Deadline Extended: Applications due 3/8/26
Artists, writers, and creative folk can now apply for a self-directed residency or creative retreat on our Hartley Hill commons in Westminster, VT. We are accessible by Amtrak train service from NYC (Bellows Falls station on the Vermonter train, daily— recommended!), and approximately a 5 hour drive from NYC, 2 hours from Albany, NY, and a 3 hour drive from Boston, MA. The closest airports are Hartford CT (Bradley Intl.), Burlington, VT and Albany, NY.
Both individual applicants and collaborative groups (up to 6 people) submit a single application. Contact information will be collected for all group members, but there is no need for multiple applications: supporting the work of creative groups and collaborators is a part of our mission.
Between 2-6 artists can work on-site at a time; cohorts of 2-3 if the artists are solo workers with great need for private space, and up to 6 if those in the group are collaborators, looking for a more social experience, and/or enjoy shared accommodations.
On-site facilities include; live-work space in the two yurts, ample tenting and camping space in the meadows and woods; and access to both private and shared studio spaces in our 2000-square-foot renovated Art Barn. A guest kitchen is fully outfitted for self-catering, and there are both an indoor guest bathroom and an outdoor shower. We have wonderful off-site inn partners who can accommodate artists for whom glamping doesn’t appeal.
Also coming soon: a hill-top, timber-framed sauna!
During a self-directed residency at In Situ Polyculture, you can focus and work at your own pace, rest in the peaceful rural setting, and enjoy being in a small creative cohort with access to the beautiful land and wonderful local communities of Saxtons River, Bellows Falls, and other surrounding Southern Vermont villages.
• Artists, writers, curators, poets, journalists, creative activists, creative producers, collapse-aware utopians, philosophers, ecologists, experimental archaeologists, etc
• Artists and/or artists and their established interdisciplinary or trans-disciplinary collaborators
• A group of visual artists with an established collaborative project or practice (critique groups, research, performance troupe, etc)
• Any combination of artists, writers, curators, poets, journalists, creative activists, creative producers, collapse-aware utopians, philosophers, ecologists, experimental archaeologists, etc
• Any of the above who desire to begin a new collaboration or collaborative project, new research, or simply desire to be in company with others while they work on independently.
As part of our 2026 Open Call, ISPC welcomes applications that include a proposal for site-specific installation, sculpture, or artistic investigation that you would like to realize on the commons! Works that engage the land, develop the meadow context, involve community input, or reflect our broader ecology are preferred, but we are also open to supporting more conceptual and formal investigations.
Proposals for sculpture & installation in the ISPC meadow in 2026 must be made of found, foraged, ethically-sourced, hand-made, environmentally inert, recyclable, or biodegradable materials. No plastics. Sculptures and interventions may be proposed as a seasonal installation, or as a semi-permanent resident of the meadow. Works that become unstable or dangerous over time will need to be dismantled or removed, but we are open to multi-season intervention. We are not intending this as a permanent sculpture collection.
This opportunity is best for performance-based making, temporary, experimental, and land-based works, or to help an artist realize something that is impossible without space that doesn’t require rent! We originally envisioned this opportunity for regional artists in Vermont, upstate New York, Western Mass and Western New Hampshire, but are very open to artists applying from all over!
You will see “Optional: Do you have a Site-Specific Proposal?”Accepted applicants with a meadow installation proposal may be eligible for material reimbursement and a small honorarium as well!
Please see below in the FAQ for more Meadow site details.
Pictured below: Ro Adler’s “Yellowfinder,” willow & buckthorn weaving, 2025. Located in the Southwest central region of the meadow, it remains currently installed through winter and may continue to be a semi-permanent resident going forward…
2026 self-directed residencies will be scheduled in flexible session windows in June, July, August, & September, based on accepted resident availability. Actual residency dates will be flexible for resident awardees, but must take place during the awarded session window.
The following media fare well at In Situ Polyculture (a non-exhaustive list): Installation, painting, drawing, dancing, curatorial, writing, performance, acoustic music, found sculpture, clay (no firing facilities but pit-fire and self-made garden kilns are welcome), “kitchen-table” printmaking, cyanotype, photography, experimental photography, research, navigation, social practice, botanical & earth mineral based practice, pigment work…
The Art Barn & The Commons Facilities
Lower Level: Approx. 800-sq-ft of flexible studio space with garden access includes 10’-high moveable studio walls, studio sink, and composting toilet. Studio has concrete floors.
Upper Level (Hayloft): A spacious 600-sq-ft hayloft salon with pine floors, tea and coffee and comfortable tables and chairs for writing, reading, planning, and napping.
