2020, 2021,2022, 2023 OUR RESIDENTS WRITE…
I feel so grateful to have spent the last week working and creating at Taleamor Park! My time has been restful, inspiring, and creatively fulfilling, and I’ve ejoyed being able to write music in such a wonderful environment. The highlights of my time include walking the path around the fields at sunset and early in the morning – the light and the sky at that time was so beautiful and incredible. I would love to share the cello concerto I’ve been working on after its premiere in February. Paul Novak, Illinois
I’ve had such a good time here. I’ve quite enjoyed the wonderful farm. It is rejuvenating and a welcome change to NYC. It’s too stressful there! I’ve practiced viola a good deal, and I also have reflected significantly on life. Neesa Sunar, New York
Thanks so much for hosting us on your beautiful farm! We’ve had a lovely time maxing and relaxing. We had a great time utilizing the MakerSpace. The highlight of our residency has been making connections with people in the area. Thanks for helping us learn about the Hoof to Hanger fiber mill—we look forward to getting to know them more by using their services. It has been a pleasure getting to know both of you! We plan to keep in touch! Jenn Jenkins and Loren Cummerlander, Ohio
Thank you both for your warm welcome to Taleamor Park. This time has been everything I hoped and so much more. Your place is an oasis for mind, body & soul. I am grateful to have had this incredible experience. I felt so much peace in my heart during our stay and will treasure this time—this special memory always. Ginger Borden, painter, West Lafayette, Indiana
You’ve created a place in this world for others to enjoy, unwind, rewind, and connect on so many personal levels. Thank you for being so generous with beautiful Taleamor Park. I know I will long reflect on the experiences I had here. A quiet oasis of beauty. This was everything I had hoped for and more. Rena Brouwer, fine artist painter, Delphi, Indiana
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to stay here and write and read and walk and become my better self. As a person who has never lived outside a city, this experience has opened my eyes, my ears, my mind, and most importantly, my heart. As soon as I arrived, I felt the lovely peace emanating from the house, then walked in the shade of tall, kind trees and along fields of corn, soybeans, and wildflowers fluttering with butterflies. To quote Yeats, I have “found some peace (here), for peace comes dropping slow.” And through this peace which fortified me with focus and patience, I have found the path toward the second draft of my book. My next chapter, inspired by my time here, will be on the subject of “Quiet.” With Infinite Love and Gratitude, Kathryn O’Day, writer, Skokie, Illinois.
Thank you for having me at your beautiful corner of the world. The space was so well-organized, the land so rich, and your company so generous. I felt so at peace here among the stunning expanse of fields and trees and finally had time and space to get into my writing as my sole pursuit. I feel so grateful. Beenish Ahmed, Michigan
Wow, what an amazing experience we’ve had here, as we’ve watched and heard the beautiful landscape of Taleamor Park transform from winter to spring. Thank you so much for welcoming us with such openness and generosity. Our time here has been both a respite and an enlivening creative journey as we’ve immersed ourselves in the sights and sounds of the Taleamor landscape. We have learned so much from you both, and we have learned so much from the sonic environment of the richly alive space. The chickadee, the coyote, the chimes, the train, the hush of the wind—all will continue to inspire us and shape our memories of this experience for a long time. We are so grateful for your guidance and collaboration throughout. The thought and care you have invested in the land, house, and barns are so evident as is the way you’ve cultivated and nurtured an ever-growing creative community. We feel so lucky to be a part of it—and to have witnessed the onset of spring here! From snow to crocuses. Looking forward to staying in touch and seeing the next wave of creative work spring from this wonderful place. Chrystine Rayburn and Patrick Glennon, musicians and sound artists, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Thank you for welcoming me to Taleamor Park with such generosity and care. Five weeks have come and gone in a blink, and I still have yet to fully absorb the beautiful expanse of this special place. I’ve learned so much about my writing process and am filled with gratitude for this time to unwind and indulge in my new favorite hobby—forest bathing. Neha Simon, writer and filmmaker, Saratoga, California
It was one of the most fortunate times of my life to meet you at Taleamor Park. Although it almost has been four years since I came to America, I’ve always felt like an outsider—that I don’t belong here. However, so luckily, you treated me like a member of your family, so warmly and generously. Taleamor was the home of my heart that enabled me to be firmly rooted in this foreign country. I remember when I came here for the first time in 2019, I was having a hard time, losing my passion for art. The wave in my heart stopped and was gradually being frozen. However, after I saw your passion and excitement for art, it inspired me a lot and melted my frozen waves. Words cannot express how grateful I am to you. The days I spent here were filled with love. Eunhyung Chung, sculptural performance, Seoul, South Korea
What an incredible year this has been with the pandemic and this thing called COVID-19. And Taleamor Park is the most incredible place to escape from it all. As I was riding around Michigan on a motorcycle, I remembered my cousin (once removed) had an artist’s retreat in LaPorte. I texted her, “Can I drop by to say hello?” I ended up staying for an entire month, working with Clifford on the barn and other projects around the farm. Thank you so much for reconnecting for the second time in the last fifty years. It was truly wonderful to be part of yours and Clifford’s life. We are not done yet! Kimo Oberloh, Ohio
I hoped for so much from this retreat—and got more than I could have imagined—all good! Even the time locked in the basement 🙂. You are spacious people who create space for others to create. I leave enriched and with a grateful heart. Tale-amor! Angela Just, poet, Chicago, Illinois
I’ve enjoyed my stay very much. The daily walks on the grounds, watching the season change slightly into early fall. I found myself falling into a routine of walking, observing, writing—and playing my violin in the library. The house is so well stocked with cooking utensils that we were able to make some wonderful meals from food we bought at the farmer’s market. The house is so comfortable, and the bed was wonderful. Everything was wonderful. I was able to finish the first draft of my manuscript, my goal for the residency. Thank you, Lisa and Clifford, for your hospitality and fine company. Suzanne Frank, poet and travel writer, Chicago, Illinois
Thank you for creating a residency program that provides the privacy and solitude, yet also the wide-open spaces integral to the creative process. Our time here has been restorative, productive, and balanced. In the comfort of your well-organized farmhouse. We cooked beautiful meals, baked apple pies (picked at a local orchard) and fermented pickles (once Mark discovered your canning supplies in the basement!). We walked/ran the ~2-mile trail through the farm many times, and we explored your area well—discovering the Indiana Sand Dunes, Century of Progress Homes, Calumet Trail, Three Oaks in Michigan, and Black Tree Pottery. Having just returned to the States after living abroad for a year, these six weeks have been a beautiful “welcome home” as we transition back to our “normal lives” here. This time has also inspired us to think about “how” we want to live moving forward. Up north? Out in the country? Thank you for your generosity, and again, for creating such a beautiful space that clearly was an important legacy for your family. We often felt at “home” and surrounded by benevolent spirits that blessed and protected us during our time here. The book is nearly done, and I have Taleamor Park to thank for it. Jenni Nance, creative writer, Palm Harbor, Florida, and Mark Riggins, woodcarver, LaVeta, Colorado