Archives de Catégorie: Residencies / Résidences

Both professionally mature and emerging artists need a period during their lives in which they are isolated from the stress and interruptions of daily life and the chaotic state of the today’s world.

The basic purpose of Fourwinds is to provide artists this opportunity to concentrate all of their energy on working without any obligations or responsibilities for other things. Only in this way can the creative process run its course through the ups and downs, the insecurities, the doubts and then on to the finding of new solutions.

One of the Fourwinds objectives is to protect our visiting artists from outside interference. Therefore, suggestions for the need of a break from their work must come from the inner need of the artist as only he/she subconconsiously knows what is needed to take the project forward.

This is the reason that artists choose to come here and perhaps also the reason that many of them return each year. Each individual has their own method of working and this must be respected as well as uninterrupted and the Fourwinds dynamics are disturbed by iniatives coming from a non-artist world.

The contact between artists living together and working separately is extremely important. Their exchange of ideas brings about a ‘fertilization’ which often leads to ‘catalyzation’ in their work. Feedback, criticism or advice on the work of any artist is given only when they ask for it; when they themselves feel the need of support in their determination to delve deeper into their research.

This does not mean that there is no social life at Fourwinds. In fact, community meals, exchanging ideas, excursions to exhibitions, etc. are often encouraged, but these things must be instigated by the artists-in-residence themselves…. and with no obligation to participate.

Trying to create an oasis for artists in this troubled world has been neither an easy nor a completed task. It takes careful thought and constant, enormous flexibility to try to ensure that each individual artist has the optimum environment needed to work as peacefully as he/she desires.

A residency at Fourwinds is for artists what a retreat is for Buddhists…. a time of ‘search-for-self.’ Buddhists do it through meditation. Artists do it through their work.