AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM

Set on 320 acres of forest and working farm, and bordered by Hurricane Mountain Wilderness— clay, food, and the Adirondack mountains are at the heart of who we are and what we do. Craigardan’s residency program sits at the intersection of place, purpose, and process.

The program is designed to allow plenty of time for independent, yet supported work within a specific area of focus, while encouraging cross- and interdisciplinary exploration and creative dialogue. We welcome ceramic, literary, visual, and performance artists, as well as farmers, chefs, activists, scholars, and researchers from the Adirondack region and around the world. Here you’ll find a unique dynamic that amplifies each individual’s work while activating collective creativity within the community. We invite applications from emerging and accomplished artists who would benefit from a focused amount of un-guided time to create a new work, complete a project, conduct research, or simply find inspiration, rest, and creative camaraderie amid the wild beauty of the Adirondack mountains.

We support residencies of 2 weeks or longer for 6-10 artists at a time. Craigardan awards a substantial fellowship to all accepted applicants, and additional financial aid is available in the form of named fellowships and work exchange opportunities. Our Teaching Fellowships apply to all disciplines with the belief that fostering the interaction between artists and the local public is as important as providing sheltered time to artists to further their creative practices. And in this spirit, all residents are asked to prepare a 10-15 minute presentation as part of our weekly Applebarn Series to share their work and process with the local public and fellow artists-in-residence.

Residents have free and open access to all programs, classes, and lectures. Residents come together with staff and special guests for a family meal each week which, at Craigardan, is an art form - prepared by staff and guest chefs with seasonal, organic ingredients from our farm and partner farms. This small amount of programmatic structure provides the framework around which residents may utilize large amounts of free time to work. Residents have the option to share knowledge and learn new skills such as cooking, pottery, farming or writing; participate in community events such as the summer Applebarn Series; and engage in thoughtful discussions with staff, local experts, and program ambassadors.

In addition, opportunities for hiking, biking, local exploration, and swimming provide fresh inspiration (and sometimes necessary distraction). With two mountain streams, many miles of trails to explore, and close proximity to the heart of the Adirondack Park’s High Peaks, the Craigardan campus is an ideal location for artists and thinkers to stretch the legs and the mind in the largest state park in America. Although we are in a very remote setting, Craigardan is only 4 miles from the county seat of Elizabethtown, 6 miles from Keene and Keene Valley, and 25 minutes from Lake Placid.

This experience provides artists with the support, trust, and space to make work, collaborate, share, and grow while also affording the rare opportunity to participate in a new beginning for Craigardan. This year brings our fourth season of artists and scholars living and working in residence on the new campus - each person with the desire and creative ability to see possibility and build community. Our beautiful, in-process campus is in a wild, raw, quiet, and extremely rural location. We see and hear wildlife, experience dark skies, embrace summer insects, and live with ever-changing patterns of mountain weather. The Adirondacks is a place of untamed beauty and our location provides full immersion in nature in all her glory.

Please reach out to program staff with any questions or to schedule a call or visit in advance of applying.

View the short video to learn more about our program, new campus, and what it’s like to be an artist-in-residence at Craigardan.

CREATIVE DISCIPLINES

APPLICATION CYCLES

Residents have open access to cost-free participation in all programs and events at Craigardan. This includes crit sessions, all workshops and classes, and special events.

The program encourages creative exploration that may include collaboration with other residents and local community members or partner organizations. After their residency, artists will be welcomed into a supportive and active alumni community.

SCHEDULE

PROGRAMS + SUPPORT

Food is the common bond that brings us together. The Mainhouse kitchen is stocked each week with an incredible farm share of local, seasonal, organic produce, meat, eggs, bread, and dairy goods from Craigardan and partner farms along with a fully stocked pantry. This may not provide all of the food you will need. Additional groceries are available in our Farm Store, at our Free Food Fridge, in town, or at one of many local farmers markets. Craigardan provides one prepared family meal (feast!) each Monday. All other meal prep is the responsibility of the residents, which regularly results in collaborative group meals based on seasonal, local food. Residents prepare meals in our beautiful new kitchen and culinary arts facility in the Mainhouse, and dine overlooking the mountains.

FOOD

Studio spaces are available 24/7 with furniture and equipment as appropriate for the selected discipline. We request studio requirements from each applicant to best meet individual needs. Writers and scholars currently work out of their individual artist cabins and visual artists receive furnished space in the Applebarn studio (table, chair, easel). Our current (summer only) clay studio is a fully-equipped, professional space for ceramic artists of all skill levels and includes our incredible wood kiln. Note that the clay studio is located at the farm, a ½ mile walk downhill from the main campus. We will break ground on our brand new studio for all media in the fall of 2027. Please email program staff for a list of what furnishings and equipment is included in each studio.

