THE SWIMMING HOLE
F O U N D A T I O N
The Swimming Hole Foundation brings groups of creative practitioners to explore, experiment and advance work, together. It is a natural haven where artists, designers and technologists can connect with nature and each other without the noise and distraction of the outside world. It provides an immersive environment that makes room for new ideas and insights that lead to transformative work.
Collaboration is a survival skill.
In a world of scarce resources and divisive problems, collaboration has become a survival skill for the future.We believe that within the practice of collaboration lies the potential for paradigm change.While many residencies create environments for individual seclusion, the Swimming Hole leverages the power of collaboration to crack open existing approaches and expose new pathways and models for artists to achieve innovative work.
Difficult times call for our best thinking.
The Swimming Hole invites artists to participate in experimental collaborative projects called "collaboraties." Self-directed cohorts develop a theme and come together to co-create artworks that range from multi-modal site-specific installations to cross-disciplinary experiments that produce a series of visual and ephemeral artifacts. The Swimming Hole hosts strategic "exploratories" for planning and developing existing and emerging projects.
Residencies range from three days to three weeks and include room, meals and workspace. Travel costs and personal expenses are not usually provided.
Facilities include an open barn, a large sculpture/garden, an outdoor stage, a ceramics studio, workshops and many secluded, magical places in the woods to set up and create work.
Situated on the side of a private mountain near historic Woodstock, NY, the Swimming Hole sits within 3500-acres of preserved land with direct access to hiking trails, mountain tops, cascading streams and expansive views of the northern Catskills. A rigorous hike up to the Lookout Tower offers 360 degree views of the Catskills and the Hudson Valley. The crystal clear swimming hole is a three-minute walk from the house.
Make room for joy.
Currently the Swimming Hole residency program is by invitation only but we encourage you to reach out and learn more about us. We accept and greatly appreciate your tax deductible donations. All donations directly support our artists when they are here.
As a social impact organization we have a responsibility to consider what it means to acknowledge the history and legacy of colonialism in our history as a nation, community, and organization.
The Swimming Hole Foundation acknowledges that Ulster County is the traditional territory of the Esopus (es-SOAP-us), a tribe of the Lenape (Delaware) Native Americans who were native to the Catskill Mountains. Their lands included modern day Ulster and Sullivan counties. We acknowledge the devastating history of genocide and forced removal from this territory, and we honor them and the many diverse Indigenous people still connected to this land on which we gather.
Ulster County was one of the largest slave-holding counties in the state. Sojourner Truth, was born a slave in Ulster County in the 1790s and was raised near Rosendale, 10 miles to our south. The phrase, “Where slavery died hard,” was bestowed upon Ulster County as a result of the Dutch resistance to abolition during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The Swimming Hole Foundation acknowledges these painful chapters in our local history and we hope that the humble recognition of those who suffered can inspire all of us to work together towards obliterating all forms of racism that exist in our country today.
We cherish all people.