MacDowell

We are proud to announce that architect and educator Toshiko Mori is the 2025 recipient of the Marian MacDowell Arts Advocacy Award, created to honor those who profoundly and uniquely support artists, aligning with our founder Marian MacDowell’s legacy and her championship of artists as they create bold new works that spark our imagination, illuminate our world, and celebrate our humanity. Mori, founder of Toshiko Mori Architect and professor at Harvard Graduate School of Design, has long championed the role of architecture in shaping culture, community, and the creative process. Her work—from the Thread Artists’ Residency in Senegal to projects for the Brooklyn Public Library—has created spaces that nurture imagination and dialogue across disciplines and continents. With a deep commitment to sustainability and social impact, Mori approaches each project with compassion and a sense of long-term responsibility, ensuring that the environments she designs continue to support and inspire future generations of artists and thinkers. She exemplifies the spirit of advocacy and visionary support this award seeks to honor. We look forward to celebrating Mori and her impact on the field of architecture at our National Benefit on October 20.

This week we announced MacDowell’s Fall 2025 Winter 2026 Fellows with 149 awarded to Fellowships visionary artists working across seven disciplines, representing 25 states and Washington D.C., as well as 16 countries. These distinguished artists will arrive at MacDowell’s historic campus in Peterborough, New Hampshire between September 2025 and February 2026, each with an average stay of four weeks. Selected from a highly competitive pool of 1,697 applicants, with an acceptance rate of just 9 percent, Fellows are accepted solely based on the artistic excellence of their work, as evaluated by independent panels of discipline specific experts. An asterisk after a name is indicative of a returning MacDowell Fellow.    MacDowell’s Executive Director Chiwoniso Kaitano shares, “I am, as always, delighted to announce this latest group of MacDowell Fellows. These extraordinary artists, whose work spans a wide array of disciplines, embody the diverse and vital role of the arts in our culture. Each year, MacDowell gets to experience and support the innovative work our Fellows create while in residence. We look forward to welcoming this season of Fellows whose work challenges conventions, expands perspectives, and demonstrates the transformative power of the creative mind.”     The names listed in this post include every individual awarded a Fall 2025 Winter 2025 residency at MacDowell as of September 2, 2025. For the finalized list of individuals who have or will have matriculated at MacDowell for this season of residencies, please refer to the press release available on macdowell.org/news

Under the care of Lead Gardener Yedida Landis, MacDowell’s woods and gardens have become a living sanctuary—a place where artists can pause, breathe, and begin again. Since 2023, Yedida has nurtured this evolving landscape with deep respect for its past and a clear vision for its future. Her work ensures that our grounds remain not only beautiful and vibrant but also restorative spaces that feed the creative spirit. Reflecting on her role, Yedida shared: “I realize I stand on the shoulders of many before me—those whose vision for the future still exists in foundation plantings around campus. The MacDowells loved hedges, roses, and bright annuals. Some of the roses Marian once planted still stand near the entry to campus; a few of Edward’s are behind their home. Over time, it became clear that a different type of gardening better suits the land here. The lead gardener prior to myself worked very hard to incorporate naturalizing native plants into garden spaces. I now have the joy of holding the MacDowell gardening legacy—finding ways to stay true to Marian’s and Edward’s vision while valuing regenerative, native plantings. From a broad view, these gardens are about inspiring and nourishing the artists in residence. Here’s a look at what they see each day.” We are grateful for Yedida’s stewardship of this living legacy, ensuring MacDowell’s grounds continue to inspire for generations to come.

Executive Director, Chiwoniso Kaitano, has been featured in a conversation with ARTnews! She discusses MacDowell’s historic support for artists, the current challenges facing residencies, and her vision for keeping artist-centered spaces central to the arts ecosystem. Thank you, ARTnews, for highlighting Chi and MacDowell’s ongoing commitment to supporting the trailblazing, culture-shaping artists we serve. Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/eTUTd8xZ

We’re excited to share that, among the many celebrations this summer, we welcomed two outstanding individuals to our Board of Directors: Phillip Howze and Tania Carnegie. Their expertise and leadership will be invaluable as we continue to support artists across disciplines and advance MacDowell’s mission. Please join us in warmly welcoming them to the MacDowell community! https://lnkd.in/eyuhNHU9

Thank you to Bloomberg Philanthropies for supporting this project through their #DigitalAccelerator program. This generous support has enabled us to strengthen our technology infrastructure, operate more efficiently, and better align with our strategic goals in today’s rapidly evolving arts landscape.   Since 2021, Bloomberg Philanthropies has invested $128 million in the Digital Accelerator Program, supporting nearly 350 cultural institutions across the U.S. and U.K. We are deeply grateful for their commitment to innovation in the arts and for recognizing the critical role that culture plays in our contemporary world.

