MacDowell is a leading contemporary arts organization that provides essential support for artists by bringing together diverse, multidisciplinary talent to exchange ideas and pursue creative work. The preeminent artist residency program in the country, we have a growing website audience and social reach, updated numbers for which can be found on our Fact Sheet.
That audience is an amalgam of art lovers, artists, and supporters of the arts who look to us for information about new work and its makers. New content posted to our website weekly is supported by a vital and far-reaching social media presence, monthly emailed news briefs, bi-annual newsletter, and an annual report.
Our Fellows have been awarded numerous Guggenheims and MacArthurs, and MacDowell-supported works have won win Pulitzers, National Book Awards, Tonys, Emmys, Oscars, and Grammys. Search our complete history and our index of Fellows. By convening artists from seven disciplines on our 450-acre wooded property, MacDowell provides the ideal blend of solitude and dynamic community for artists to share ideas, realize creative breakthroughs, and produce enduring works of art.
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View / DownloadKey facts and information
> Provide more than 8,800 emerging and established artists of exceptional talent with more than 15,600 Fellowships that are awarded through a rigorous peer review process based solely on artistic talent.
> Composer Edward MacDowell and pianist Marian MacDowell established the program in 1907 to stimulate creativity and enhance expression in American culture. Read about our history
> MacDowell's mission is to nurture the arts by offering talented individuals an inspiring residential environment to produce enduring works of the creative imagination. Read our full mission, values, and vision statement
> Each Fellow is accepted based solely on their application work sample. There is no recommendation requirement and there are no attendance fees. A Fellowship, with an average value of more than $14,000, consists of exclusive use of a private studio, accommodations, and three prepared meals a day for two to six weeks.
> We are a nonprofit governed by a volunteer board of directors headed by Chairman, author, and visual artist Nell Painter, and operated by a dedicated staff.
> We are only open to the public on Medal Day, generally the second or third Sunday in July, when we attract visitors far and wide to our free celebration of the arts.
> An annual Benefit in New York City is our major fundraising event when we present the Marian MacDowell Arts Advocacy Award, launched in 2020, to recognize a person and/or organization who profoundly and uniquely supports artists.
> In Peterborough we host an annual New Hampshire fundraiser in late spring, as well as offer MacDowell Downtown, a free series of presentations by MacDowell Fellows on the first Friday of the month from March to November in downtown Peterborough, and MacDowell in the Schools, which brings the excitement of the creative process to students in grade school, high school, and college in the Monadnock region.
MacDowell welcomes all press inquiries and will consider all request for press visits. You can find recent articles about us, our press releases, and media-ready imagery in the links above.
Media Enquiries
Jonathan Gourlay, communications manager 603-924-3886, ext.114.