Saltonstall Residency

This past week I’ve been a resident at The Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts. To say that my stay here has been impactful would be an understatement. The residency itself is a very quiet place tucked up in high, adjacent to Ithaca, set into the mountain with frogs and cicada ringing out nightly. Our host, Lesley Williamson, was gracious enough to give me a tour of the brand new building my first day in.

My space during the residency was adjacent to a photography processing studio, but I found myself utilizing the desk and cork-board walls more.

I came here with a very tightly drafted plan of “what to get done”— and much like Lesely warned this place has a way of making your decisions easier for you. Slowing down after so much stress has been so welcome. I’ve found myself writing more poetry, drawing to get the feeling back in my fingertips, and reading.

The other residents here are an amazing group of artists- poets Rebecca Faulkner and Sarah Jefferis, to the painters Yen Ha and Malgorzata Oakes, I find myself awed and inspired by my cohort.

I’ve found myself relocating often, to get a new view and a fresh reset to do my work. I’ve crafted a few new drafts and notes, my head revolving around the magnitude of issues in climate change, and how all-reaching and connecting each element of the amplifying feedback loop is.

I stopped by a local cafe/ cheese bar/ brew stand to pick up some items and work, and ended up thinking once again about the idea of the loop. Keys are an “icon” of mine, I collect them…and I found myself playing with one I brought with me. I ended up drafting a hand-drawn test with it— it may find its way into this film one way or another.