Press Release
First International Jewish Artist Colony Launched at Eden Village Camp
Applications Now Being Accepted for May 2013 Retreat
Theme is The Jewish Waltz with Planet Earth
Shira Dicker, shira.dicker@sd-media.com, 917.403.3989
Patricia Eszter Margit, artkibbutzny@gmail.com, 347.479.8274
February 19, 2013 (New York, NY) -- Art Kibbutz, the international Jewish artist colony will be launching its pilot residency program this spring at the spectacular Eden Village Camp in Putnam Valley, New York. The first season's theme is THE JEWISH WALTZ WITH PLANET EARTH. From May 1-22, 2013, outstanding Jewish artists from all disciplines will be able to work on developing their work while in residence at Eden Village Camp, renowned for its naturalistic beauty. In addition to a room and gourmet kosher, vegan meals, each artist will also be provided with shared studio or work space at the environmentally-friendly facility.
Under the terms of their residency, the Art Kibbutz artists will also be encouraged to work outdoors and create art inspired by the lush surroundings. The goal of Art Kibbutz is to create a kinetic, multi-disciplinary community of artists where musicians, writers, dancers, performing artists, playwrights, photographers, sculptors, landscape artists, culinary artists as well as visual artists will be asked to engage with their natural environment, said Patricia Eszter Margit, founder of Art Kibbutz. Much of the work created by the Art Kibbutz fellows will remain part of the permanent landscape of Eden Village Camp.
The concept behind the Art Kibbutz pilot artist residency program is to enable collaborative and creative responses to climate change, food security, and sustainable development. This revolutionary, unprecedented project will be a living model of a thriving, inspired, sustainable Jewish artistic community, grounded in social responsibility. "We hope this experience will transform the artists by deepening their sense of personal purpose, contribution and Jewish identity and that the artworks created will deepen the Jewish community’s commitment to healing the planet," said Margit. “The opportunity to situate our artist colony at Eden Village Camp is a great privilege. I cannot think of a more inspiring location, nor a better ideological fit for our initiative."
THE JEWISH WALTZ WITH PLANET EARTH marks a significant step that Art Kibbutz NY is undertaking towards the creation of an international Jewish artist colony at a permanent location, she added.
While there are almost 400 artist colonies in the United States, none are particularly geared towards nurturing Jewish artists and art. “Too often artists feel marginalized and they feel like the Jewish community is unable to understand them and their work. This unique colony would create a synergy that could energize many and revitalize the Jewish experience in the world,” said David Y. Chack, President of the Association for Jewish Theatre, Art Kibbutz advisory board member.
Most of the artists who participate in the artist colony’s pilot residency will live and work on site. Eden Village Camp is a magnificent 248-acre venue bordered on three sides by the wooded hills of Clarence Fahnestock State Park in the Hudson Valley. Located 50 miles north of New York City and six miles from Cold Spring,, it is also accessible to those artists who wish to commute.
During the day, the artists-in-residence will work on their various projects and in the evenings, they will share their work, ideas, and experiences with each other and learn about Jewish environmental issues in our Artist Beit Midrash. Acclaimed international scholars and artists will visit and teach, including Kobi Arad (Israel); Andras Borocz (Hungary), Nikki Green (Australia), Professors Marc Michael Epstein (Vassar) and Jonathan Schorsch (Columbia). This list is still in development. At the end of the residency program, the artists will present their work in one of New York City’s leading cultural venues.
An added feature of THE JEWISH WALTZ WITH PLANET EARTH is that during the festival of Shavuot, which takes place May 15-17 this year, a special holiday retreat will take place at Eden Village Camp. Open to the general public, the artists will be welcome to participate fully. Led by renowned Jewish spiritual leaders, there will be a special emphasis on art and culture in the holiday celebration and observance. Furthermore, participants in the Shavuot retreat will be able to interface with the artists-in-residence, attending master classes and collaborating in projects.
