Frequently Asked Questions
Artists who apply must be 21 years or older. We accept artists living in the United States and abroad. Marble House Project does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.
Each artist residency session is three weeks except for the Parent / Artist residency which is two weeks. Our next Parent Artist residency will take place in 2027.
April 6th - 27th May 4th - May 25th. Ecology Residency July 19th - August 2nd. Family Friendly Residency September 28th - October 19th. October 26th - November 16th
Yes. There is a $35.00 application fee for all residency applications.
No, but you can tell us on the application which dates you are available. Each session accommodates 8 artists and is specifically curated to bring together a diverse group of creative workers to maximize potential for collaboration and dialogue while in residence and beyond.
We ask all of our residents in each session to stay for the duration. We understand that conflicts occur and there are times when residents need to leave for a day or two. Each residency is curated with an eye towards cohesion and group dynamic and when residents leave for longer than a day or two it can be disruptive to the group as a whole.
Each session has approximately 8 artists. Each session generally has two or three visual artists, two or three writers, one musician and one choreographer/dancer or performance artist and one culinary artist.
Each artist is provided with a private studio space. All artist studios have workspace, tables, chairs, lights and high speed internet (except for the culinary artist). Artist studios have white walls and areas to pin up artwork. Most of the studio buildings are equipped with a kitchen and bathroom. The studio spaces are flexible depending on the size requirements and needs of each individual artist. MHP has a music studio with two baby grand pianos and many other instruments, a dance studio with sprung floors, and seven additional spaces for writers and visual artists. We have a prep kitchen for our culinary artists. With the exception of the dance studio (which is located in Marble House itself), all of our studios are in outbuildings on the property. For more details, photos, and studio information please visit here.
Yes. We have one bedroom and bathroom within the main house and one studio space that is accessible. For further information please email info@marblehouseproject.org
MHP has a limited number of tools. We have a chopsaw, table saw, grinders, sanders, a drill press, compressor, a generator and hand tools. We do not provide nails, screws or other items that might be needed for the tools. We also have a sewing machine, a serger, and an office printer.
The house is a large 1820s federal home made of local marble. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. There is ample living and dining space, an office with a working printer and a kitchen with all necessary items for communal use. There are washers and dryers, high speed Internet and fans in every room. The house does not have air-conditioning in the summer but does have heat in the winter. The house itself is spacious so artists can spend time both together and alone.
Each artist has their own private bedroom, unless they are working as a collaborative team or have applied to the family friendly residency (where they will share their room with their child and or spouse). Four bedrooms have a private en suite bath, and four bedrooms share a single bath with one other bedroom.
No. MHP provides sheets, pillows and bathing towels. We do not provide towels for outdoor use. If you intend to swim, please bring a beach towel.
You should bring any materials you will need for your practice. You will want a warm sweater since it can get chilly, especially during April and May and September and October. A pair of house slippers are recommended since MHP has a no shoes in the house rule.
We provide basic groceries for the house and communal dinners. We do not provide snack foods or alcohol. If you have extensive dietary restrictions, there is a organic grocery store 10 minutes away in Manchester, VT where you can purchase what you need. Marble House Project provides a large list of staples for the artists, but cannot accommodate every dietary need.
No. Due to our focus on sustainability and to promote group cohesion, our artists (including the culinary artist) pair up and cook dinner for the group. Our farm offers plenty of garden fresh inspiration and simple meals are fine! Breakfast and lunch are up to you (we provide staples), and weekends are free. MHP staff cooks a welcome and goodbye dinner on the first and last nights of each residency. We also shop for the house twice a week.
Yes. Manchester, VT can provide almost anything needed. It is a ten minute drive from Marble House Project, and has grocery and natural food stores, hardware stores, clothing stores, drug stores and restaurants. For those without a car, Dorset, a small town with marble sidewalks is a ten-minute bike ride away. Dorset has two great general stores, and a farmers market on Sunday mornings.
Dorset and the surrounding area offer many activities. There are art shows, world-class theatre, music, hiking and biking trails, quarries, farmers markets and great shopping all amid a rural yet sophisticated backdrop. You can visit the Dorset and or Manchester Website for more information.
Marble House Project has bicycles that residents can use. As mentioned above, it is a quick, mostly flat 2 mile ride to the town of Dorset. Manchester is 8 miles away, but on a heavily trafficked road. You can accompany staff into Manchester as needed. There are also rental cars available in Bennington, Rutland, and Albany. Depending on what your project is while in residence, you may want to have a car available to source supplies, explore the region, and to access hiking trails.
Unfortunately, our region of Vermont is rural and does not provide Lyft or Uber access. Please keep this in mind when arranging transit as we cannot accommodate early morning or late night pick-ups except in emergencies.
We expect each resident to participate fully in the Marble House Project experience. MHP is a communal environment and it is very important that our residents be respectful of our space, and one another. We do not view our residency as a one-off where artists come and then never return. We view it as a symbiotic relationship in which place, space and people are made more creative by the environment in which they live. Each resident is asked to be very conscious of our environment. This means among others things, recycling, composting, and turning out lights when not in use, and not being wasteful. Residents are expected to clean up after themselves and to leave their bedrooms, bathrooms and studio space in exactly the way they found it. We ask each resident to participate and attend ARTSeed, potentially be a juror for the following years residency program, and support each other during the time that they are in residence. We also require all of our artists to leave a credit card on file in the event of damage and to sign a liability waiver. If work is substantially created at MHP and is published, exhibited or performed, we require a credit mention. We encourage our artists to donate a piece of work at the close of their residency. This could be a signed book, CD, or piece of art for MHP's permanent collection. We also ask that you share your experiences at MHP on your social networks, if you feel comfortable doing so.
You are not allowed to dump toxic materials down the sinks. You are not allowed to build fires in the houses or studios or use candles. Smoking is absolutely prohibited in all of our buildings. We do not allow glass containers near the pool or quarry. We ask residents to treat each other and our staff with respect.
ARTSeed is an intimate, up-close look at our resident artists working within their fields. Although not required, we ask all of our artists to participate in presenting their work to our local community and to each other. ARTSeed typically takes the form of performance, readings, and open studios.
The farm exists to feed our residents with local, organic produce and farm fresh eggs. We ask our artists to help us on the farm. Although not required, each artist is asked to spend an afternoon or morning, in the garden working with our staff. Artists plant, harvest, weed, water, and learn about sustainable agriculture practices to help become stewards of the land (both at MHP and afterwards).