Austerlitz, New York, United States
Millay Arts, founded in 1973 at "Steepletop," the historic estate of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay in Austerlitz, New York, offers multidisciplinary artist residencies. The nonprofit organization, located in the Hudson Valley, provides a serene environment for artists to deeply engage in their creative process from March through November. It hosts 6-7 artists for two-week or month-long stays, offering fully-subsidized Core Residencies and partially-subsidized Steepletop Residencies, as well as the Wintertide Rustic Retreat. Artists at Millay Arts benefit from the inspirational setting, with idyllic meadows and woods, and proximity to cultural institutions. The Core Residency, selected through a blind jury process, includes a stipend for groceries but not communal meals. The Steepletop Residency allows for advanced scheduling and the Wintertide Retreat offers a self-directed, quiet space for work or rest. Facilities include the Barn, a rustic space with studios and bedrooms, and the Main Building, featuring ADA-design, shared living spaces, and specialized suites. Millay Arts is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, supporting a wide range of artistic voices and fostering connections between artists and the local community.
I had the immense pleasure of being a 2023 Visual Arts Fellow at Millay Arts. My spacious studio in the main house, friendly and gifted fellow residents, delicious chef prepared dinners and gorgeous country setting all paved the way for a successful month! Inspired, I was able to realize a new project that I had been thinking about for some time!
The land and space are beautiful especially picturesque. The beds are not the best quality and sink in alot, so be careful. There are no covid protocols in place and the directors ignored any of my concerns regarding covid safety even though the space boasts being the first ADA residency. The private cook isn't very approachable and it's very judgmental to residents which dampered our stay. I loved my windows in the studio and scenery, access to nature are priority here. The residency lodging director is not very diligent with paperwork and coordination and at times could be kinder. The cohorts run small with 7-8 people which can make deep bonds with other AIRs. There aren't any locks on the bedrooms which is very weird or they were fob based and not used yet. Unlike Macdowell, Millay's library is very limited and not even fully accessible since some of it is in the director's office. I wish they had more media and library space to research. Studio furniture needs updating and quality is not the same studio to studio. Overall, my cohort made my residency amazing and we loved campfires, cooking together, sharing outdoor space with walks and hikes. The assessment process after residency of Millay is not online, digital, or anonymous so that needs to be updated for AIR support. They're are two dogs who visit and are just adorable company which is an additional perk.
Millay Arts was a very healing artist residency. I spent my time there at the end of summer, so the weather was perfect, and the landscape was stunning. I enjoyed that we were a small group of 7 artists from different art disciplines. As a painter, the studio space was the best I've ever had; it was huge, so much wall space, and it was ventilated. It was so convenient that my bedroom was in front of my studio too. Our chef-prepared meals were delicious, and we had a great time making each other dinners on the weekends. Also, our campfires were so fun! I thought I would hate being stuck in the middle of the forest for a month, but it was so nurturing. The poetry trail and the walk to the meadow and hidden meadow were lovely when you needed a little break from your work. I would recommend it as a place to heal, research, and make work. An important thing to consider is to apply to the Core Residency (the free one) and not the steeple top (paid). I made the mistake of applying to the Steepletop residency instead when the core residency provides the same thing for free! I later discovered that I was the only person from my cohort paying for the program, and we all received the same services. That was a disappointing and hard lesson to learn. It would have been a perfect experience if they had been more transparent. It was an expensive fee for just one month, I'm not sure if I would recommend it as a paid residency unless you already have a grant.