Like most artist colonies, Art Kibbutz NY seeks artists who are working professionally. Admission will be based on artistic excellence, quality of project proposal and interest in being part of a creative, intentional, if temporary, Jewish community. Art Kibbutz NY is anticipating U.S.-based as well as international artists from a variety of media, including Creative Writing, Dance, Digital Media, Film, Installation, Music, Non-fiction Writing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Theatre, Woodworking. Artists will represent many different professional disciplines; teams are also encouraged to apply. This retreat will host artists representing a wide diversity of artistic styles, a multi-generational, multi-disciplinary group of artists from the United States as well as abroad. Art Kibbutz NY's understanding of the concept of participants’ relationship with Judaism is based more on affiliation and interest than ethno-national background. We aim to work with artists who want to make “Jewish art” and “Jewish history” their own, to learn and teach the world. Art Kibbutz is unaffiliated with any Jewish movements, organizations or political sensibilities – the religious freedom of the artists will be protected throughout the program.
UJA-Federation of New York and Eden Village Camp have graciously donated the space; the Schusterman Foundation is supporting the program with ROI microgrants.
TERMS AND COST
Residency length: 1-3 weeks
Session 1 May 1 – 7 $700
Session 2 May 7-14 $700
Session 3 May 15-16 Shavuot retreat (invitation only)
Session 4 May 16 – 22 $700
Session 1-4 May 1 – 22 $1800
The residency fees apply unless the artist or Art Kibbutz is able to secure a grant to pay for a portion or all of the residency costs. The residency fee covers all utilities, rent for the living quarters and studio as well as healthy, vegan meals twice a day and all programming. Submission Deadline: April 9. Acceptance notification will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
ABOUT EDEN VILLAGE CAMP
Prices include private single room, studio, meals and programs. Eden Village Camp site includes a pool, sports fields and courts, theater, dining hall, a farm and gardens, hiking trails, cob oven, a 2.5-acre farm, multiple gardens, orchard, low ropes course, herbology center, science center, goat pen, sweat lodge woods, and plenty of space to create indoor and outdoor installations. All Eden Village’s buildings and residences are equipped with electricity, hot & cold water, and plumbing. Our 8-acre lake, safely contained by fence and natural barriers, is equipped with boathouse, docks, canoes, rowboats, kayaks, and sailboats. A connected stream runs pristinely through the premises. The camp is surrounded by hiking trails, which connect with the famed Appalachian Trail.
Patricia Eszter Margit, artkibbutzny@gmail.com, 347.479.8274
February 19, 2013 (New York, NY) -- Art Kibbutz, the international Jewish artist colony will be launching its pilot residency program this spring at the spectacular Eden Village Camp in Putnam Valley, New York. The first season's theme is THE JEWISH WALTZ WITH PLANET EARTH. From May 1-22, 2013, outstanding Jewish artists from all disciplines will be able to work on developing their work while in residence at Eden Village Camp, renowned for its naturalistic beauty. In addition to a room and gourmet kosher, vegan meals, each artist will also be provided with shared studio or work space at the environmentally-friendly facility.
Under the terms of their residency, the Art Kibbutz artists will also be encouraged to work outdoors and create art inspired by the lush surroundings. The goal of Art Kibbutz is to create a kinetic, multi-disciplinary community of artists where musicians, writers, dancers, performing artists, playwrights, photographers, sculptors, landscape artists, culinary artists as well as visual artists will be asked to engage with their natural environment, said Patricia Eszter Margit, founder of Art Kibbutz. Much of the work created by the Art Kibbutz fellows will remain part of the permanent landscape of Eden Village Camp.
The concept behind the Art Kibbutz pilot artist residency program is to enable collaborative and creative responses to climate change, food security, and sustainable development. This revolutionary, unprecedented project will be a living model of a thriving, inspired, sustainable Jewish artistic community, grounded in social responsibility. "We hope this experience will transform the artists by deepening their sense of personal purpose, contribution and Jewish identity and that the artworks created will deepen the Jewish community’s commitment to healing the planet," said Margit. “The opportunity to situate our artist colony at Eden Village Camp is a great privilege. I cannot think of a more inspiring location, nor a better ideological fit for our initiative."
THE JEWISH WALTZ WITH PLANET EARTH marks a significant step that Art Kibbutz NY is undertaking towards the creation of an international Jewish artist colony at a permanent location, she added.