Internet is not available in all of the studios; only in the main, shared spaces in Applebarn, Mainhouse, and Farmhouse. If you require access to the internet in your studio space to do your work, please email program staff before applying.

STUDIOS + INTERNET

Residents are assigned either a private artist cabin or a bedroom in the Mainhouse with stunning mountain views and shared living areas. All of our beautiful campus buildings are hand-crafted by local artists combining locally sourced and milled lumber paired with green technology.

The Artist Cabins are live/work spaces designed as a modern take on the Adirondack Lean-to. Each cabin has a bed, writing table, good lighting, outlets, heat, closet space, and an entry porch.

The Mainhouse has cooking, dining, and living space as well as bathrooms and laundry.

HOUSING

All transportation is the responsibility of the resident. Residents who arrive using public transportation can arrange a staff pick up at the bus stop or train station for a flat fee. Craigardan is located in a very rural area and it is extremely difficult to explore without a vehicle. *Note that public transportation options are very limited! There is no Uber or Lyft service here.

Elizabethtown (4 miles away) is the county seat, with many public services including an excellent mental health clinic, a full hospital, dentist offices, churches, pharmacy, grocery store, hardware store, and dollar store. There are a few restaurants and car mechanics. We are also in the middle of excellent multi-use recreational trail networks for hiking, biking, and skiing. We are 1.5-2 hours from multiple airports, and 15 minutes to a train station and bus stop.

TRANSPORTATION + LOCAL SERVICES

With thanks to our donors and funders, Craigardan provides a generous fellowship to all accepted applicants. The full cost of a residency is $2300 per week. Applicants may choose to accept the $1550/wk Craigardan Fellowship, or pay the full fee and make funds available to others. Additional financial aid is available through work exchange residencies and named fellowships. Visit Apply for application information and Fellowships for financial aid information.

Applicants select one option in the application:

Decline the Craigardan Fellowship. The actual cost of a residency week is $2300. Choosing to decline the fellowship means that applicants will pay this weekly rate and make fellowship funds available for others.

Accept the Craigardan Fellowship Choosing the $1550/wk fellowship means that applicants will only pay the balance of $750 per week.

In 2027, Craigardan will award more than $360,000 in fellowships. It is our goal to continue to increase the amount of funding available to artists each year.

Please note that residents are responsible for their own studio materials, transportation, and some food.

Craigardan values equality and justice across all human and environmental domains. We highly encourage applications from people of color, indigenous, women, and LGBTQIA+ artists and scholars. We do not discriminate on any basis. Please contact us with any questions or concerns.

FELLOWSHIP + FEES

Applicants are asked to select which disciplinary category their work best fits within, with the understanding that our residencies encourage cross- and interdisciplinary work. These categories assist the selection committee in reviewing applications and assigning studio spaces. The categories are: Ceramic Arts, Culinary Arts, Visual Arts, Place-Based Arts, Literary Arts, and Scholars. If your work does not clearly align with any one category, you may select Place-Based Arts.

Craigardan has welcomed creative writers, visual artists, potters, performing artists, fiber artists, researchers, activists, architects, chefs, farmers, musicians, and creative thinkers and practitioners working across more than 25 different disciplines.

All residencies begin and end on a Monday. Residents arrive on a Monday between 2pm and 4pm to a full orientation and community agreement with staff followed by Monday Night Dinner with delicious local food and inspired conversation.

Residents may participate in a variety of program options each week. Monday Night Dinner brings staff and special local guests together with residents. Short courses generally take place on Tuesdays + Thursdays. Each Wednesday we facilitate a group crit session (critical thinking) which brings multiple perspectives together in dialogue. On Thursdays residents have the option to meet with staff — providing support while helping artists achieve individual goals. On Friday nights we open our doors to the public for our Applebarn Series where artists-in-residence showcase their work to each other and to our broader community. Other events, workshops, farm volunteer hours, and local happenings are posted each week.

With all that the region and the organization has to offer, it can be challenging for residents to remain focused on their work with so much unstructured free time. To make the most of this freedom, it is important to maintain a sense of discipline while also trusting in the creative process, in the value of new experiences, and in yourself.

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN APPLICATION CYCLES FOR 2027

There are two application cycles for two residencies periods: Summer and Winter

Applications are accepted from October 15 through December 15 for summer residencies occurring between May 1 and November 1; and from June 15 through August 15 for winter residencies occurring between January 1 and April 1.

Applicants select their preferred dates of residency and length of stay within that timeframe. We support residencies of 2 weeks or more.

Craigardan’s residency program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.