“The corollary to that is the benefit of being an artist in the company of other artists. You become inspired, even a sentence or a word someone says can be meaningful to you in your work. The experiments and innovations of visual artists make you think of your craft in a slightly different light, and I definitely felt more encouraged toward experimentation in narrative after coming to Hambidge.”
– Parul Kapur Hinzen, Georgia, Fiction Writing
“As one who has been working on a project that has taken me five years to really wrap my head around, daily, I come into understanding more deeply the time and space required to truly be immersed in ones craft enough to birth it…”
— Janae N. Williams, North Carolina, Paper making, Nellie Mae Rowe Fellow
“I cannot overstate the significance of having this level of support, and the kind of support that it is, for allowing creative practice to unfurl and flourish. I created the amount of new dance-based performance material that would normally take me 2-4 months or more in my daily life…”
– Nora Sharp, Illinois, Dance
Read More“It's like clearing away a cluttered room that has an assortment of unpacked boxes, dust, unopened letters, accumulated over years. You open up the windows, let the fresh breeze in, clear space so it is empty, and offers space to dream - what can this (body/space/imagination) become?”
– Beth Graczyk, New York, Dance
“In first those 3 days I had to reassess what I deem as successful, I did a lot of reflective writing to get things off my brain and onto paper, and then I felt a sense of freedom to create, exist and just be.”
– Stephanie Brown, Georgia, Photography
“Early in the residency, a fellow resident shared a copy of Mary Oliver's “Of Power and Time,” a short essay that explores the ways in which an artist must negotiate between the wielding of their own imagination to shape change and the very stuff of life that has us all obligated to day-to-day routines. The essay felt like a call to protect the dreamy spaces I don't allow myself to fully dwell in for too long.”
– Mallory Craig, New York, Arts & Culture Administration, Leaders in the Arts Fellow
”It was the perfect balance of order and freedom. So much that it was really hard to pick up and leave such an ideal place.”
— Herion Park, Florida, Visual Art, Windgate Fellow
“The opportunity to be in a new environment that is surrounded by the fecundity of nature and diverse processes of other residents always allows me as an artist to myelinate different pathways…”
– Julia Rae Antonick, Illinois, Dance
“the intentional and focused creative energy fostered at hambidge is potent. it is palpable. it is obvious in the considerations and anticipations of the staff. it is evident in the fellows that get the incredible opportunity to visit and work and play and recharge or charge on! and the work that they create."
– David Baerwalde, Georgia, Visual Art
“I was able to host an intimate studio visit along with other Fellows to deepen the dialogue around my work. I feel confident and empowered to share this work with my community!”
– Tiffany LaTrice Williams, Georgia, Arts Administration and Visual Arts, Fulton County Arts & Culture Fellow
“The studio space itself was the biggest most beautiful space I've ever painted in. It was inspiring everyday to wake up and see it there as an invitation to paint.”
– Mia Merlin, Georgia, Visual Art
“I was seeking a period of solitude in order to think clearly about what I want to do with my artistic practice and in order to focus every day, all day on making things. The freedom that Hambidge provided from the distractions and responsibilities of everyday life allowed me to think long and deeply about how I want to develop my work.”
– Andrew Hladky, Maryland, Painting
“I am not embarrassed to say that I slept 24 of my first 48 hours. I'm not certain exactly why I was so exhausted other than the obvious, the pandemic, general life, and work or lack thereof. I awoke to the beauty of the trails, a semi-escape from the online tentacles of modern life, and uninterrupted welcome solitude…”
– Virginia Willis, Georgia, Culinary Arts, recipient of the Les Dames d'Escoffier Sponsored Residency
“The noise of our everyday lives drowns out the creative voice. Sometimes it takes completely unplugging from the world to ‘hear’ again…I think it’s sometimes difficult for people to understand that the creative process requires nurturing and I found at Hambidge just the sort of place that understands an artist’s needs.”
– Cynthia Graubart, Georgia, Culinary Arts, recipient of Les Dames D’Escoffier Sponsored Residency
“The opportunity to share meals and have lively discussions with other creative people from various artistic disciplines, especially non-musicians, is not something I encounter often. These interactions reinvigorated my own creative work with fresh energy and ideas…The environment provided by Hambidge meshes with my working style extraordinarily well. I was extremely productive during my time there.”
– Michael Murray, Missouri, Music Composition
“It was such a gift to have the time and space to experiment, mess up, decide something wasn't working and take the time to make it work…I can say that even after a couple of months, I can look back on what I’ve done since and see the connection to thoughts I had while at Hambidge.”
– Kelly O'Briant, Texas, Ceramic Sculpture, Patricia Callan Fellow for Ceramics
“As my daughter is very young (a toddler), I am still in the process of figuring out how to incorporate my writing life with my family life. Hambidge gave me a chance to begin to do this, by giving me space to write that also welcomed my daughter.”
– Erin Hoover, Florida, Creative Writing & Poetry
“You cannot draw parallels and connect new dots or make revolutionary statements without plenty of fallow time to soak in the knowledge you've amassed, then sort it out for yourself and make something new.”
– Osayi Endolyn, Florida, Culinary Writer, Wisebram Culinary Fellow
“As an Executive Director, I am being pulled in several directions day in and day out. …My capacity to think strategically and take time for analysis, idea-generation, and planning is minimal in my day-to-day duties…My two weeks at Hambidge not only allowed me the opportunity to focus on my work with little distraction, it also gave me a chance to breathe, to relax, to refresh.”
– Samantha Teter, Tennessee, Arts & Culture Administration
“When I was at Hambidge, I felt like a child again, in the best sense. I was full of stories; everything seemed new and possible…Living in a city can be hard. Making art can be a struggle. But evolved, enlightened places like Hambidge help you refuel your imagination and get back in touch with the child who started this whole crazy journey.”
– David Cote, New York, Opera Librettist and Playwright
