Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs about the residency program:

What are you looking for in an applicant?

We're look­ing for tal­ent­ed, serious and ded­i­cat­ed artists and writ­ers, who are legal residents of New York State. We en­cour­age es­tab­lished, mid-​ca­reer and emerg­ing artists, over the age of 21, to apply. It is our goal to make the fairest judg­ment pos­si­ble of the ap­pli­cants and their work ~ a judg­ment which in­cludes recog­ni­tion of a va­ri­ety of artis­tic tra­di­tions. Our ori­en­ta­tion is, how­ev­er, pri­mar­i­ly to­wards fine arts, rather than pop­u­lar or folk­loric arts.

Who are the jurors?

We don't re­lease the names of the ju­rors. They are dis­tin­guished pro­fes­sion­als in the dis­ci­plines, often pro­fes­sors in MFA and BA pro­grams. Ju­rors for the residency pro­gram are often from the Fin­ger Lakes re­gion. They may in­clude artists and writ­ers who have at­tend­ed the Salton­stall Arts Colony. We care­ful­ly check that ju­rors do not have close fam­i­ly con­nec­tions to the ap­pli­cants.

Will the Foundation claim ownership of the work I produce during my residency? 

No. We may in­vite artists to par­tic­i­pate in ex­hibits or pub­li­ca­tions, but we do not make any own­er­ship claims on these works.

Why would I want to go to an arts colony?

Res­i­den­cies pro­vide artists time and pri­vate space to do their work with­out in­ter­rup­tion. Dur­ing one month at the Salton­stall Arts Colony, residents are often able to com­plete at least 3-4 months worth of work. There are min­i­mal chores, and re­strict­ed vis­i­tor hours ~ all of which al­lows for max­i­mum focus on the artists work. The colony is in a beau­ti­ful and in­spir­ing set­ting of fields and wood­ed hills, ap­prox­i­mately nine miles from down­town Itha­ca.

I'm a writer who requires nearly complete silence. Is Saltonstall the place for me?  

Most writ­ers are de­light­ed with the gen­er­al level of quiet at the Salton­stall Arts Colony. There will be very few in­ter­rup­tions. The writ­ers' stu­dios are pri­vate with locks on the door and no tele­phone. How­ev­er, the writ­ers' stu­dios are in the main house which holds three apartments, the pump to the water well, the kitchen and the common dining/living room. On rare oc­ca­sions, our fa­cil­i­ties don't mea­sure up to the stan­dards of some writ­ers. If you need ex­treme quiet, our colony might not be ideal for you.

How is internet service and cell reception at Saltonstall?

We provide high-speed wireless internet access in both the main house and carriage house, although the signal isn't quite as strong in the carriage house. We also provide a computer and basic printer in the small office in the main house. Cell reception, unfortunately, is not good. Some residents have no trouble. Others get no cell reception at all. To that end, residents are welcome to use the main office phone at any time.  

FAQs about the application process:

I applied for a residency last year. Do I need to include information for two new references (on-line) or send new letters of recommendation (hard-copy)?

No, we will keep your let­ters on file for one year. In­clude a note on the ap­pli­ca­tion in­di­cat­ing your let­ters of rec­om­men­da­tion are on file.

Really? A one-page resume?

Yes, we are quite se­ri­ous that you are lim­it­ed to just one page to sum­ma­rize your most im­por­tant ac­com­plish­ments in your artis­tic dis­ci­pline.  Do not send a mul­ti­ple paged CV, brochure or book­let about your work.  Any­thing sent be­yond the first page of your resumé will not be sent to the ju­ross.

I've never been professionally published or exhibited. What should my resume include?

List on your re­sume any­thing you've done which would demon­strate your com­mit­ment and in­volve­ment in your dis­ci­pline, such as class­es, work­shops or writ­ers' groups at­tend­ed and con­tri­bu­tions to non-​pro­fes­sion­al pub­li­ca­tins.

Can I apply in more than one category?

Absolutely. However, you will need to complete a separate application (including the $25 fee) for each category in which you choose to apply. 

What should my "Artist's Statement" say?

This is your op­por­tu­ni­ty to tell the jury what­ev­er you feel they should know about you that isn't rep­re­sent­ed in your work sam­ple or re­some. It's also an opportunity to speak to the content of your work samples.

May I submit work intended for children?

Not at this time.  Our ju­rors have been se­lect­ed for their abil­i­ty to eval­u­ate cre­ative prose for adult read­ers and will not be able to give you a judg­ment of works in other gen­res.  If you have strong cre­ative prose, sub­mit a sam­ple of that work.  If you are award­ed a Fel­low­ship, you may use it to com­plete work in­tend­ed for a young au­di­ence.

How and when will I be told if I have been chosen for a residency?

All those who have been award­ed Fel­low­ships will be no­ti­fied by tele­phone on or before April 1, 2013. All ap­pli­cants will be no­ti­fied by email of final de­ci­sions by April 15.  

If I don't win, will I receive a critique or explanation?

Unfortunately, no. Our ju­rors do not pro­vide cri­tiques, ex­pla­na­tions, or ad­vice.

If I submit a hard-copy application, will my work samples be returned? 

It is not pos­si­ble to re­turn sub­mit­ted work.

Please explain the 'reapplication eligibility' question.

If you have re­ceived a Sum­mer Residency you may not apply until the fourth year after your ini­tial award.