The Djerassi Resident Artists Program is an

artists An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the ...

and writers residency in

Woodside, California Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. Woodside is among the wealthiest communities in the United States, home to many technology billionaires and investment manager ...

. The residency sits on a 583-acre ranch with a 12-sided cattle barn converted into artist studios.

History

The program was co-founded in 1979 by

Carl Djerassi Carl Djerassi (October 29, 1923 – January 30, 2015) was an Austrian-born Bulgarian-American pharmaceutical chemist, novelist, playwright and co-founder of Djerassi Resident Artists Program with Diane Middlebrook, Diane Wood Middlebrook. He is b ...

, the inventor of the

birth control pill The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. The pill contains two important hormones: progest ...

, and

Diane Middlebrook Diane Helen Middlebrook ( Wood; April 16, 1939 – December 15, 2007) Cynthia Haven"Diane Middlebrook, professor emeritus and legendary biographer, dies at 68" ''Stanford Report'', December 15, 2007. was an American biographer, poet, and tea ...

. The residency is competitive and held at no cost to the artists. The location was a former cattle ranch. Originally a women-only residency program in honor of Djerassi's artist daughter Pamela, lost to suicide at 28 in 1978, the program later expanded to welcome all

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

s. This residency offers an annual open house event.

References

External links

Official website
Woodside, California Artist residencies San Mateo County, California Arts organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area American art Artist colonies 1979 establishments in California Artist's retreats {{art-stub