwow led by Board treasurer Gerry Gartner, we realized that our endowment — which many perceive as large — was, in fact, not going to sustain the Colony in perpetuity. Even with modest growth in programs, the gap between endowment income and operating expenses had been widening, and we determined that this needed to be addressed. Likewise, the Plant Planning Committee, led by Tom Putnam, undertook a deep scrutiny of our physical space and determined that the Savidge Library and Colony Hall were both “growing out” of themselves and no longer served their intended purposes well. A Library Committee was then formed, hiring the firm of Dean/Wolf Architects. Over the past year, they have worked diligently to envision a new home for the MacDowell collection — now more than 10,000 works by Fellows — that will provide the same ease of access to work samples in the visual, film, and musical arts as that now enjoyed by literature. And, of course, our much-loved library must continue in its dual role as a gathering place for artists’ presentations and a setting for reflection. In Colony Hall, the considerations were much more straightforward: the kitchen, administrative offices, and maintenance quarters needed to be updated for efficiency and safety; and the common spaces for artists could be expanded to better serve year-round needs. These simple decisions, however, warrant a significant renovation to the hub of the Colony. Finally, our long awaited Interdisciplinary Art Studio must be built. The requests for residencies like this are burgeoning, as few other art colonies can accommodate the kind of work that will be done in this space. Whew! A rather large but critical list, rationalized only by the fact that appropriate space is at the core of the artist experience. 4 We’ve done then what most prudent nonprofit organization would do. We’ve begun fundraising in earnest to address these critical needs. You will note later in these pages that the nucleus phase of a very early campaign proceeds with generosity and encouragement, and that support given is already hard at work. In December of last year, the launch of the Centennial was kicked off at our New York gala, and in January, the publication of A Place for the Arts, a 240-page hardbound book with specially commissioned essays and photographs, was released. We invite you to read the Centennial section of this report that shares some of the highlights of the first half of the year and previews more exciting things to come. Anne Stark, our Centennial project manager, has devoted extraordinary energy to developing programs and materials to convey our message about the value of creativity. Brendan Tapley, our communications director, spent these past five years laying a solid foundation for public relations, and we have enjoyed great coverage of MacDowell in the media during this landmark year. Mrs. MacDowell would be proud. We know that the reputation of the Colony is what it is because of hard work and planning but also, ultimately, because of the attention to detail and care in the program’s execution. David Macy, resident director, manages the day-to-day operations of the residency program and community outreach; he also oversees MacDowell’s capital projects with enthusiasm and expertise. Likewise, Wendy Belser, director of development, ensures that we have the resources we rely upon to keep going. Combine that dedication with the hundreds of volunteers who work on our board, for our admissions panels, on a dozen committees, and toward a range of projects — some of whom are listed in this report — and you have a remarkable recipe for helping artists reach their potential. This year, we welcome new board members Susan Austin, Colony Fellow Fred Clarke, Vallejo Gantner, and Mira Nair. And we regret the loss of dear friends and board members Benny Andrews, who was also a Colony Fellow, and Peter Wensberg. Benny and Peter both devoted their lives to creative work and will be remembered for their talent, wit, and warmth. As a final note, on the occasion of its Centennial, MacDowell was invited to make a presentation at the annual meeting of the National Council of the Arts in Washington, D.C.. This honor was shared with the Alliance of Artists Communities representing the entire field. Subsequent talks are now taking place with the National Endowment for the Arts for ways to recognize the vital cultural contributions made by residency programs.
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