Applications for 2023 Berkshire Artist Residency Now Open!
Berkshire Art Center is now accepting applications for its 2023 Berkshire Artist Residency program! This is the third year Berkshire-based artists can apply for a summer residency at two local institutions - The Red Lion Inn and Chesterwood. Selected artists will spend three months creating work inspired by the history, landscape, culture, and construction of those institutions.
Since 2012, Berkshire Art Center has coordinated Artist Residencies that pair local visual artists with cultural institutions and historic landmarks across the Berkshires. The heart of the Berkshire Artist Residency is to give artists the opportunity to create new work inspired by their home county. This tailored program provides visual artists with exclusive access to world-class cultural facilities to develop work that intertwines with the fabric of our county.
Berkshire Art Center recognizes the important outlet and invaluable opportunity an artist residency provides. The extended length and flexible hours of the program give artists, who might not have the luxury to attend residencies away from home for long periods of time, the ability to further their career and create art in a way that compliments their current practice. The program is supported in part by a grant from the Stockbridge Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
The Summer 2023 program begins on Memorial Day, May 29, and runs through Labor Day, September 4. Artists selected receive access to the buildings and grounds of their site and support for the development, creation, and exhibition of their work. Each artist will receive an honorarium, the opportunity to give an Artist Talk, invitation to teach a course or workshop through Berkshire Art Center, and invitations to special events held at their site. Additional benefits, such as meal stipends and a studio space, are site specific. Each residency closes with a reception and exhibition of the artist’s work.
Summer 2023 Residency Sites
The Red Lion Inn, now celebrating its sixth year as a Berkshire Artist Residency site, is an iconic landmark located in Stockbridge, MA, in the heart of the Berkshires. The inn’s distinctive warmth and character express timeless yet vibrant tradition. In addition to the Main Inn, the historic campus is home to Maple Glen, a 17 room guesthouse that features an unexpected twist on modern country. Many charming village houses are also located on the property along with several unique lodging options such as their turn-of-the-century Firehouse.
Chesterwood, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is the former summer home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost public sculptor, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931). French is best known for his Minute Man in Concord, MA and the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. In his lifetime, however, he created over 100 public memorials and monuments across the country and Paris, France. Contemporary artists have been actively in residence at Chesterwood since 2010, inspired by the work of Daniel Chester French and the Site’s natural and built environment located in the Berkshire hills of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. For the Chesterwood Artist Residency, preference will be given to an artist identifying as BIPOC and currently working in or interested in exploring 3D media.
Applications are due March 21, 2023. For more information, please visit our website at: https://www.berkshireartcenter.org/berkshire-artist-residency-apply