About the Residencies

Discover the Saltonstall Arts Colony in Ithaca, New York

Time for inspiration, a quiet studio, a beautiful setting, and a stimulating community of artists working in diverse disciplines. Month-long residencies are offered from mid-May through the end of September each year. The categories for 2013 are:

  • Poetry
  • Fiction (includes short fiction, novels, short stories, novellas)
  • Photography (digital or film)
  • Painting/Sculpture/Visual Arts

Note: Categories may change annually.

There is no cost associated with the residency aside from the $25 application fee. Artists and writers who are awarded a residency are provided the following:
  • a $500 stipend to off-set travel and other personal expenses
  • writers: a spacious private apartment with ample desk space 
  • visual artists: a private apartment with adjoining studio space on the same level
  • photographer: a private apartment that includes a fully functional wet darkroom
  • all apartments have private baths and a patio or balcony
  • five vegetarian dinners cooked each week by the colony chef
  • all groceries and a 24-hour-accessible kitchen 
  • washer and dryer
  • weekly cleaning service


The deadline for next year's residencies is Wednesday, January 2, 2013. Please keep reading to learn more about us and our residency program.


Dates for the 2013 residencies are as follows:

  • May 13 - June 13
  • June 17 - July 18
  • July 22 - August 22
  • August 26 - September 26

The 200-acre Saltonstall Arts Colony is located 7 miles outside Ithaca, NY in the heart of the beautiful Finger Lakes region. The Summer Residency competition is statewide and is open to all New York State residents (including NYC). Residency alumni are eligible to re-apply after four years.

Saltonstall is an intimate residency experience. There are five residents in each session: one photographer, two writers, and two painters, sculptors or other visual artists. A delicious communal vegetarian supper is served on weeknights and the kitchen is kept stocked with basic supplies so that residents may make other meals for themselves.

The two colony buildings are situated above a valley providing a wide vista of meadows, cultivated fields, and forested hills. The colony's three miles of hiking trails traverse a number of different habitats: fields, old growth forests, streams, and wetlands.

The 'Carriage House' has private apartments, baths, and studios for two painters or visual artists. The 'Main House' has spacious studios for two writers and one photographer, a full kitchen, and the comfortable common spaces. Each studio includes a balcony or a patio. Both buildings are contemporary style architecture and feature stunning panoramic views of the property.

The two studios for visual artists are approximately 25 x 12 ft. with excellent light and ventilation. There are utility sinks, easels, and work tables. The living quarters include a sitting room, bedroom, and private bath. Each writer at the Saltonstall Arts Colony is provided with a large studio/bedroom that includes a writing desk, extra tables, and a sitting area with comfortable couch and chair, and a private bath. The photographer's studio space includes a black-and-white darkroom equipped with two enlargers (a Beseler 45MXT and an Omega D-2), a 10 ft. utility sink, and other equipment.