What do we do?

The Saltonstall Foundation supports artists and writers of New York State through two main programs held on our property outside Ithaca, NY:

Our two one-week residencies for parents, plus our one-, two-, three-, and four-week residencies, or Fellowships are open to year-round residents of New York State. We accept applications in the following disciplines: poetry; fiction & creative nonfiction; photography & filmmaking; and painting, sculpture, and visual arts. Our residencies are competitive, stipend-supported, and inclusive.

There is just one application deadline for our residency program: January 15, 2023 for all 2023 residencies.

Between November and April, we offer the residency’s six private apartments (including two visual arts studios) on a first-come, first-served basis to residency alumni, our local arts community, and any dedicated writer or artist from around the state. This program is not juried but does require a statement of purpose.

** PLEASE NOTE: We are now accessible to artists and writers with disabilities. We built an accessible addition between 2020 and 2021. It includes a barrier-free, private, one-bedroom suite, a large adjoining studio, an accessible kitchen, dining, and laundry area, plus a private one-bedroom suite for a personal care assistant.

A Brief History of Key Programs

The Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts was incorporated as a Federally recognized tax-exempt not-for-profit organization in 1995.

Since then we have supported the visual and literary artists of New York State through juried summer residencies. For many years there were three month-long sessions. In 2009 a fourth session was added, extending the residency season from mid-May through the end of September.

Starting in 2014, we divided one of our month-long sessions into two, shorter 2-week sessions.

In 2019, we began offering a short, week-long residency to artists and writers with at least one dependent child.

An accessible suite and addition was completed in 2021, allowing us to accommodate artists and writers with disabilities.

We also express our mission by making the residency’s studios and apartments available in the off-season (Nov – April) at the subsidized rate of $35/night or $20/day.

Recently we have begun to coordinate readings and exhibitions that feature our alumni Fellows.

Between 1996 and 2008, the Foundation also provided $5,000 grants to individual artists and writers from central and western New York counties. Unfortunately this program was canceled due to the economic recession.

More About Our Founding

In 1994, Connie Saltonstall met with her childhood friend and neighbor Kathy Durland Dewart and with her lawyer Mike May. Together they attempted to shape an idea into a document that would be a guide for the formation of an arts foundation. Connie especially hoped her home and property, a place she found so inspiring, would become a retreat where artists and writers could live and work.

Durland Dewart recalls, “Weeks after her diagnosis Connie knew she was dying. It was important to her that she left us with this idea that would become a reality and her memorial. Within a few months, Vicky Romanoff and Gillian Pederson-Krag joined me as the founding members of the Saltonstall Foundation. Connie’s dream, her vision, has become a remarkable living legacy.” 

Today, the Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts remains committed to supporting art at its source: the individual artist.

To Date, We Have:

  • Provided residencies to over 495 artists and writers
  • Given $530,000 in grants to individual artists and writers of New York State**
  • Assisted local non-profit organizations with over $55,000 in funding for projects to bring the arts to our community**

The results of Connie’s gift have been astounding and continue to multiply. The 200-acre property has seen the comings and goings of many artists with an extraordinary commitment to their work. The creative spirit that infuses this place has profoundly influenced many artists. As we continue into our second decade, we strive to serve future generations of writers, visual artists and photographers.

** Our grant-making programs are no longer active.