SLOW WORK
SUMMER 2027
FOREST FRINGE FARM · BETHEL, NY
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Activation Residency invites applications for Slow Work, a seven-day camping residency on eight acres of working farmland in Bethel, New York. June 27 – July 3, 2027.
Eleven artists will be selected to live and work on land that is actively growing things, in a structure built around the proposition that slowness is not a break from your practice. It is the practice.
Mornings are unstructured. Afternoons are held by facilitators whose work sits at the intersection of ecology, somatics, and relational practice. Evenings gather around the fire. Two meals a day are prepared by working chefs.
There are no studios. The farm is the medium.
DETAILS
Dates — June 27 – July 3, 2027
Location — Forest Fringe Farm, Bethel, NY
Capacity — 11 residents
Eligibility — Artists, musicians, writers, and cultural workers, 25+
Cost — Free to apply and free to attend. Travel not included.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Activation Residency operates on Lenapehoking, the traditional territory of the Esopus Lenape (Munsee-speaking), the Mohican/Muhhekunneuw ("people of the waters that are never still"), and the Haudenosaunee peoples. The Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican Nation holds land in Sullivan County today.
Forest Fringe Farm was acquired through reparations by a descendant of enslaved people who worked land they did not own and held land they were swindled from. We steward this site with all of these histories present.
ACCESSIBILITY
Forest Fringe Farm is active farmland made of uneven terrain, gravel paths, tree roots, open field. The campsite is under tree canopy. The studio has a step entry. Gathering spaces are on grassy, sometimes uneven ground.
Wheelchairs and most mobility devices cannot navigate the site as it currently stands. If you have mobility access needs, please email us before applying. We will tell you honestly what is and isn't possible for this program.
Share sensory, dietary, medical, relational access needs with us in the application. We want to know early so we can plan with you.
Slow Work takes place outdoors and in shared space. We ask all participants to take a rapid test before arriving and to stay home if symptomatic. If you test positive during the week, we will help you get home safely. We do not require masking outdoors but will have masks available for anyone who wants them in shared indoor spaces. Care for each other's bodies is not optional here. It is part of the practice.
We ask six questions. Take your time with them.
Your name, pronouns, location, and age.
Your artistic practice — what do you make and how? (150 words)
What does slow work mean in your practice? (200 words)
Why this residency, now? (200 words)
Work samples — a portfolio link, up to 3 images, or one video under 3 minutes.
Accessibility needs. (We want to know early so we can plan with you.)
TIMELINE
Applications open — April 13, 2026
Applications close — July 13, 2026
Notification — September 13, 2026
REVIEW CRITERIA
We're looking for artists whose practice has a relationship with duration, land, or ecology not necessarily by subject matter, but by how they work.
We care about commitment to process over produce.
If you have questions, email info@activationresidency.com
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