Hayloft Level Observation Deck: beautiful views, excellent sun exposure, room for yoga, gathering for sunset drinks, or outdoor-critique.
The Art Barn is Air conditioned / heated space with power and WIFI. Yoga mats and blocks, loads of cool books, a guitar, electronic-music mixing apparatus (plug and play), and Adirondack chairs compliment the space indoor and out.
Also: 10 acres of meadow and woodland to explore, move, make artwork in and rest in, in a bucolic setting. We have a campfire ring, gorgeous stars, and a beautiful viewing deck from which to sunbathe, work, or enjoy the view.
Also coming soon: a hill-top, timber-framed sauna!
Available media & studio supplies: Drawing paper, some drawing implements (pencils, charcoal, some pastels), hand-made gall & nut-based inks, pots & pans for ink-making and dyeing, hot-plates (electric & induction), pins & magnets for studio walls, some dye & ink mordant chemicals (sodas, ashes, etc— for experimenting and communal use), tape, drying-lines for dye, print and other flat media, ample forage-able woodland and meadow stuff.
*Do not hesitate to confirm specific studio supplies if your proposed residency time is project-specific: write to us at hello@insitupolyculture.org with a Subject Heading, “Open Call Application Question”
Media is not limited in the Art Barn, however we do not have appropriate facilities or infrastructure for hot-metal working or an established wood shop. We encourage the use of ecologically mindful materials, reduction or elimination of plastics and polymers, etc, as well as foraging with reciprocal, responsible practices, and the use of found objects.
Additionally…
In Situ co-founders Owen Schuh & Candace Jensen are pleased to offer residents support for small woodworking needs, light project construction, or to help make occasional saw cuts. We have some hand tools as well. If desired, we can also offer yoga sessions, studio-photography, studio critique, & mentorship during residency.
Yurts
Are off-grid, provide a serene live-work space with comfortable bed (all linens included). 1-2 people per yurt, for collaborations. No power or water, but we have lovely solar lamps installed, and heat-sources (one woodstove and one space heater with an extension cord).
Folks should be comfortable walking on woodland and grassy pathways that are maintained but may have some uneven footing. Yurts are not wheelchair accessible, but are navigable for folx with canes or similar walking aids.
Art media in yurts are limited to “no-mess” — Watercolor, pencil, fiber-work, and small non-heated metal, basketry. Anything that can be swept up with simple broom and dustpan or wiped down with a moist rag.
Offsite / Collaborators:
While we do not have dark-room or printmaking facilities, we do have local resources & partners that can enable these media. We would be happy to help our residents make the connections to access these:
Vermont Center for Photography: https://vcphoto.org/
First Proof Press community printshop: https://www.firstproofpress.com/
Both individual artists and creative cohorts will apply with a single application— names and emails for all collaborators will be requested, but please designate a lead “applicant” as Applicant #1 to compile and submit your application.
Application will include:
– Up to 10 images AND caption list (urls for videos / links / files of your work also accepted)
– a statement of interest for the residency
– optional proposal for site-specific work
-a professional bio & artist statement
– any websites or links to professional portfolios
– 2 references (not letters, just names and contact)
– optional CV
There is no fee to apply.
Most attendees should budget for their travel costs, as well as self-catering during the residency session. In Situ Polyculture Commons stocks a very ample pantry for the shared kitchen, including excellent locally roasted coffee, creamer, etc. So most of the grocery bill will be your fresh grocery items and preferred snacks. Group meals and shared kitchen duties tend to offset individual’s grocery burden as well.
Residency fees are on a sliding-scale, with 3 suggested rates (per person, per day). It is our goal to invest in artists and resource artists by making residency accessible: artists are encouraged to select a rate on the sliding scale between $15 and $100 per day that feels commensurate with the value of their residency and reasonable within their economic means.
Suggested fees are:
• $100+ daily for those who wish to invest in opportunities for other artists
• $50-$60 daily for those who can afford a reasonable rate
• $15-25 local artist / commuter rate, & subsidized for those in economic need
Our residency fees go towards our artist stipend and scholarship funds, mutual-aid investment in other art and ecology organizations, and to cover programming costs.
Gift Residencies & Travel Reimbursement Awards
We award a few gift residencies (free!) each season, and have budgeted for 2 travel reimbursement awards of up to $600 for artists in need, who would not be able to attend residency without the aid. Applicants may select if they wish to be considered for both gift residencies and possible travel reimbursement awards on the application. All may opt for consideration. Accepted applicants who self identify as “unable to attend without aid” will be given priority for both Gift Residency and Travel Reimbursement.
