Creative Residency
The Creative Residency Program
The mission of the Creative Residency program at Bloedel Reserve is to foster creative thinking that is inspired by nature and that explores the connection between humans and the environment. The program opportunity is described in more detail below. Watch this video to learn more.
Welcome 2025 Creative Residents
We are thrilled to be able to announce the 2025 Creative Resident cohort to Bloedel Reserve. We’re looking forward to meeting all of the Residents and sharing with you the work they will be pursuing while they are onsite.
Field Notes & Community Events
For a list of upcoming events by Creative Residents, visit our Events calendar here.
David Buckley Borden
Interdisciplinary Designer & Artist
December 30, 2024–January 20, 2025
Field Notes
Marshall Woodward
Poet
February 2-23, 2025
Field Notes
Cedar Sigo, Suquamish Tribal Residency
February 28-March 19, 2025
Field Notes
Megan Karson
Photographer
April 25–May 15, 2025
Field Notes
Laura Villareal
Poet & Book Critic
May 21–June 10, 2025
Field Notes
Aditi Kini
Writer
June 16–July 6, 2025
Field Notes
Chase Williamson
Painter
July 10–July 31, 2025
Field Notes
Esther Quansah
Musician & Multidisciplinary Artist
July 31–August 20, 2025
Field Notes
Peery Sloan
Multidisciplinary Artist
September 25–October 15, 2025
Field Notes
Christa Ebert, Uno Lady
Musician & Mixed Media Artist
October 31–November 20, 2025
Field Notes
Latria Graham
Writer, Editor & Cultural Critic
December 1–December 22, 2025
Field Notes
Our 2024 Creative Residents
Field Notes & Community Events
What exactly do Creative Residents do while they are staying at Bloedel Reserve? For some, it is an intensely private time of rest and reflection, a chance to recharge their creative juices. And for others, it’s a chance to experiment, play, begin new projects or continue developing works already in progress.
Field Notes let you explore Bloedel Reserve through the art, writings, and unique perspectives of those Creative Residents who have chosen to share the insights and inspirations they experienced while staying onsite.
Mark Eischeid
Researcher, Landscape Architect
Jan 2-22, 2024 — Field Notes
Justin Neal
Playwright, Screenwriter
Jan 30-Feb 19, 2024 — Field Notes
Catherine Alice Michaelis
Fellow, Artist Bookmaker
Feb 27-Mar 25, 2024 — Field Notes
Tsering Lama
Writer
Apr 2-22, 2024 — Field Notes
Suquamish Tribal Residency
Barbara Lawrence
April 30-May 20, 2024 — Field Notes
Nicole Otero
Filmmaker
May 28-June 17, 2024 — Field Notes
Charles Matson Lume
Installation Artist
June 25-July 15, 2024 — Field Notes
Carla Bengtson
Multi-media Artist
July 23- Aug 12, 2024 — Field Notes
Caitlin Scarano
Writer
Aug 20-Sept 9, 2024 — Field Notes
Maren Salomon
Multi-media Artist
October 1-21, 2024 — Field Notes
Ella Jacobson
Cultural Critic, Writer
Nov 1-21, 2024– Field Notes
Lisbeth White
Writer
Dec 2-22, 2024 — Field Notes
2025 Creative Residency Application–Application Cycle is Closed
If you’d like to apply to be a Community Creative click here.
Meet the 2025 Jurors
Click the links below to see photos and learn more about the jurors for the 2025 Creative Residency.
Visual Arts (e.g., painting, photography, craft, sculpture, installation, 2D, 3D, digitally assisted)
Performance, Film & Composition (e.g., music, theater, dance, music composition, film, performance art)
Prose Fiction & Nonfiction (e.g., novels, short stories, essays, memoirs)
Research & Design (e.g. landscape design, scientific research, botanical illustration, etc.)
Creative Residency Requirements
- Your project, artwork, or research must relate to nature in some specific way.
- Special consideration will be given to projects that investigate the relationship between people and natural world.
- Once selected, each Creative Resident must offer a public presentation, workshop, lecture, demonstration, viewing, or concert as part of their Residency.
- Creative Residents must be 21-years of age, or older.
- No pets are allowed.
Residency Amenities
Established in 2015, the program has welcomed 70 Creative Residents from a wide variety of disciplines, giving them the time to nurture their passions and deepen the connection between creativity, nature, and humanity.
The Creative Residency program provides artists and innovative thinkers with a three-week stay in a home on the Bloedel Reserve grounds, pictured here. Residents have unlimited access to the Reserve’s 140 acres of sculpted gardens, forests, meadows, and wildlife habitats.
As a Creative Resident, you will stay in a two-bedroom, two-bath home designed by noted Northwest architect Jim Cutler, tucked into the woods, tucked away from the trail used by regular Bloedel Reserve visitors.
Known as the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Education Center, the home is built over a stream and features beautiful finishes and furnishings. Residents have 24/7 access to Bloedel Reserve grounds during their stay and the use of a Smart Car. (Proof of valid driver’s license required.)
The Creative Resident receives a $1000 stipend.
The Creative Residency Opportunity
“The space and quiet allowed me to sink into my novel with prolonged, uninterrupted concentration. I woke up with my story, lived and walked with my story, and like any relationship, our intimacy increased.”
– Karen Finneyrock, 2016 Resident
UP Lift: Collaborations with Nature
A Celebration of Creativity at Bloedel Reserve
Read more about the far reaching effects of this October 2023 creative celebration here.
Questions About the Creative Residency Program?
For more information about the program details or the application process, please email Creative Residency Manager Amy King here.
The Case for Support
The Creative Residency program is one of the cornerstones of our mission. We recognize that artists and innovative thinkers are vital contributors to our collective well-being. They delight, inspire, challenge, and enrich our lives. Past Creative Residents have included botanists, visual artists, writers, composers, environmental researchers and landscape designers, to name just a few.
To learn more about donating to the Creative Residency program, please contact Development here.
SIGN UP FOR OUR ENEWSLETTER
Stay up to date on all of the events and activities taking place at Bloedel Reserve.
