ANNUAL REPORT 2014 MISSION STATEMENT Yaddo’s mission is to further the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment. Chosen on a competitive basis by panels of widely recognized artists, guests work in both traditional and nontraditional media. They include emerging and well-known artists, reflecting a broad range of contemporary styles and creative perspectives. They are welcomed to Yaddo without regard for their financial circumstances. FRONT COVER: Photo by Alexandra Truitt. TITLE: Anne Truitt: Parva sculpture, Stone South, Yaddo NY. © annetruitt.org/Bridgeman Images. CONTENTS Report from the Co-Chairs 3 New York City Benefit 12 Yaddo Contributors 16 President’s Report 4 Saratoga Summer Benefit 13 Directors and Members 24 Yaddo Artists 6 Let’s Get Together 14 Trask Society 23 Sponsored Residencies 9 Financial Information 15 Staff 24 2 YADDO ANNUAL REPORT 2014 REPORT FROM THE CO-CHAIRS It’s hard to believe we’re well into our second year as Co-Chairs of Yaddo’s Board. By necessity, given our commitment around our recently restored ponds, With thanks to Candace Weir, our to revitalizing our core facilities, we away from the noise of the Northway; Treasurer, the endowment is in good had a strong focus on fundraising in thus, as we extend our footprint we are health – it closed the year at over $30 2014 – which can make it easy to also enlarging our circle of tranquility. million, a strong achievement for 2014 forget Yaddo’s basic mission. It’s a place The very fact that one of these cabins given the rigors of the market and the of retreat. As artists, we were already is funded by Yaddo artists is an fact that at the beginning of 2013 it aware of the deep value of the time indication of how strongly our alumni stood at just over $25 million. and space Yaddo exists to provide, but feel about the need for the kind of as the Capital Campaign begins to retreat Yaddo offers. These studios will In financial terms, and in programmatic accelerate, we are more cognizant than allow Yaddo to make the necessary terms, 2014 was a strong year in ever of the profound need for silence, restorations to the Mansion without general for Yaddo – much work was for support, and for community, to keep greatly diminishing our capacity during done and much was achieved. The creativity going at its highest level. Matt this time. They will also be equipped to year ended with a balanced budget, a Crawford, in a recent New York Times meet the needs and methods of 21st significant marker of financial health op-ed, was quite brilliant on this topic. century artists. and community support as we embark He notes: on a Capital Campaign. We were able This year we are very pleased to to raise an initial $2.4 million for our “The benefits of silence … are not welcome two new Members of the Preserving the Past/Building a Vibrant measured in the gross domestic Corporation, Ayad Akhtar and Ann Future initiative without cannibalizing product, yet the availability of silence Chen. They have already proven to be annual support. This sign of momentum surely contributes to creativity and committed and inspiring and join the is encouraging as we progress through innovation. They do not show up ranks of our existing vital and engaged 2015 and beyond. explicitly in social statistics such as Membership. We are also excited to level of educational achievement, have Janice Y.K. Lee and Jill Viney join We know these achievements have yet one consumes a great deal of our Board of Directors. The growth of placed demands on all of us, and silence in the course of becoming our Membership and Board has been warmest thanks go to Yaddo’s amazing educated. …Silence is now offered as a high priority and a crucial task as we staff, especially to our hard-working a luxury good. In the business-class lay the strongest possible foundation for President, Elaina Richardson. lounge at Charles de Gaulle Airport, our second century. I heard only the occasional tinkling And lastly, a big thank you to all of you of a spoon against china. I saw no Sadly, as we welcomed new talents, we for your support. Yaddo couldn’t exist advertisements on the walls. This also had to say goodbye to stalwarts: without you! We look forward to hearing silence, more than any other feature, we greatly mourn the recent deaths your input and ideas, and will reach out is what makes it feel genuinely of our long-term Member, Anne with news of future developments soon. luxurious.” Palamountain, the cherished “first lady of Skidmore,” who did so much to build A.M. Homes and Susan Unterberg We’re about to break ground on five support for Yaddo in the Capital District, Co-Chairs new live-work studios. These new and Nina Sundell, the wife of our buildings are strategically placed beloved former President, Mike Sundell. 