mentor artist-in-residence

The Mentor Artist-in-Residence is a three-week, process-based interdisciplinary residency program that provides artists with an opportunity to be mentored by, work and collaborate with some of the world’s most distinguished artists in literary, performing, visual arts, environmental arts and social practice. Since the program began in 1982, we have hosted 191 interdisciplinary residencies, bringing together 600 Mentoring Artists and over 5260+ mentee Associate Artists worldwide. Past Mentor Artists include Sanford Biggers, Nick Cave, Renee Cox, Coco Fusco, Sky Hopinka, William Kentridge, Audre Lorde, Rick Lowe, Kerry James Marshall, Ryan McGuinness, Larry Ossei-Mensah, Catherine Opie, Ed Paschke, Robert Rauschenberg, and Carrie Mae Weems.   

The essence of the program is to provide a collegiate environment for artists of all disciplines where they can engage in meaningful interaction and stimulating discussions, while pursuing individual or group projects. It is an ideal setting for the exchange of ideas, inspiration for new work, and cross-pollination experimentation of disciplines. The program includes shared studio space, group and individual advising, critiques, and voluntary collaborations.

Residency Mentor Statements:

Will Cotton

Will Cotton was born in Melrose, Massachusetts and raised in New Paltz, New York. He has a BFA from Cooper Union in New York City, and also studied at the Beaux Arts in Rouen, France and the New York Academy of Art. Cotton is represented by Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, New York, and Brussels; Baldwin Gallery, Aspen; and Ronchini Gallery, London. His paintings have been shown at San Francisco Museum of Art (2000); Seattle Art Museum (2002); Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Germany (2004); Hudson River Museum, New York (2007); Triennale di Milano, Italy (2007); Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, France (2008); Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba (2009); Albright-Knox Art Gallery, New York (2009); Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh (2013); Virginia MOCA (2013); Orlando Museum of Art (2017); Louvre Lens, France (2023), among others. 

In 2010, he served as the artistic director for the California Gurls music video for pop singer Katy Perry. His work is in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; Seattle Art Museum, Princeton University Art Museum, Washington; Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; and Orlando Museum of Art, Florida, as well as many prominent private collections. Cotton lives and works in New York. 

Hanah Drake

Step into a powerful creative lab where history, art, and truth collide. In this workshop, artists will join Hannah Drake to dig deep into the urgent issues facing our nation today. Together, we will explore ways to create poetry and performance that speak truth, spark conversation, and push back against silence and erasure. 

Drawing from historical narratives, poetry, dance, monologues, and personal storytelling, participants will shape new work that challenges injustice, honors our past, and imagines a more equitable future. This is a space for artists who are ready to create with courage, intention, and heart. Whether you are a writer, dancer, spoken-word artist, actor, or storyteller, you will leave with new tools, inspiration, and a deeper understanding of how art can shift culture. 

If you are ready to create work that meets this moment, lifts voices, and refuses to be quiet, this is the workshop for you!  

Dani Howard

We are looking for composers, orchestrators, arrangers and/or performers who are engaged in composition to join us on this programme where we will be developing our craft through a series of workshops diving into compositional technique, intense orchestration workshops covering every section of the orchestra and beyond into other genres. We will be looking into the wider industry at areas including: self-publishing, promotion, PR, working with organisations, music in education, and it will be an opportunity to work closely with British composer Dani Howard and invited guests over the course of the three week period.