Artist Residencies

Supporting artists with creation residencies

Le Patin Libre, Video by Dancing Camera/Julie Rooney

Artist Residencies

Time, space, and funding are powerful tools for an artist when developing new work. We take this to heart and have made Creation Residencies for artists, companies, and collaborating groups the defining paradigm of The Yard.

The residency structure - especially with enough resident on-campus Yard housing for full companies - is a legacy of founder Patricia N. Nanon’s pioneering work with dance artists, beginning in the early 1970’s. Over the years, creation residencies at The Yard have become a valued local and national resource for artists and community alike.

Unlike other residency communities across the country, The Yard is generally focused on group/company residency, emphasizing the face-to-face collaborative nature of art-making by creators, performers in contemporary dance, devised theater and music.

For Yard staff, residency also means the ability to transport, house, and feed up to 12 artists weekly to live, work and perform on The Yard’s campus and elsewhere. The Yard is unique in that we also pay a weekly stipend to all artist(s). We support their working process in an appropriately staffed and equipped studio and theater environment

“I think every artist needs a home, and The Yard is My Home.”

— Amy Brenneman
Actress, Writer, Producer, Yard Artist

The Yard offers three types of artist creation residencies

Offshore Residencies →
National/International Artists

Bessie Schonberg Mentored Residencies →
Mentored Residencies for National/Regional Artists

A.R.T. On The Vine Residencies →
Local Artists

Artists In RESIDENCE IN The Community

For certain artists, a Yard residency is an invitation to work with the people who make up the rural island community of Martha's Vineyard.

You can find out more about school programs, public events, and workshops with our resident artists on our Adult Programs page and Youth Programs page.

Our Selection Process

*Raja Feather Kelly, Photo by Sally Cohn*

Artist selections for residencies and/or performance presentations are usually decided one to two years in advance, and may be designed curatorially in relation to themed series such as TapTheYard or FOLLIES: Women Dance The Comic.

The Yard prioritizes the viewing of live showings or performances (video may be requested where live experience is not geographically possible) in its nomination process of choosing relevant artists and companies. Yard staff emphasize seeing as many performances as possible throughout the year. Otherwise, there is no formal application process for interested artists.