For artists only

No question about it: The MacDowell Colony loves its "colonists," who come to the New Hampshire woods to block out all distractions and produce their best art.

Each is given room and board, along with a studio to work in at no charge. Most of the grateful artists treat their temporary home with respect - but some have gotten so caught up in their work they forget their manners.

"One artist, who shall remain nameless, painted right on the wall of his studio," says Cheryl Young, the executive director of MacDowell. "When it came time to leave, he decided he wanted his painting. So he just cut it out of the wall with a chain saw and took it with him."

The colony quietly repaired the wall, repainted, and brought in the next guest.

That hospitality is just what Marian MacDowell had in mind when she established the colony in 1907 as a haven for working artists on her 450-acre southern New Hampshire farm. It's the oldest of about 100 such artists communities around the United States and among the best known, along with such others as Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colo.; Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts in Sweet Briar.

MacDowell is a living tribute to her husband, American composer Edward MacDowell. Today, more than 200 artists visit each year for stays ranging from two to eight weeks.

The 20 or 30 artists in residence at any given time gather each evening at Colony Hall, the large administrative building, for a family-style meal (served promptly at 6:30 p.m.) and informal activities such as pool and ping-pong. Other than breakfast, it's the only time they are likely to see one another. The rest of the day the "colonists," as the artists are called, scatter to some 30 studios that dot the rolling, wooded property. There they sculpt, paint, write, design, or compose.

They don't even have to account for how they spend their time. "We don't ask for a report at the end," Ms. Young explains. That's because of the rigorous selection process. The applicant must show a track record of accomplishments. On average, only 1 in 6 artists who apply is accepted. "We try to find people who are most likely to do something good, and we let them do it," Young says. "We don't bug them. We don't ask them if they finished what they were supposed to today."

So how does the colony know if it's succeeding in its mission?

For one thing, it can point to its list of past colonists, which includes nearly 60 Pulitzer Prize winners. The stellar list includes Willa Cather, Barbara Tuchman, Studs Terkel, and Michael Chabon. Thornton Wilder wrote "Our Town" here in the 1930s. Aaron Copland composed his "Appalachian Spring" in one of the studios, and Leonard Bernstein finished at least part of his monumental "Mass" in another one. In fact, the colony's elegant stone library building is stacked to the ceiling with books and musical scores published by past MacDowell colonists.

To guard the colonists' privacy, the general public is allowed on the grounds just one day a year. That's Medal Day, when the studios are opened, and the colony presents an award to a prominent artist. Recent honorees have included animator Chuck Jones, architect I.M. Pei, and writer Philip Roth.

Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4