**Applications are decided upon based on merit, community and alignment with our mission, economic need does not “count against” an applicant.
Can International (outside of US) Artists apply?
Yes! Please do. We encourage folks from all over to apply. Artists need support and community all over the world, and international cohorts help to build solidarity across borders.
For accepted international artists, we are happy to provide letters of invitation clarifying the opportunity for government scrutiny and in aid of seeking any appropriate VISAs.
If you apply for travel & materials reimbursement funds, and are awarded them, you must be able to receive it via Paypal payment or a check to a US bank account.
Do I need a car to get there?
Short answer, yes! We are a dog-friendly campus and we love dogs. Dogs must be non-destructive and friendly with humans and other dogs, and behaviorally appropriate around in-progress art and art studio surroundings. We generally only accept 1 dog co-resident at a time, but if an accepted residency candidate has 2 dogs and they are both perfect studio candidates, no prob! Please note in your application if you would intend to bring a dog, and maybe even attach a picture of them if they are cute. 🙂
I am an artist who is a parent! Can I bring my kids?
Short answer, maybe. We are very interested in supporting artists who are parents, and we have hosted family units for creative residency before. We have used our Yurts as family-unit accommodations with 2 parents and 2 children, as well as a family of 3. Its not as spacious as having the yurt to yourself, but its more roomy and comfortable than camping!
• If accepted to the residency, we would be open to welcoming you and your child(ren), and would work together to design the cohort and schedule so that it was possible and beneficial for all involved— you, your kids, and the other residents!
• Each yurt can comfortably host 2 adults and up to 2 kiddos, as long as the kids are able to enjoy floor-based mattresses (we only have bed frames for 2 adults per yurt.) Most kids under 14 should find these comfy! Our Hayloft studio can host similar.
• At this time we cannot offer any childcare, but we can absolutely help to put you in touch with local childcare providers, recommend local children’s programming and camps, and be flexible about the presence of additional adult caregivers on-site, as needed.
• Know other artists who are parents who might want to do the residency? Perhaps you could apply all together as a Collaborative Group (same application) so that you can rely on each other for co-parenting, babysitting, and taking the kids to camp, etc. You are not required to creatively collaborate as artists, the collaboration could be getting all the artist adults some much-needed residency time for their own projects!
• Please include notes about # of kids and kids ages, any special needs or challenges you feel open to sharing, how you would approach the kids schedule during residency, etc in the “site specific proposal” section in the application. You may also use this part of the application to ask necessary ?s for your own planning and logistics for bringing kids.
Meadow Sculpture & Installation Interventions: More Details!
The Meadow is approximately 4+ acres of sloped goldenrod, aster and fern ecology with wildflowers and small woody brush. We have planted 5 small groves of trees to support long-term nutrition-oriented horticulture through savannah-style stewardship: native american chestnuts with some hybrid dna to support blight resistance, native white walnuts (butternuts), european hazelnuts, and assisted-migration paw-paws (native to the southern appalachian foothill regions). Currently we are working to mitigate and replace autumn olives, glossy buckthorn and bittersweet vine in and around the meadow edge to restore soil and floral ecology.
The meadow is quite exposed to sun and wind, mostly coming from the South around the ridge. No direct light until mid morning, as the eastern hill side protects from the sun. There are a few mountain seeps (not quite springs) that create some wet zones in spring and early summer, but are usually dry by late summer and fall. We can help assist artists in avoiding such spots, or capitalizing on them if desired.
See our Facilities Page for an overhead view of the meadow (also below), as well as views of the meadow and grounds. There are paths clearly visible in the top image that are very close to the current path scheme. Much of the meadow is sloped (exact grade unknown) but can be steep to gradual depending on the spot. There are a few flatter places within the meadow that lend themselves well to scything, mowing, and possible sculpture or installation intervention.
We have a few sites in mind that would do well for a sculpture or installation, but are very open to artist’s interpretations. The “orchard” is not pictured but is very flat and located at the bottom of the drive on the property, so is most accessible for material drop-off and site visits. Many spots mid-meadow are appropriate for free-standing works that would benefit from tall grass and goldenrod “hedges” creating a mini-gallery.
We treat the Meadow as part of our Commons, welcoming visiting artists and guests to enjoy the paths, as well as neighbors. Our hope would be to welcome broader public visitation to see any new installations that result from this Open Call in the summer and fall of this year.
We have a limited budget for sculptural stipends this year, but will seek to offer some sort of installation material and labor honorarium for all accepted Meadow Sculptures.
Yes— you may derive materials from on-site! Dig for clay, forage for stones, dead-fall wood, leaves, goldenrod stem, bittersweet and grape vines, and more!
