Studio In The Woods

New Orleans Artists, Writers, Musicians, Performers, COME HOME!

Restoration Residency Application Guidelines
13401 River Road, New Orleans, LA 70131-3204
Tel.: (504) 392-5359; e-mail: info@astudiointhewoods.org
Web: http://www.astudiointhewoods.org/.

2/15/08 Open House at A Studio in the Woods!
Mark your calendars for our Spring OPEN HOUSE on Sunday, March 30, from 1pm - 5pm.

Join us for an afternoon in the woods and enjoy:
• Native irises in bloom
• Presentations by former Restoration Residents
• Tours of our Louisiana wetlands with Environmental Curator Dave Baker
• The latest news on the Stewards’ Cottage including presentations from sustainable building experts

The Open House is free to the public so please invite your friends, family and neighbors. We look forward to seeing you for a beautiful afternoon.

CLICK HERE FOR MAP AND DIRECTIONS

The Latest on Restoration Residencies
Traditional jazz impresario and A Studio in the Woods alumni, DR. MICHAEL WHITE, benefited from a special invitation residency over the holidays, allowing him to make up for some of his tremendous losses after Hurricane Katrina. Dr. White once again was able to use the solitude of the woods to begin composing a multitude of new traditional jazz pieces – some of which he has further developed for his upcoming CD.

In January, filmmaker GIANNA CHACHERE followed in his footsteps to work on her film "My Daddy is Gay" using vintage Super 8 footage of Mardi Gras in the French Quarter. Currently, we are excited to welcome JON GROSS, local tuba player and budding composer, out to the woods to dive into composition projects he has not worked on since the storm.

And last but certainly not least, we are excited to announce that composer and jazz musician BRIGHAM HALL and poet MOOSE JACKSON are the two newest beneficiaries of a residency here at A Studio in the Woods this spring.

Stewards' Cottage Ground Breaking Scheduled - August 2008
A Studio in the Woods’ Board of Directors along with its Architecture Committee has scheduled the Stewards’ Cottage ground breaking. Mark your calendars for August 2008!

We still have lots of work to do before August including finalizing our construction drawings and raising the 75% needed to break ground. With the guidance of L.E.E.D. certified architect and A Studio in the Woods board member, John Anderson, we have a building design that truly respects the natural environment, and that fits easily in the surroundings by reducing the size of the original design. The roof has also been redesigned to increase its solar capacities.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this project. We are pleased to report that of our $300,000 goal, we have raised $160,000 leaving $65,000 toward the initial goal.

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE STEWARDS' COTTAGE

Coming up on the heels of the earliest Mardi Gras this century will see (the next is not until 2160!) Monday, January 28th saw another once-in-a-lifetime event at A Studio In the Woods: the community dinner celebrating the residency of filmmaker Gianna Chachere and a preview of the first chapter of her film, “My Daddy is Gay.”

The twenty or so guests warmed up to one of Joe Carmichael’s cozy fires while enjoying Gianna’s signature recipe for “Gumbo ze Herbes” that she has street-tested over the years while serving it from a food truck in the Bywater and other neighborhoods. All of the guests contributed to the potluck, and everyone enjoyed the homemade meal and the good company.

These dinners are an opportunity for each resident artist and the staff of A Studio In the Woods to invite small groups from New Orleans’ arts community out to the house to learn about both the artist and the organization in a relaxed social setting. Residents often present the work they've done at A Studio in the Woods – extending the circle of creative exchange and the cross pollination of ideas to the wider community.

9/20/07 Fall Open House - The Art of Sustainability
Please join us for our Fall Open House on Sunday, October 14, 2007 from 2:00 - 6:00 p.m.Come explore the Art of Sustainability and the secrets of our new building anticipated to break ground in Spring 2008, The Stewards’ Cottage. John Anderson, board member and project architect, will be on hand to share elements of sustainable design. Scott Oman, our solar expert, and Global Green's John Moore will share their knowledge with you.As always, our botanist Dave Baker will host tours of the Woods. Our studio will showcase work by Cuban visual artist, Damian Aquiles, who joins us in late October for our first International Residency. Valentine Pierce, past Restoration Resident, will read from her lastest book, Geometry of the Heart.
See you then!
CLICK HERE FOR MAP AND DIRECTIONS

Stewards Cottage Update
Progress is in the air! Our team of architects including board members Collette Creppel and John Anderson, and ASITW founders and staff have used the heat of the summer to fuel the energy behind the progress of the Stewards’ Cottage, what will be a simple, sustainable home and long-term study site in energy conservation.Our major work this summer has been to raise the funds needed to start construction. Founder, Lucianne Carmichael, has spent much of her time visiting with old and new friends to tell them more about the design and building plans for the Stewards’ Cottage. Our goal is $300,000 and we are extremely pleased to report that thanks to over 60 donors, we have raised $130,000! As we look toward breaking ground in the spring, we look to you, our friends, for your support. It will be because of our supporters that the Stewards’ Cottage will become a reality. For more information on how you can play role in this unique project, please visit www.astudiointhewoods.org or call (504) 392-5359.
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE STEWARDS' COTTAGE

