Oak Spring Garden Foundation

Benefits: incredibly supportive residency in a gorgeous historical garden/farm setting. Access to a treasure of rare books and objects in the library. Challenges: the setting is rural-having a car makes things easier, but the staff are very helpful about providing transportation for errands, etc. Practical Advice: aside from working in your own studio, you can volunteer in the gardens or on the farm and spend time in the library-I highly recommended doing it all, my experience was so enriched by working with the plants and getting to know the farmers, gardeners, librarians and staff there. Although slightly controversial, I read ‘Bunny Mellon: the life of an American style legend’ during my time there and I felt the historical background of the people and the place really changed the experience of being there. I felt I had a much deeper understanding of Oak Spring and what it means to be a part of Mrs. Mellon’s legacy.

My preferred residency type is "go somewhere beautiful, meet some nice people, work like a dog for 16hrs a day in the studio", so keep that in mind throughout the review. I also make art specifically about gardens so it's no shock that Oak Spring Garden Foundation is my absolute favorite residency. I am constantly recommending it to any artist, musician, writer, dancer etc I meet who is working in an ecological vein of inquiry. UPSIDES: Funded residency, beautiful landscape, wonderful people, everything you need to be super productive. The best. DOWNSIDES: It's a residency designed to work and think, so if you're primarily trying to network this isn't gonna be it. OVERVIEW: The resources (library, garden, environment) are incredible, the staff are friendly and helpful, and the small cohorts of co-residents mean that you create lasting friendships if you tear yourself out of your studio for the occasional group meals and excursions. I received the Eliza Moore Fellowship (life-changing) but all of the residencies are free with funding for travel expenses. Residency periods range from 2-6 weeks depending on what you're applying for, which was helpful since I'm a parent artist and it's tough to be away for longer periods. The library has world class botanical illustrations, print ephemera, illuminated manuscripts, you name it - just check the catalog. Applications are getting more and more competitive, so be sure to do your research and write a thoughtful, very specific submission for this one. NUTS AND BOLTS: This is a mid-remote residency (don't expect to walk or bike for groceries) so I found a rental car helpful. If that's not an option, during the summer season you have the option of participating in their CSA, which provides you more beautiful vegetables than you know what to do with, and usually you can hitch a ride with another resident or the residency coordinator to get supplemental groceries. This is an environment and team of people that will give back your courtesy, respect, and friendliness tenfold - so be nice to the staff please (I love them). There are many small houses on the residency side of the property, each of which is usually given to one or two residents. You will most likely have a whole floor of the house to yourself, a private bathroom, and a pretty spacious bedroom, but you will be sharing a well-equipped kitchen, laundry, and social spaces. The wide open fields and farmland mean that there are a lot of bugs, especially ticks, in the summer months, so bug spray and hats are a must. Studios vary pretty widely but if you're clear about whether you need sinks, wallspace, etc they do a great job accommodating. Don't expect a lot of artmaking equipment - there are no ceramics, metalworking, or printmaking facilities, etc - but there is a dye and natural fiber garden that you can work with if you give advance notice or it's part of your initial proposal. The closest supply stores are in DC so bring all the specialized materials you need with you. FOLLOWUP: Reporting requirements are mellow - usually an exit survey. Keep your funding info for tax season but they don't require a specific reportable outcome. If you receive an initial Interdisciplinary artists residency you may also be invited to apply to their Perennial Residency program, which is designed so alumni can come back for short (2 week) periods and continue work on their projects (or begin new ones engaging with the space and resources in different ways). These return residencies are great - I've now been twice at different times of year and both were really productive and wonderful experiences that strengthened my own practice as well as my relationship to the landscape, library, and people there.

OSGF Is the perfect place for a botanical immersion.

The residency give me opportunity to know different artistic practice and know a very different Enviromental and way of life sorrownded by nature in a historical farm and Garden. The opportunity to spend all my time paonti g with Live plants was relly great