Looking for a space in the heart of Chelsea? Discover MacDowell NYC—a beautifully designed, fully accessible gallery and event venue just beneath the High Line. Perfect for presentations, board meetings, receptions, and more, this 1,075 sq ft space offers: • Flexibility for up to 115 guests (70 seated) • Fully equipped kitchenette, restrooms & sound system • Optional green room, furniture, glassware & projector • Ideal for cultural events aligned with MacDowell’s mission   Explore availability, pricing, and photos here: https://lnkd.in/egYa7UGw #NYCRentals #RentalSpaceNYC

At the intersection of art, journalism, and public life lies a shared commitment to truth, imagination, and civic engagement. The Henry Luce Foundation and MacDowell are proud to continue our collaboration through two powerful moments over the last week rooted in a common belief: that creative expression and informed storytelling are essential to a healthy democracy.    Luce’s mission to deepen public understanding through rigorous, inclusive work in media and the arts aligns closely with MacDowell’s vision of nurturing the artists whose voices shape and challenge culture. Together, we aim to elevate conversations how we can build more equitable and well represented communities.   𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 Now streaming: a live-recorded episode from MacDowell’s NYC space featuring a conversation with three journalists redefining local news by centering care, context, and community. Lauren Williams, Co-Founder and CEO of Capital B, discusses how her team builds trust within Black communities through local leadership and deep proximity. Tristan Ahtone, editor-at-large at Grist and former president of the Indigenous Journalists Association, shares how journalism can serve as a tool for Native self-determination. Jin Ding, Pulitzer Center alum and former executive at Initium News, explores how journalism for Chinese communities bridges geographies through shared language and care. This episode exemplifies what’s possible when institutions collaborate to invest in people and stories that hold power to account and connect across difference. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts or at https://lnkd.in/eMWCgbtT   𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦: 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭, 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 Earlier this week on the 16th, MacDowell and the Henry Luce Foundation hosted a vital conversation exploring the evolving role of Native artists and curators in shaping American arts institutions. This panel explored repatriation, institutional change, and the expanding space for Indigenous creativity in the museum world. Watch the livestream here: https://lnkd.in/eT_d69MP   Panelists: - Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), fine art photographer - Karl Duncan (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara/San Carlos Apache), Poeh Cultural Center - Candice Hopkins (Carcross/Tagish First Nation), Forge Project Both conversations were led by Henry Luce Foundation Sean T. Buffington.    📺 A podcast version of this discussion will also be available in the coming months. Stay tuned.   Our next collaborative NYC event will be held on September 30, 2025 - we hope to see you there!

Thank you to the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation for selecting us as a 2025 #FrankenthalerClimateInitiative awardee, providing crucial support toward the deep energy retrofit of one of our oldest studios, New Hampshire Studio. Established in collaboration with Environment & Culture Partners and RMI, this grant program supports energy efficiency and clean energy projects.  This year’s project builds on last year’s FCI-supported renovation of Alexander Studio, taking us another step forward on our climate journey toward becoming a greener campus.   Completed in 1909, New Hampshire Studio has welcomed nearly 300 visual artists since it first opened its doors. The goal of this project is to eliminate fossil fuel emissions from the studio while enhancing the living and working conditions for the next generation of artists.   #FrankenthalerClimate   #HelenFrankenthaler #HelenFrankenthalerFoundation

Join us on Wednesday, July 16 at MacDowell NYC for a timely conversation on new currents in Native art and the vital role of Indigenous voices in shaping American art institutions.   Moderated by Sean Buffington (Interim President, Henry Luce Foundation), the discussion will feature an exchange among photographer Cara Romero, beadwork artist Jessa Rae Growing Thunder, and curators Karl Duncan and Candice Hopkins as they share their work and vision for a more inclusive art world.   In a moment of widespread reckoning with archaic paradigms of cultural stewardship and legacy in the arts, we invite you to join us for an evening of dialogue and learning that foregrounds the agency, creativity, and care of Native communities today.   Wednesday, July 16, 2025 6:00 p.m. doors / 6:30 event start / 7:30 p.m. close MacDowell NYC RSVP required—register now on MacDowell.org/events   https://lnkd.in/eWRBXd2W If you cannot attend in person, please RSVP for the live stream via the registration webpage.