MacDowell (artists' residency and workshop)

History

In 1896, pianist Marian MacDowell bought Hillcrest Farm in Peterborough, New Hampshire, as a summer residence for herself and her husband, composer Edward MacDowell. She had always been careful to give him a quiet room for his work. They found that the New Hampshire landscape enhanced his work of composing music.

The couple formulated a plan to provide an interdisciplinary experience in a nurturing landscape, by creating an institutionalized residential art colony in the area. In 1904, Edward MacDowell began to show signs of an illness that ended his composing and teaching career. He died in 1908.

In 1907, Marian MacDowell deeded their farm to the Edward MacDowell Association and founded the MacDowell Colony. The first guests arrived that year: sisters Helen Farnsworth Mears, a sculptor, and Mary Mears, a writer. Mears wrote about her time on site for The Craftsman in July 1909. MacDowell began by inviting applicants personally, but by the 1920s had consigned the admission process to a committee.

Marian and friends raised funds and found support from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, former U.S. President Grover Cleveland, financier J. P. Morgan, other prominent people, as well as many others across the country. MacDowell said the most consistent support came from women's clubs and professional music sororities (see, for example, the MacDowell Club of New York). At the age of 50, MacDowell began lecturing to women's groups to raise funds, resumed her performing career, and became a noted interpreter of her husband's work.

Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge organized an effort in 1916 to build and name a studio at MacDowell in memory of her teacher Regina Watson. It was renovated in 1993 and became McDowell's first barrier-free studio that was accessible to everyone.

By 1918, 31 of Isabelle Sprague Smith's students funded the creation of the Isabelle D. Sprague Smith studio. Through the years more separate studios were built. The program continues in 32 studios scattered over 450 acre of land.

On March 13, 2020, MacDowell shut in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak and sent artists and fellows home. It was the first time the site had shut since the 1938 New England hurricane. MacDowell reopened its doors in October of 2020.

Medal Day

Every year, MacDowell presents the Edward MacDowell Medal to an artist who has made a significant cultural contribution. Residency at MacDowell is not a requirement. Medal Day is one of the rare occasions when the site is open to the public. The ceremony includes a keynote speech, after which the artists open their studios to visitors.

Property tax dispute

MacDowell, a non-profit organization, enjoys the status of a charity, entitling it to exemption from local property taxes, among other things. However, in 2005, the town of Peterborough's selectmen (local-government executives) decided to challenge MacDowell's charitable status and billed the organization for a "payment in lieu of taxes". A lawyer for the town argued that "the Colony certainly benefits its artists-in-residence, but that doesn't strike us as being the general public."

The then-Board of Directors paid the bill, then successfully challenged the charge. A 2007 Superior Court opinion found that the MacDowell Colony, by promoting the arts, was a charitable institution, a ruling that was upheld by the New Hampshire Supreme Court in a subsequent appeal. The appeal court found that "Contrary to the Town's assertions, MacDowell's articles of incorporation oblige it to use its property for its stated charitable purpose."

Awards

In 1962, the site and buildings were designated a National Historic Landmark District.

In 1997, MacDowell Colony was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Notable works

Notable works written, in whole or in part, by their authors at MacDowell include:

• Leonard Bernstein completed his Mass.
• James Baldwin worked on Giovanni's Room and Another Country.
• Willa Cather wrote parts of Death Comes for the Archbishop.
• Michael Chabon wrote The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, a 2001 Pulitzer winner. Chabon served as chairman of the board from 2010 to 2020.
• Aaron Copland worked there on composing the orchestral suite Appalachian Spring (1944), a 1945 Pulitzer winner.
• Jonathan Franzen completed The Corrections.
• Spalding Gray worked on his novel The Impossible Vacation, and later chronicled his experiences in his extended monolog Monster in a Box.
• DuBose Heyward and Dorothy Heyward wrote Porgy and Bess.
• Helen Hooven Santmyer wrote Farewell, Summer in 1930 (published posthumously)
• Virgil Thomson worked on The Mother of Us All.
• Alice Walker worked on her first novel and Meridian.
• Thornton Wilder wrote Our Town and The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

References

References

1. "MacDowell Colony". National Park Service.
2. {{NRISref. 2007a
3. [https://www.nhpr.org/post/calling-it-natural-evolution-macdowell-colony-drops-colony-its-name NHPR: "MacDowell Colony drops colony from tis name 7 July 2020]
4. [https://www.macdowell.org/news/macdowell-removes-colony-from-name MacDowell.org: "MacDowell Removes 'Colony' from Name" 7 July 2020]
5. [http://www.macdowellcolony.org/about/faqs MacDowell Colony FAQ]
6. Silverman, Art. (March 6, 2007). "Artists Retreat into Solitude at MacDowell Colony". All Things Considered.
7. . (January 22, 2020). ["Best-selling Author and Visual Artist Nell Painter Appointed Chair of MacDowell Colony Board of Directors"](https://www.macdowell.org/news/best-selling-author-and-visual-artist-nell-painter-appointed-chair-of-macdowell-colony-board-of-directors).
8. [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/24/arts/chiwoniso-kaitano-macdowell-director.html The New York Times: "MacDowell Names Chiwoniso Kaitano Its Next Executive Director" February 24, 2023]
9. (1917). "The History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity (1885-1916)". George Banta Printing Co.
10. "The House That Marian Built: The MacDowell Colony of Peterborough, New Hampshire".
11. "Library Of Congress".
12. (2009). "More than Petticoats: Remarkable New Hampshire Women". Morris Book Publishing.
13. "Watson - Studios".
14. (1918). "The Musical Monitor". Mrs. David Allen Campbell, Publisher.
15. [https://www.macdowellcolony.org/studios MacDowell Colony: Explore our studios]
16. [https://www.macdowell.org/news/macdowell-announces-temporary-covid-19-closure "MacDowell Announces Temporary COVID-19 Closure" 13 March, 2020]
17. Gokee, Amanda. (July 18, 2024). "This secluded property in rural N.H. has hosted some of the world's greatest artists".
18. "Medal Day". The MacDowell Colony.
19. Winkleman, E.. (November 1, 2005). "Local Government: McDowell Not Advancing Spiritual or Intellectual Well-Being of General Public".
20. (October 13, 2005). "Town Demands Taxes from Long-Exempt Artists' Colony". NPR.
21. (March 14, 2008). "Town of Peterborough v. The MacDowell Colony, Inc.". The Supreme Court of New Hampshire.
22. (January 6, 1976). ["National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: MacDowell Colony"]({{NHLS url). National Park Service.
23. Bradford, S. Sydney. (January 6, 1976). ["Accompanying 5 photos, from 1907 and 1975"]({{NHLS url). National Park Service.
24. National Medal of Arts. (1997). "Lifetime Honors".
25. "Leonard Bernstein".
26. "James Baldwin".
27. "Willa Cather".
28. Carolyn Kellog (December 7, 2010), "[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2010/12/michael-chabon-is-the-new-chair-of-the-macdowell-colony-board.html Michael Chabon named chairman of MacDowell Colony board]", ''Los Angeles Times''.
29. "The Pulitzer Prizes".
30. "Jonathan Franzen".
31. "Spalding Gray".
32. "DuBose Heyward".
33. "Dorothy Heyward".
34. Quay, Joyce Crosby. (1995). "Early Promise, Late Reward: A Biography of Helen Hooven Santmyer, author of "...And Ladies of the Club"". Knowledge, Ideas and Trends.
35. "Virgil Thomson".
36. "Alice Walker".
37. "Thornton Wilder".