We spoke to Katherine Burger, Director at The Artist In Residence Program at Byrdcliffe.

Wooloo: The Byrdcliffe dates back to 1903. Please tell us how it all started?

Katherine Burger: Byrdcliffe was built as a utopian Arts and Crafts community in 1902-3 by by a wealthy Englishman named Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead. The Arts and Crafts movement began in England in the last quarter of the 19th century as a reaction against rapid urbanization and industrialization and the overwrought elaborate Victorian sensibility. Its most passionate and well-known spokesmen were John Ruskin and William Morris. They shared a rural, utopian ideal based on a brotherhood of artistic collaboration. They believed that man could regain control of his life if the work he did reflected the nobility thought to have been lost when machines eliminated the need for the art of hand craftsmanship.

Wooloo: When did you begin your residence program and how does it work?

KB: Byrdcliffe's current role as a residential art colony began about 20 years ago. Residents have a month of unstructured time to focus on their work, as well as to explore the beautiful forest environment and the lively artistic town of Woodstock. Residents live in the large Villetta Inn. Each resident has their own bedroom and a separate art or writing studio.  They provide their own meals, so that evenings are often convivial gatherings of cooking and conversation. 

Wooloo: How do you run it on a day-to-day basis? How do you fund yourself?

KB: As is common for not–for–profit service organizations, the WBG is funded by a combination of contributed income and earned income. Sources of contributed income include individual memberships and contributions, bequests, foundation grants, government agency grants, and income from a restricted fund. The WBG receives earned income from rentals, tuitions, sales, and tickets. 

Wooloo: What is your vision with the residency?

KB: Our vision is to provide a supportive, beautiful environment in which creative artists in all disciplines can find solitude within community, in order to further their own artistic vision. In addition, we are committed to maintaining the historic character of the unique buildings of Byrdcliffe, and to fostering the arts in Ulster County and beyond.

Click here to know more about the last Open Call published by AIR at Byrdcliffe