This trip is rapidly coming to an end – two more days + one more residency left.
Last we updated we were heading to Mineral, WA. The summer residency program at Mineral School is offered to writers (they have hosted dancers before and are open to visual + performing artists) for a two week period of dedicated space / time. Artists live and work out of the 1947 elementary school, in the large beautiful old schoolrooms. Artists receive meals, which we were fortunate enough to participate in. We shared a communal dinner with the current residents and facilitators, getting to know the artist’s projects, how they found out about Mineral School and also Mineral’s very intriguing history.
We camped in the backyard of the school and In the morning we shared coffee and breakfast, then drove southwest to Sou'wester – a historical lodge in Seaview, WA, equipped with a collection of vintage travel trailers. In these trailers, weekly artist residencies are offered at a discounted rate. There is also a Champion trailer that has been converted into an analog recording studio for any musicians looking to rent it for up to a week!
We had a muddy yet cozy night of camping the next day and then we headed inland to visit Portland again. A former church, synagogue, storage facility is now home to an interdisciplinary artists’ space - XHURCH. We got a tour of the space and learned about the building’s rich history. XHURCH is a livable art venue, hosting artists looking to be a part of a supportive + engaging community. They have music equipment along with VR resources and we tried out virtual reality for the second time on our trip (Leaf Blower Man!)
We spend the night at the Greenhouse Residency again (thank you!!) which isn’t far from XHURCH. The next afternoon we had a brief visit at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology – where they host all types of workshops, events and seasonal residencies. Sitka borders a Nature Conservancy Preserve and is a quiet, inspiring space for artists to work independently on projects.
Two nights of camping, long + windy drives along the coast – now we find ourselves in Point Arena where we are staying two nights at an upcoming residency called This Will Take Time.
What a whirlwind of a trip – we are excited to share all of the information we’ve gathered with everyone!
