OUR 2019 RESIDENTS WRITE…
What a fertile place for creating. I discovered much about my writing process here that I am excited to take with me. I look forward to continuing to ruminate about points, clusters, knots, ancestral memory/guilt and magic. Thank you for being such hospitable hosts. Going to see the trillium blossom in the forest was a highlight. As a whole, taking walks was one of my favorite things to do. Incredibly grateful to have gotten to know everyone. I’ll always cherish the memories here. Lune Ames, writer, Montclair, New Jersey
These past two weeks were exactly what I needed for my writing and myself. I never would have figured out how to write these Alice Gray poems without the good quiet of this house and the wonderful conversations with you two and my fellow residents. I had a few downright blissful moments here walking (sometimes running!) the trails, and spending time in such inspiring, kind company. Michelle Gottschlich, poet, Portage, Indiana
Thank you forever for sharing your home with me for these weeks. It’s been revivifying, to say the least. I’m so grateful for the time to write and revise, but most of all for the good company of you and the rest of the cohort—even the barn raccoons. I’m finally back home after a month on the road. I’m still missing Taleamor Park. Pete Beatty, fiction writer, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Two weeks of perfection at Taleamor Park and my vocabulary still refrains from feeding my brain with the words to tell you the depth of my love and gratitude to you, the beauty, the program, the other residents, and the innumerable nurturing and kind gifts you presented to all of us. What I realize as I write this, there are no words—UNLESS they are buried in the Fictionary Dictionary! Dodie Murphy, writer, Berea, Kentucky
Thank you so much for offering me an opportunity to succeed, with space, time, and permission to be ambitious in such a special setting that encourages amazing personal challenge, growth, & (thank you!) success. Special thanks are especially necessary for this special place. Your own and extended families have such special narratives. Thank you for sharing your home. Thank you for your own inspiring personal stories as models. Maria McMath, cultural embroidery, Oakland, California
Thank you both so much for your kindness, generosity, and open spirits these past two weeks! My stay here has actually felt much longer than two weeks (in a good way), which I think says a lot about the atmosphere you have created at Taleamor Park—a beautiful blend of solitude and space for creative making and thinking, as well as so much engagement with the residents and fostering a sense of community, and so much obvious passion and care for the people, ideas, art, land, and community that you inhabit. I’m so glad I was able to come here. I was really not sure what to expect, other than desiring a big change of pace from graduate school and the LA scene. I’ve been totally amazed at the experience: traveling the length of Route 66, seeing Chicago and the Art Institute, and the less spectacular but no less significant events such as seeing fireflies and groundhogs, riding the combine, walking the trails and fields, seeing the county fair… There has been so much to take in both big and small these past two weeks, and really, thank you so much for offering this experience. Katie Marshall, visual artist, Long Beach, California
So precious this moment in time. This space to create, to observe, to live in a space of magic. Thank you for your kindness and for establishing Taleamor. Two weeks of excitement; every morning felt like Christmas! It was a gift, and I thank you! Mandy Hansen, cyanotype/mixed media artist, Palmer Lake, Colorado
Thank you so much for all the help. My performance would not have been completed without your help. I really enjoyed being here and working in the studio. It’s such a lovely place. I hope I can come back again. Thank you for all the kindness and warmth. EunHyung Chung, sculptor and performance artist, Providence, Rhode Island & Seoul, Korea
I’m so thankful for my time here at the farm with all the fresh time and space to write. Staying here and meeting my cohort has been energizing. I leave with a new perspective on my novel-in-progress and finally feel open to all the opportunities that entails. Thank you for your warm hospitality! Megan Clark, fiction writer, Atlanta, Georgia
Taleamor Park has been such a great experience for me. I don’t think I could have ever imagined I’d have such a productive and beautiful time here. I’m glad to know about forest bathing now! Thank you for the stress-free and plentiful-bergamot environment. Colin Mosely, animator, Kansas City, Missouri
Thank you so much for your kindness, hospitality, and love the past couple of weeks. I have enjoyed my time so much and have made so many amazing memories and produced such pure work. Taleamor Park has been a dream come true, and I do hope to be back some day. Maha Abdelwahab, poet and non-fiction writer, Cairo, Egypt
I really appreciate the space and opportunity you gave me to do work I’ve had whisking around in me for quite a while. Being here has a been a catalyst for a piece of art I didn’t expect and friends I expected even less. I’m tremendously grateful for both. Cassandra Verhaegen, writer, Suffern, New York
Many thanks for a most wonderful, restful, restorative, collaborative, healing time. I love every inch of this property, my beautiful bedroom and both my studios. I really do hope to return—maybe annually? And I really, really hope the 11 days of art making will be the beginning of a new daily practice for me. Amanda Freymann, visual artist, Beverly Shores, Indiana
