Facilities
Artists camp and bring their own tent, sleeping bag and any other essentials needed to keep them comfortable during their residency. The campsite is in the Blueberry Grove to protect from undesirable whether conditions.
Summer residents receive 24-hour access to an adaptable 120-square foot studio near the Blueberry Grove campsite. The studio includes a slope sink, outdoor shower, mini fridge, first aid and kitchen supplies. Right before the studio is the compost toilet.
Artists-in-residents also have access also have access to our activities deck called “The Hex” to make work, congregate with other artists or just watch the light move through the sky.
Zenat Begum
2020
Programs
While in residence at the farm, artists are given the time and freedom to slow down, listen and work in close relationship with the land and each other. Days unfold with a balance of self-directed studio practice and shared rhythms including long stretches of time for writing, composing or researching alongside moments of collective gathering.
Residents are invited to move through meadows and forest paths, work outdoors, engage the material conditions of the site and allow weather, light, water and seasonal change to inform their process. The farm functions as both a workspace and a living collaborator, offering opportunities for site-responsive experimentation, reflection and embodied inquiry.
Whether your practice is solitary or social, the residency supports deep focus while fostering meaningful connection to other residents, the land and to a slower, more intentional way of working that often gets lost in everyday life.
Timeline + Review
Our residency open call is usually open from March to July.
We finish review and notify applicants by early November.
Artists-in-residence are selected based on the quality of their work, commitment to their practice, experience and skill camping and being on raw land and ability to interact postively and respectfully with the residency and offering at large.
Cost
We offer our residency on a sliding scale from $75-$250.
The application fee is $5.
“Activation Residency is a rare space that actually shows up for community care. Every aspect of the residency is made with so much intention, safety, and vibrance. This space offered a balance of solo rest and play while creating time for connection. I feel completely changed by this experience. Community is a practice that is rarely shown up to with purpose, and this residency is changing that reality. I am grateful to have been a part.”
Annika Hansteen-Izora
2020
Our Approach
On 8 reclaimed acres in the western Catskill mountains, we offer artists the time and space to development their practice. Residents aren’t required to produce anything while they’re here.
We see the residency as the beginning of a relationship. After their residencies, artists often come back the following season to host their own program. We introduce them to our vast network of chefs, food pantries, facilitators and local makers to support the production of their event.
All of this feeds back into the growing farm community. Our residents live and work alongside one another and end up bringing their own cohort of artists into intimate gathering on the farm.
"My time at Activation Residency was transformational. That weekend affirmed for me that we can create a radically healing community by gathering together with open hearts, clear communication, and healing intentions. As a Black femme I rarely feel safe to show up fully as myself in a space. But at Activation Residency, I felt and witnessed acceptance, safety, and healing. This weekend modeled for me what a queer BIPOC-led future can be."
Rochelle Wilbun
2020