3 PRESIDENT’S REPORT “How are things going at Yaddo?” visible way of communicating Yaddo’s Of course, strategy and oversight are Hopefully, anyone who asked me that dedication to providing the highest essential to the realization of such large question in 2014 had some time on quality environment for creative work. plans, and in this context I thank in their hands, because the answer would As we staked out the new roads that particular Candace Weir for her smart not have been brief! It was an exciting will lead to these studios and finalized and dynamic chairing of our Finance year, full of accomplishments as well as all the necessary approvals it was hard and Audit Committee and Patricia a challenge or two, and given coherence not to imagine the joy our founders, Sopp, Yaddo’s stellar Vice President for by our commitment to two resonant Spencer and Katrina Trask, might have Finance. themes: Preserving our Past and taken in the enterprise. They, usually by Building a Vibrant Future. choice, sometimes by necessity, were Buildings are at heart no more than tireless in their desire to invigorate their a simple way for us to actualize our A first step toward this 21st-century estate and its buildings, to draft ideas mission, that simple promise to offer iteration of Yaddo involved finalizing and to experiment – a great source good working conditions to artists at the planning and prep work for five of inspiration, in fact, as we broke no cost to them. And on the program new live-work studios that will be ground. In their letter, our talented and side, Yaddo did shine in 2014. We completed in 2015 and available for dedicated Co-Chairs, A.M. Homes and welcomed 226 guest artists out of an use year-round. Built along the ridge Susan Unterberg, mention that these applicant pool of 1,425. We noted a that overlooks our restored ponds, new studios have been generously steady increase in all categories (as these studios will allow us to move supported by many people, including you may know, Yaddo has five judging our artists away from the noise of a large number of our former guests, panels), most notably in artists applying the interstate highway. The arts and who banded together to underwrite the with collaborative projects. They came the artists we host are in a constant Artists Studio at Yaddo. I join Susan and to Yaddo from twenty-four states and state of renewal, and the facilities that A.M. in sending my thanks to each of the District of Columbia, in addition support them should be, too. These new these supporters and give my heartfelt to several foreign countries, including studios are an exhilarating and highly thanks to Susan and A.M. themselves. China, Hungary, and Mexico. Nearly 4 YADDO ANNUAL REPORT 2014 The arts and the artists we host are in a constant state of renewal, and the facilities that support them should be, too. half were guests at Yaddo for the first letters, dedications, and interviews of solitude and community, of time time and the artists ranged in age last year to the staggering impact and space, and—most important of from early-20s to late-80s. With the time at Yaddo had on their output and all—the increasingly urgent necessity of shrewd guidance of our Admissions creativity. supporting the work of individual artists Committees and partners at the Knight if we are to have a vibrant and engaged and Hearst Foundations, we also As always, I thank my talented and cultural life. With much being asked of renewed our efforts to guarantee hard-working colleagues for all they did everyone, much was given: the response the vitality of our admissions process to make 2014 so productive: I learned a to our commitment to Preserve our through improved outreach. These lot from each of them as we collectively Past and Build a Vibrant Future was efforts paid off handsomely in a shaped goals and, more importantly, unfailingly positive from every sector lively and talented group of artists in a shared vision of how to get there. of our community in 2014. That residence throughout the year. Our We said goodbye to a most valued inspires confidence and it is a profound admissions panels once again did an colleague, as Lesley Leduc, Yaddo’s responsibility that will chart our course outstanding job reviewing applicants; Public Affairs Coordinator for nineteen in the coming years. Stay tuned! I am indebted to the chairperson years, retired. Our entire organization of each one, and to the artists who thanks her for her exceptional service, generously agreed to help us with this and already misses the depth of her task.