Fostering Creativity: The MacDowell Colony

I had the opportunity to attend the MacDowell Colony’s Medal Day & Open House this past Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008. It was an amazing opportunity as the MacDowell Colony is only open to the general public once a year, including the artists’ studios. The colony, which resides in Peterborough, NH, is an artist colony, where artists from various disciplines, & from all over the world, apply for residencies of between three to eight weeks in length. Financial assistance is even offered to those that couldn’t otherwise attend.

This was a serendipitous day trip for me, as I engage often in thinking & researching creativity, & what fosters it, in my own music & artwork, as well as the work of others. I have noticed that creativity cannot be “forced” to happen, but there are certain elements that can foster it: time, space, financial means, an emotionally nurturing environment, amongst others.

The elimination of distractions is another element. I visited around 15 artist studios on Sunday, & invariably heard often that one of the biggest advantages of being in the colony was the elimination of such time wasters as TV, & access to the internet. The residents do have access to the Internet in the main hall, but not in the studios themselves. I for one, have notice this in my own creative life, where having internet access is a blessing, if used effectively, or a potential timewaster if used unchecked (endless email anyone? :-).

Another interesting fact about the colony is that its tax-exempt, non-profit status was legally challenged a couple of years ago by the Peterborough Board of Selectmen (local town government), looking to collect property taxes from the colony. The high court system as well as the New Hampshire Supreme Court sided with the colony, stating that their work of offering artists residencies was of benefit to the local society, as well as society in general. Indeed, art is essential to our society’s well being, they stated. The residents often end up working/playing with local residents & organizations, exposing them to the various aspects of their art, & even performances.

My focus was of course the studios of the various composers presently at the colony. Of note, Michael Klingbeil had also created some custom computer software to analyze & modify recorded sounds, called “Spear”, which I found very interesting & have started using. Michael offers the software as a free download. Thanks Michael! Download directly from Michael’s website.

Blessings,

Eduardo