Family Residency Pilot Program
A new Family Residency Pilot Program launched in the fall of 2023 and extended a warm welcome to artists and their families. This initiative was designed to enrich the lives of artists and their loved ones, ensuring that art becomes an even more integral part of their journey together.
Three families were invited to join the first Family Residency Pilot Program for three, two-week sessions, during which they had access to a studio workspace, mentorship, and resources. Artists had the freedom to structure their time with a balance of studio time paired with family activities guided by Anderson Ranch staff. Through independent and shared experiences at the Ranch, families immersed themselves in a dynamic artistic community, ensuring a holistic experience that benefitted all members.
Program Objectives:
Supporting Diverse Artists: The program aims to empower artists who might have previously found it difficult to attend a residency due to family commitments. We believe that art should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their personal circumstances.
Fostering Creativity: By offering an immersive and supportive studio environment, artists can explore their creative boundaries and engage in experimentation and risk-taking.
Family Bonding: The initiative recognizes the value of family relationships. By integrating families into the residency, it fosters shared experiences and strengthens family bonds through artistic exploration.
Key Program Elements:
Inclusivity: The signature Artist-in-Residence program at Anderson Ranch is expanding its horizons to reach artists with family responsibilities and obligations. By doing so, we embrace a more diverse range of artists, acknowledging that creativity can flourish in myriad family structures.
Support and Collaboration: Participants in the program will have the support of Anderson Ranch’s dedicated staff, world-class facilities, and vibrant creative community. This means that the participating artists can access resources and housing not typically available when pursuing traditional artistic residencies.
Artistic Exploration: Residents can explore their work without the constraints of their everyday lives. With housing available, they can focus more intently on their creative journeys, confident that their loved ones are also benefiting from this unique experience.
Community Integration: The program not only caters to artists but also recognizes the importance of the family unit. Anderson Ranch’s strong artistic community will serve as an ideal backdrop for families to forge new connections and grow together in a nurturing environment.
Meet The Families
The Hill Family | November 19 – December 2, 2023
Trey Hill traveled to Anderson Ranch with his partner and 5-year-old son. He worked in the areas of sculpture and ceramics. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Montana where he teaches ceramics and sculpture.
Q&A with artist Trey Hill:
What did you accomplish during your residency at Anderson Ranch?
I was able to spend a week working with clay, during that week I built four pieces that I will send out this spring. I also spent a week working with steel. This was the most valuable time for me, I was able to experiment with different forms and new ways of working the material.
How did this pilot program support you and your family?
We felt supported from the moment we were asked to participate. We were provided with a list of activities for our son, a beautiful cabin, discount lift tickets, and classes for Auguste! The level of support made us feel very welcome at the Ranch
Did your artwork advance or evolve? If so, in what ways?
I was able to try new things throughout the time I was there. I built some new clay forms that I have been wanting to try, they are based on the sun’s movement through the sky over 1 years’ time. I was also able to work with steel in a way that I had never been able to. I used your steel roller to bend steel sheets then weld them together. Since coming home from the Ranch I have ordered a steel roller for our studio.
How will your experience at Anderson Ranch impact your career?
Spending that bit of focused time working in the studio was incredibly rejuvenating. I was quite excited about the steel work and expect it will be a bigger part of my practice in the future.
The Drolen Family | December 3 – 16, 2023
Photographer Rebecca Drolen will travel to Anderson Ranch with her partner and 8-year-old daughter. Her photographs are concerned with how individuals visually assemble their identity and the constructed ideals placed on gendered bodily performance. Her work has been shown in group and solo exhibitions on a national and international level within noteworthy venues such as the Huffington Post, Oxford American’s “Eyes on the South,” the Light Factory, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Springfield Art Museum, The Oklahoma State Museum of Art, the CICA Museum in Gimpo, Korea, the Galveston Art Center, Filter Photo, and the Theory of Clouds Gallery in Kobe, Japan. Rebecca is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas School of Art, and she considers teaching a core priority within her art practice.
The Ghenov Family | December 7 – 17, 2023
Artists Rubens Ghenov and Lynne Marinelli Ghenov visited Anderson Ranch with their teenage son and daughter. They all worked in the painting studio. Lynne is currently an Associate at Loghaven Artist Residency in Knoxville, TN. Rubens teaches painting and drawing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
A Q&A with Rubens and Lynne:
What did you accomplish during your residency at Anderson Ranch?
Rubens: I started working on five paintings which are a part of a new body of work begun back home in the studio.
Lynne: I was able to make four large drawings (two of them almost to completion). I finished five 11×8.5″ drawings, two 11×17″(approx) drawings and five mini collages 5×4″. All of the drawings are part of a series related to my father’s death a few months ago but continuing with materials I’ve been using for a while now. I spent the bulk of my days primarily in the studio, which was wonderful and we also spent quite a bit of time with one another, either in the cabin, walking around, or the studio.
How would you describe the artistic community at Anderson Ranch?
Rubens: Brilliant, laid back, filled with experiences and knowledge. Extremely helpful, friendly and constantly putting artists above projects or ideas.
Lynne: There is such a rich history of artists working, visiting and spending time at Anderson Ranch and that includes the staff as well. That spirit is in the air and in the conversations. I absolutely love that the folks that work at the Ranch have their own art practices while also being enthusiastic about helping other fellow artists. Those who work day in and day out at the Ranch hold the bulk of the stories of artists who have come through. Even those stories are valuable for us visitors and Artists-in-Residence.
What was the most meaningful part of your Anderson Ranch experience?
Rubens: Many artists in my radius often speak on loving a studio away from their house. For some reason, I always loved the opposite. Knowing my family is next door is calming and somewhat magical to what happens in the studio. The fact I could be with them, and they with me, and simultaneously be able to be alone in the studio is a perfect amalgam.
Lynne: There was so much that was meaningful like being able to work in amazing facilities with mind-blowing views and mountains around. I think the people I met and interacted with became a welcomed piece that I was pleasantly surprised by.
When you tell other artists about the Anderson Ranch Artists-in-Residence Program, what will you say?
Rubens: I always speak about the support and love of staff, the facilities, food, and the experience of being surrounded by these views and incredible people. Being that so many of my friends and colleagues have families, I’ve sent the application to numerous folks.
Lynne: Anderson Ranch is a fantastically gorgeous campus tucked up in the mountains outside of Aspen where the entire staff is supportive and nurturing to artists. Support is paramount. The cozy campus has amazing evidence of many artists being there. You will be inspired by the sculptures you walk by daily (such as a Sanford Biggers or Nari Ward) as well as rich conversions with staff and other residents. I appreciated the various artwork up around campus and in our living space too.