The five weeks have flown by so fast! I am grateful to have witnessed the soybean field transform from green to yellow to brown, to bond with two incredible cohorts, and to enjoy lovely potlucks and tea times with you. Thank you so much for the opportunity here. I grew so much as a person and artist… I never expected to open my heart to share and take in so many stories, emotions, and love! I will treasure my time here and hope to be in touch to hear about your next projects—especially paper related ones! Maya Cannon, printmaker and papermaker, Tokyo, Japan
Taleamor Park is the jumping-off point for emotional journeys, unlikely friendships, and personal discovery, as well as for artistic creation. To gain the most of this place, this experience, establish a routine, really immerse yourself and focus on your craft. But for heaven’s sake—for art’s sake—for your sake—get up from the desk or away from the easel and embrace the catnap, take a walk, read a book, poke around this wonderful old house, and bond with your cohorts. These are the things that prime the pump. Dawn Klingensmith, fiction writer, Chicago, Illinois & Longview, Texas
Other 2019 residents: Sarah Blakley-Cartwright, fiction writer, New York, New York; Ivy Cheng, multi-media performance artist, Shanghai, China & New York, New York; Cass Clayton Band, musicians, Lafayette, Colorado; Hannah Hersko, sculptor, installation artist, and writer, Cincinnati, Ohio; Amanda Kendrick, painter/sculptor, Lafayette, Indiana; Caitlin Margaret Kelly, photographer, Hillsborough, North Carolina; Lauren Mallett, creative writer, Lafayette, Indiana; Zeke Perkins, writer, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
OUR 2018 RESIDENTS WRITE…
My first residency is complete! Thank you for the space, for the company, for the time to explore, and for letting me work in the space between definitions. One of my fellow residents said my perfect work is liminal. I’m honored. Stephanie Brownell, interdisciplinary artist and writer, Boston, Massachusetts
Nous avons en beaucoup de plaisir à vous rencontrer, et Laporte restera une etape importante et marquante de notre voyage. Encore merci pour tout! Sandrine Besset & Bertrand Bouyneau, teachers, Annecy, France
Your house is the best ever! It has no walls, and you live in a barn! I love it. A.Bouyneau, Annecy, France
Waking up to the sounds of trains over a cornfield within a house full of a special legacy. An ongoing context of an aesthetic mindfulness. Thank you for the comfort, the mutual sharing, the beginning, the connection. Kenneth Sylvestri, homeopathic psychologist, New York, New York
All the many stories of you both and Taleamor could not have prepared me for its beauty, for your warmth, for this place of mutual sharing. Natasha Richardson, artist/writer, New York, New York
Thank you for your kindness, your hospitality, and your warm smiles and hugs. Being here at Taleamor Park has been truly unforgettable. My experience was more than I hoped it would be and again I thank you. You have created the perfect place to create and be inspired. Cara Lee Wade, photographer, Fort Wayne, Indiana
You have created an incredibly special place here at Taleamor. Thank you for opening your hearth and home to us, to me—a place to breathe and be! And make art! Qigong, Fictionary, careful listening, hugs!, butterflies, excellent food, community—so many gifts. Jennifer Filardo, writer, St Paul, Minnesota
What a joy to meet you and be here. It is more than a farm, more than art, it is you both and your lovely spirits infusing the space. Allison Campbell, poet & nonfiction writer, New Orleans, Louisiana
So glad that fortune and fate came together to bring me to Taleamor Park. My time here has nourished my soul and body. I have truly valued the quiet time to work on my play. A thousand thank yous! Elisabeth Hayward, actor, screenwriter, playwright, Sydney, Australia & Encino, California
Thank you for the opportunity to more carefully consider my art while in a peaceful environment surrounded by other inspiring artists. Your generosity made me immediately comfortable in the space and allowed for interesting conversations to develop. I will continue to think about my time at Taleamor when I return home and continue to work on the projects I started here. Chloe Wilwerding, explorations of contemporary spirituality, Providence, Rhode Island
I had the most wonderful time here! The most productive time! The best workout I’ve had in ages. For the life of me, it will be the most fun I’ve had with a group of caring, lovely, energetic, supportive, funny, and talented people ever. I will miss you all so very much! Let me know if you ever need help chucking rocks or reading poetry. I’m your guy! Tyler Allen Penny, poet, performer, educator, Hampton Bays, New York
I am thrilled to pioneer a November residency here, arriving for the last days of autumn’s glorious color and leaving amidst the snow. I have learned about farming, found inspiration on the trails among the trees and the wide-open fields, and I have re-tuned my sense of well-being in the world. I leave with more questions than answers (a good sign!), a sense of completion and renewal, and much gratitude for this time. Delanie Jenkins, visual artist, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Other 2018 residents: Kelly Burgess, photographer, Arlington, Massachusetts; Bob Clyatt, sculptor & social practitioner, New York, New York; Robert Falcone & Deborah Meesig, installation artists, Columbus, Ohio; Kyle François, creative writer, Paris, Iowa; Dawn Klingensmith, fiction writer, Chicago, Illinois; Christopher Lowe, fiction writer, Lake Charles, Louisiana; Christina Newhard, poet & children’s book author, Brooklyn, New York; Mallory Pearson, visual artist, Brooklyn, New York; Adriana Speer, visual artist, New Orleans, Louisiana; Adam Stoner, sacred space & interiority, Milwaukee, Wisconsin