Rachel Hausmann-Schall, artist residency & adult program manager
The first time I traveled completely alone was in my twenties. I flew to Johnson, Vermont to participate in an artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center. I remember being nervous about the logistics of flying alone, but my fears were quelled once I realized I was flying into an airport about the size of the Central Wisconsin Airport. It was this residency experience in 2019 that transformed my entire understanding of what it means to be an artist.
One of the many buildings at Vermont Studio Center equipped with work spaces for artists and writers; this one was an old church that was renovated into studios.
A residency is a program that provides artists time, space, resources, and facilities to create their work. This can vary greatly from program to program, but generally a residency experience includes access to a studio space, sometimes housing, a stipend for materials, and aspects of public programming or community engagement. Residency programs exist at a variety of spaces: museums, universities, hotels, community art centers, galleries, nature preserves, local businesses, and beyond.
As an emerging artist attending Vermont Studio Center, one of the most memorable parts of the experience for me was the relationships I built with other artists through something as simple as our shared mealtime. Not every residency program is equipped to accommodate 30 artists each month, but Vermont Studio Center is. Each day, we ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner together in a dining hall. During my residency, I also participated in an open studio event, had critiques with visiting artists, and gave a brief talk about my work to the community of artists and writers in attendance.
In my studio space during the 2019 artist residency at Vermont Studio Center.
In my role at the Woodson Art Museum, I enjoy organizing residency experiences for the visiting artists we bring to Wausau each year. While the Museum has a strong history of collaborating with visual artists, the Glass Box Studio has afforded resident artists even more opportunities to create and engage with our community. It is a privilege to develop program offerings in collaboration with artists that range from workshops and open studio sessions to experiences for students and guided tours for school groups and local organizations.
In fact, some of my favorite experiences over the past couple of years organizing residencies at the Glass Box Studio have been collaborating with Birds in Art artists. Last year, it was exciting to watch Richard Burke construct with non-stone materials during an Assemblage Sculpture Workshop and to observe Spencer Tinkham exercise his creativity while leading a drawing activity with local students on a tour of the Museum. In addition to offering workshops or programs for local audiences, visiting artists also take advantage of the Glass Box Studio to conceptualize, create, or finish their own artwork; and in my opinion, that’s a fantastic experience to observe. Each artist that the Woodson Art Museum hosts brings their own individual voice, knowledge, and wealth of experience to share with our community, and that truly is a beautiful thing.
(Left) Richard Burke and (Right) Spencer Tinkham during their artist residencies at the Glass Box Studio last fall.
We are excited to announce an open call for proposals to our artist residency program, which is accepting applications now through July 15. Resident artists enjoy 24/7 access to the Glass Box Studio, working with the education department to offer programs, collaborating with community organizations, and best of all, engaging with the Wausau community by sharing their work from process to final product. Learn more about our residency program and application here and share with an artist you know!
I felt the magic of an artist residency firsthand during my time at the Vermont Studio Center, and it’s been a highlight to develop the residency application for future visiting artists that we will welcome to the Woodson Art Museum, because I know they will be eager to share their experiences with our community. We are excited to continue collaborating with all different types of artists, bringing new energy and ideas with each residency and celebrating the spirit of art making.
Don’t miss the opportunity to take part in the next artist residency July 14 – August 1 with visiting artist Pao Houa Her, whose exhibition Double Exposure: Community Portraits opens this Saturday.