While there are almost 400 artist colonies in the United States, none are particularly geared towards nurturing Jewish artists and art. “Too often artists feel marginalized and they feel like the Jewish community is unable to understand them and their work. This unique colony would create a synergy that could energize many and revitalize the Jewish experience in the world,” said David Y. Chack, President of the Association for Jewish Theatre, Art Kibbutz advisory board member.
Most of the artists who participate in the artist colony’s pilot residency will live and work on site. Eden Village Camp is a magnificent 248-acre venue bordered on three sides by the wooded hills of Clarence Fahnestock State Park in the Hudson Valley. Located 50 miles north of New York City and six miles from Cold Spring,, it is also accessible to those artists who wish to commute.
During the day, the artists-in-residence will work on their various projects and in the evenings, they will share their work, ideas, and experiences with each other and learn about Jewish environmental issues in our Artist Beit Midrash. Acclaimed international scholars and artists will visit and teach, including Kobi Arad (Israel); Andras Borocz (Hungary), Nikki Green (Australia), Professors Marc Michael Epstein (Vassar) and Jonathan Schorsch (Columbia). This list is still in development. At the end of the residency program, the artists will present their work in one of New York City’s leading cultural venues.
An added feature of THE JEWISH WALTZ WITH PLANET EARTH is that during the festival of Shavuot, which takes place May 15-17 this year, a special holiday retreat will take place at Eden Village Camp. Open to the general public, the artists will be welcome to participate fully. Led by renowned Jewish spiritual leaders, there will be a special emphasis on art and culture in the holiday celebration and observance. Furthermore, participants in the Shavuot retreat will be able to interface with the artists-in-residence, attending master classes and collaborating in projects.
Like most artist colonies, Art Kibbutz NY seeks artists who are working professionally. Admission will be based on artistic excellence, quality of project proposal and interest in being part of a creative, intentional, if temporary, Jewish community. Art Kibbutz NY is anticipating U.S.-based as well as international artists from a variety of media, including Creative Writing, Dance, Digital Media, Film, Installation, Music, Non-fiction Writing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Theatre, Woodworking. Artists will represent many different professional disciplines; teams are also encouraged to apply. This retreat will host artists representing a wide diversity of artistic styles, a multi-generational, multi-disciplinary group of artists from the United States as well as abroad. Art Kibbutz NY's understanding of the concept of participants’ relationship with Judaism is based more on affiliation and interest than ethno-national background. We aim to work with artists who want to make “Jewish art” and “Jewish history” their own, to learn and teach the world. Art Kibbutz is unaffiliated with any Jewish movements, organizations or political sensibilities – the religious freedom of the artists will be protected throughout the program.
UJA-Federation of New York and Eden Village Camp have graciously donated the space; the Schusterman Foundation is supporting the program with ROI microgrants.
TERMS AND COST
Residency length: 1-3 weeks
Session 1 May 1 – 7 $700
Session 2 May 7-14 $700
Session 3 May 15-16 Shavuot retreat (invitation only)
Session 4 May 16 – 22 $700
Session 1-4 May 1 – 22 $1800
The residency fees apply unless the artist or Art Kibbutz is able to secure a grant to pay for a portion or all of the residency costs. The residency fee covers all utilities, rent for the living quarters and studio as well as healthy, vegan meals twice a day and all programming. Submission Deadline: April 9. Acceptance notification will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
ABOUT EDEN VILLAGE CAMP
Prices include private single room, studio, meals and programs. Eden Village Camp site includes a pool, sports fields and courts, theater, dining hall, a farm and gardens, hiking trails, cob oven, a 2.5-acre farm, multiple gardens, orchard, low ropes course, herbology center, science center, goat pen, sweat lodge woods, and plenty of space to create indoor and outdoor installations. All Eden Village’s buildings and residences are equipped with electricity, hot & cold water, and plumbing. Our 8-acre lake, safely contained by fence and natural barriers, is equipped with boathouse, docks, canoes, rowboats, kayaks, and sailboats. A connected stream runs pristinely through the premises. The camp is surrounded by hiking trails, which connect with the famed Appalachian Trail.
