PeterboroughMacDowell receives Mellon grant

The Mellon Foundation has awarded a $600,000 grant to MacDowell. The foundation will distribute the non-restricted grant to MacDowell over a period of two years to ensure the program benefits the widest range of artists possible.

It is MacDowell’s first grant from the Mellon Foundation.

“This generous grant from the Mellon Foundation is crucial to our ability to continue to offer uninterrupted time and private studio space to artists,” stated MacDowell Executive Director Chiwoniso Kaitano. “It is especially gratifying that it comes from an organization that sees common purpose with us at this critically important time. Mellon’s generosity and passion for equity in the arts aligns with our own efforts to ensure future cohorts of fellows continue to reflect our vision and our commitment to artists from all backgrounds and from all regions of the world.”

The MacDowell residency program offers artists a balance of community, camaraderie, solitude and dedicated work time. MacDowell provides a private studio, three meals a day and a cohort of other artists to share ideas and build community, so fellows may prioritize the freedom to think deeply, to recharge and to create.

MacDowell, which has provided more than 16,000 residencies to artists working in all disciplines, was established by composer Edward MacDowell and pianist Marian MacDowell, his wife, in 1907. When Edward died in 1908, Marian worked tirelessly to ensure artists, “regardless of social station,” would find a sanctuary in Peterborough, with the time and space to do their best work for the betterment of society. MacDowell strives to make its residency program accessible and possible for all artists. MacDowell Fellows with demonstrated financial need are eligible to receive travel grants and stipends that offset expenses accrued at home during their residency.