MacDowell and the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) are joining together to offer a new fellowship program for graduates of the IAIA’s master of fine arts in creative writing (MFACW) at the nation’s longest-running artist residency.
By combining resources, the new fellowship expands MacDowell’s efforts to foster equity within the arts by creating opportunities for a historically marginalized community of artists.
“It is immeasurably satisfying to be able to announce this partnership with the Institute of American Indian Arts,” stated MacDowell Executive Director Philip Himberg. “We are pleased to extend the singular interdisciplinary experience of a MacDowell residency to artists we have historically struggled to reach, and it provides us a tangible example of how we can and should act to support a diversity of voices that will enrich our culture.”
Through this partnership, MacDowell and IAIA will share resources and networks to amplify the work of each and pursue common goals. All students considered for the IAIA Fellowship will need to comply with MacDowell’s longstanding application process. This alliance also reflects MacDowell’s commitment to making the residency program more accessible to Indigenous artists and continues along a path of new outreach actions that include Virtual MacDowell, in which participants with similarities in backgrounds and life experiences share critical and constructive feedback.
Sessions with Indigenous fellows resulted in the first-time creation of a cohort of Indigenous artists-in-residence this past summer, which gave participants the opportunity to uplift each other as a community rather than experience MacDowell as the solitary Indigenous artist on site. The cohort also met with local Indigenous artists to share ideas and their art.
“Many of our IAIAMFACW students come from small communities, and the opportunity to engage in conversations with artists and writers from around the world is indispensable,” stated Deborah Jackson Taffa, director of the IAIA’s master of fine arts in creative writing program and 2021 MacDowell Fellow in literature. “Not only will they learn from the engagement, they will see how much they have to offer in return. Good books happen in conversation with other intellectuals, and being at MacDowell is affirming as it offers a seat at the table. The residency acts as a mirror, offering perspective on home and history, the very places our students seek to depict in their writing.”
Since its beginnings on the Santa Fe Indian School campus, IAIA began acquiring and exhibiting its students’ artworks, forming a collection that became the foundation of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA). MoCNA continues expanding its collection of nearly 10,000 artworks, curating numerous exhibitions, both traveling and at its museum in downtown Santa Fe.
MacDowell residencies last from two to six weeks, with an average duration of 30 days. Each residency includes use of a private studio with discipline-specific amenities, three meals a day and living accommodations. MacDowell’s next residency application period opens Jan. 1, 2023, and has a deadline of Feb. 10.