Celebrate Co-Founder Joe Carmichael's 80th Birthday!
We will host a special MEMBERS ONLY party at our OPEN HOUSE on Sunday, October 14, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. to celebrate the 80th birthday of co-founder, Joe Carmichael. As expressed by loving wife and co-founder, Lucianne Carmichael, "Joe's is the generation...perhaps the last, of just about total self sufficiency. Witnessing this for the past 40 years has been an enlightening and humbling experience." If you're not a member and would like to come, please join us and become a member on-line or you can become a member on-site.
CLICK HERE TO BECOME A MEMBER ON-LINE

Residencies at the Woods
The pulse of Residencies continues supporting artists longing for personal and artistic recovery and expands this fall to include an international flair. May brought photographer and filmmaker Monique Michelle Verdin to the Woods as a Restoration Resident. Monique’s work is an extraordinary reflection of the intimate story of her family and community, the Pointe-au-Chien tribal members of St. Bernard Parish, expressed through film and photographs. “The restoration residency allowed me the opportunity to unpack my data,” reflects Monique. “Instead of reacting and producing, I finally had the chance to breath, analyze and absorb what I have attempted to communicate with my work to my audience.” The summer heat invited sculptor and visual artist Jane Hill in June. Jane found a safe place to return to New Orleans and dove deeply into the woods with her sketches and sculpture. “Coming to A Studio in the Woods has been like finally making a long exhalation, “ says Jane. About her work Jane says, “[my] sculptures are essays on faith- my attempt to express the reality of spiritual surrender and restoration.”In partnership with Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, our first international residency will feature Damian Aquiles, a visual artist from Cuba. Damian will be in the Woods from Oct 25 – Nov 24. He plans to explore the idea of mixing materials found in New Orleans with materials found in Cuba, bringing together rough and refined materials and looking for ways to unite the first and the third world. Damian will also give a public lecture at Tulane University’s Freeman Auditorium on the state of contemporary art in Cuba on Thursday, Nov 8.
Interested in applying for a Restoration Residency? Stay tuned to our website as we offer more opportunities for local artists through 2008

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION
Summer Camp Wrap-Up
Summer Camp was a big success this year! Camp was completely booked with great kids from all around the New Orleans area. Our wonderful teachers Lisa Sirgo and Laura Richens each led class for a week of exploring the woods and integrating the lessons into arts and crafts. Danielle Richard was the teachers' assistant. Teacher Laura Richens said this about camp, "What a beautiful convergence of art and nature and the imagination of a terrific group of kids. The students were focused and inquisitive and incredibly perceptive in a way that was very inspiring to me. I loved seeing the older student help the younger ones, and they all approached each new project with enthusiasm and fresh ideas, and all of it relating to our spectacular surroundings."
Stay tuned to our e-newsletter for registration information for next summer's camp!

We're Hiring!
Would you like to work at A Studio in the Woods? We're hiring a PART-TIME Program Coordinator. This position works with staff to coordinate programmatic and administrative operations. The part-time, non-exempt salary range is $ 11.06 per/hr - $16.03 per/hr. Benefits are included. Applications are accepted through Tulane University only. DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS SEPTEMBER 21, 2007.
GO TO JOB LISTINGS TO APPLY

2/7 Applications Available for 2007 Restoration Residencies!
A Studio in the Woods will continue offering Restoration Residencies in 2007. Residencies provide lodging, food, studio space and uninterrupted time for New Orleans artists who have lost their homes, studios and /or work in the hurricane and are either displaced in other cities and communities or back home without resources.Available residency dates are:
April 26 - May 24 (Application Due February 28) and June 10 - July 8 (Application due April 13)
As our response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, A Studio in the Woods has created eight four-week residencies during February 2006-January 2007 for New Orleans visual artists, musicians, composers, writers and performing artists who have lost their homes, studios and/or work in the hurricane and are either displaced in other cities and communities or back home in New Orleans without resources.
Residencies provide lodging, food, studio space and uninterrupted time in the rustic natural setting on the Westbank of New Orleans. Also provided are transportation costs to and from New Orleans and within the city, a $2000 stipend and funding for materials.
For more information and application guidelines:DOWNLOAD GUIDELINES BELOW or call us at 504- 392-5359.Deadline for December Residency is postmark October 25 (digital submissions preferred)

http://www.astudiointhewoods.org/pdfs/restor_res_app3.pdf