Residencies in the World

Photo Credit: Lin Shih-Chieh

The Watermill Center

The Watermill Center
Location USA / New York
Established 1992
Tel +1 (631) 726-4628
Email info@watermillcenter.org
Website The Watermill Center Website
Address 39 Water Mill Towd Road Water Mill, NY 11976

Founded in 1992 by avant-garde visionary Robert Wilson, The Watermill Center (TWC) is an interdisciplinary laboratory for the arts and humanities situated on ten acres of Shinnecock ancestral territory on Long Island’s East End. With an emphasis on creativity and collaboration, TWC offers year-round artist residencies and education programs, providing a global community with the time, space, and freedom to create and inspire.



The Watermill Center’s rural campus combines multifunctional studios with ten acres of manicured grounds and gardens, housing a carefully curated art collection, expansive research library, and archives illustrating the life and work of Artistic Director, Robert Wilson. TWC’s facilities enable Artists-in-Residence to integrate resources from the humanities and research from the sciences into contemporary artistic practice. Through year-round public programs, The Watermill Center demystifies the artistic process by facilitating unique insight into the creative process of a rotating roster of national and international artists.



The Watermill Center’s Artist Residency Program began in 2006 when TWC officially opened as a year-round facility. Each year collectives and individuals take up residence at TWC to develop works that critically investigate, challenge, and extend the existing norms of artistic practice.


The Artist Residency Program is process-based, without the expectation or promise of a final exhibition of the work. TWC provides artists with time and space to focus on developing their practice in a communal environment that encourages experimentation. Artists-in-Residence share their creative process with the community through open rehearsals, workshops, and artist talks.



Artists-in-Residence receive access to an extensive collection of resources central to The Watermill Center experience: 20,000 square feet of rehearsal/design spaces and outdoor stages; a theater production archive; The Watermill Center Study Library; The Watermill Collection; and The Center’s ten-acre landscaped grounds and gardens.



Applications are reviewed by a distinguished international committee composed of artists, academics, and cultural leaders across disciplines. To date, TWC has hosted over 250 residencies featuring over 900 artists from more than 85 nations. TWC provides a professional environment and welcomes artists from various fields to apply for residencies. It is dedicated to becoming a place that offers a professional setting for artists to freely create and develop their works.


 


Sourced from: The Watermill Center Official Website
Edited by: Brix

Facilities

Number of Residents 2-4 residencies with 3-15 artists on-site at a given time.
Studio Type The main studio spaces have black-stained hardwood floors, white walls, and many windows. There is no separation between studio and gallery or living and working spaces.
Other Facilities The Watermill Center provides local transportation, housing, and workspace. The Watermill Center has several different housing situations, including an on-campus dorm. Housing and bed arrangements vary based on the needs and number of the Artists-in-Residence.

Transportation

Nearest Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Newark International Airport (EWR), LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Nearest Station Southampton station
Driving Instructions Take the Long Island Expressway (Route 495) East to Exit 70/Manorville. Take route 111 South to Route 27 East, known as Montauk Highway. Continue on Route 27 East for about 20 miles. You will pass through the Town of Southampton. The Road will curve causing you to make a left turn at a stoplight. This is still Route 27 East. After the stoplight, begin to look for Head of Pond Road on your left. It is approximately one mile after the stoplight. There is a house with a white picket fence on the corner (if you pass the Watermill Town Center and the Post Office you have gone too far). Make a left onto Head of Pond Road. You will pass over a small bridge. Follow Head of Pond Road, after about a mile and a half, you will see a miniature windmill. Go left at the fork in the road at the windmill and The Watermill Center will be on your left.