Campaign for the Second Century to realize a new library center and unprecedented funding for Fellowship and stipend awards to artists.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- August 19, 2010 -- During a speech given at MacDowell’s Medal Day celebration on Sunday, August 15th, Robert MacNeil, chairman of the Colony’s board of directors, announced a new major fundraising initiative: a $13 million capital campaign, The Campaign for the Second Century. Declaring that the campaign will “raise funds to make what is already the most successful artists’ colony anywhere better still for our second century,” MacNeil reported that more than $10 million has already been raised toward this unparalleled investment of resources aimed at sustaining and enhancing MacDowell’s mission of giving artists the freedom to create.
The highlight of the campaign is a state-of-the-art library center designed by world-renowned architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. A planned addition to the Colony’s existing Savidge Library, this contemporary and versatile space for artistic presentation, research, and archival collections will be essential to the Colony’s continued support of multidisciplinary artists and their work. Adding nearly 3,000 square feet of flexible space, this technologically advanced media center will allow for multiple uses at one time, enabling artists to work alone or in small groups. Creating new opportunities for artistic interaction and collaboration, the center will provide a modern counterpoint to the iconic 19th-century Savidge Library, which will accommodate large group presentations and remain in use as a reading room. The center’s energy-efficient design will allow for passive solar gain and will feature a tight building envelope, triple-glazed windows, and locally sourced building materials.
In addition to funding the construction of the new library complex, the campaign will directly support artists through residency Fellowships and financial assistance stipends. Artists who are awarded a MacDowell Fellowship receive the use of a private studio, accommodations, meals, and participation in a community of peers for a period of two weeks to two months. The campaign aims to endow in perpetuity Fellowships for artists of all disciplines, ensuring continued support for creativity while financially securing the Colony’s future as a vibrant center for the arts.
Stipends — cash awards intended to help replace lost income and cover travel, rent, and other continuing expenses for artists-in-residence — will open the MacDowell residency experience to a wider and more diverse community. By defraying ongoing costs, this needs-based assistance will give artists the peace of 50 percent over the past 10 years, artists have never been more in need of the time, space, mind they need to work experimentally and productively while at the Colony. “With applications to the Colony having increased and financial support that MacDowell offers,” says Executive Director, Cheryl Young. “The Campaign for the Second Century will help ensure that MacDowell will be here to support many more generations of artists to come.”
The campaign has already enhanced MacDowell’s highly renowned facilities through a celebrated renovation of Colony Hall — the social center of the residency program that offers welcoming and versatile common areas where artists-in-residence can engage in the dynamic community at the heart of the MacDowell experience.
Updates about the progress of the Campaign for the Second Century will be available soon on MacDowell’s Web site: www.macdowellcolony.org.
