Monson Arts is a new artists' residency and art center in Monson, Maine featuring month-long residencies throughout the year, shorter intensive workshops, and educational partnerships with local secondary schools.
Since it was founded in 1822, the community has had an economy based on natural resources. In the late 19th through the early 20th centuries, slate quarries supported a thriving industry. Moosehead Manufacturing produced wood furniture from 1945 until its closure in 2007. The region also has a rich arts tradition— ranging from Henry David Thoreau, who wrote about the area in The Maine Woods to photographer Berenice Abbott who lived in nearby Blanchard, to traditional makers such as the North Woods Canoe Company in Atkinson.
In the spring of 2017, Maine’s Libra Foundation began investing in the development of an arts program for Monson as a way to spur economic and creative growth in the region. The foundation has purchased and renovated over 20 buildings in the community to be used for residences and studios. Stuart Kestenbaum, former director of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Maine’s poet laureate, is advising the foundation on the development of the programs.
One applicant is selected through a juried process to attend the Monson Arts Residency. The residency includes meals and housing.
The program is open to visual artists and writers. All artists are given a studio which is a large empty classroom in a former school. In that same building, there is a clay studio with as kiln that offers classes to the public.
The program hosts 5 visual artists and 5 writers at a time. Each resident is given a private studio in one of Monson Arts' newly renovated buildings in town. Access is also provided to a common wood shop and metal shop for fabrication needs
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Monson, ME
Monson Arts offers 8 month-long residencies annually, as well as one two-week residency for artists and writers.
Monson is located at the edge of Maine’s North Woods - a 3.5 million acres of forest bordering Canada. It is the last town on the Appalachian Trail before the beginning of the 100-Mile Wilderness that leads to Mount Katahdin.
Open to MECA&D degree-holding alumni.
Non graduated alums, SALT graduates, Post Baccalaureate graduates, Continuing Studies faculty and students are ineligible to apply.
Disciplines: Visual artists and writers.
Studio and Special Equipment
Basic studio space with access to basic wood shop and metal shop.
Housing
Residents will be provided a private room with a shared bath.
Meals
Residents will be provided meals during their month-long stay.
Companions
Spouses, partners, and children are not allowed at this residency.
Internet Access
Costs
There is no fee to attend this residency. Residents will be awarded a $1,000 stipend.
Deadlines
Applications for the 2019 Monson Arts Residency are now closed.
Review Process
Residencies will be determined based on the quality of work submitted, evidence that the applicant's career will benefit from the residency, that the nature and scope of proposed projects fit within the space and time limitations of the residency and that the applicant is able to work independently and responsibly.
Before applying, please review all the information on application requirements and instructions.
Please note: If you do not receive a thank you confirmation and an email message after submitting your application, your application has not successfully uploaded. Contact the alumni office with any questions. alums@meca.edu or 207.699.5018
Prepare the following information in advance of submitting your application. Incomplete applications will not be considered for review.
All submissions must have been completed within the last three years. All documents listed above should be saved as a Word document or a PDF.
2018
Kyle Downs '07
Contact the Alumni Office at 207.699.5018 or email alums@meca.edu.
Photo by Isaac Crabtree.
