The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture is an

artists residency Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

located in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, just outside of

Skowhegan Skowhegan () is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 8,620. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuously-held state fair in the United States. Skowh ...

. Every year, the program accepts online applications from emerging artists from November through January, and selects 65 to participate in the nine-week intensive summer program. Admissions decisions are announced in April. The school provides participants with housing, food, and studio space, and the campus offers a library, media lab, and sculpture shop, among other amenities. The tuition for the program is $6,000, however aid is available, ensuring that everyone accepted into the program can attend, regardless of financial need. While on campus, the participants interact with five or six resident faculty artists for the duration of the program, as well as five to seven visiting faculty artists, both of whom are selected by Skowhegan’s Board of Governors. Participants are not allowed to bring family or friends with them to Skowhegan, nor are visitors allowed on campus. Lectures by faculty artists, which are generally held on Fridays, are open to the public.

History

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, New England portrait painter Willard C. Cummings was stationed in Alaska in the War Art Unit. There, he shared his idea for an educational model “where young artists could study with leading artists of the time” with

Sidney Simon Sidney A. Simon (May 21, 1917 – August 4, 1997) was an American painter, sculptor, muralist, art school co-founder, and American official war artist. Early life Sidney Simon was born May 21, 1917, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father wa ...

, a sculptor also in the Unit. Upon returning from the war in 1946, with the help of Simon,

Henry Varnum Poor Henry Varnum Poor (December 8, 1812 – January 4, 1905) was an American financial analyst and founder of H.V. and H.W. Poor Co, which later evolved into the financial research and analysis bellwether, Standard & Poor's. Biography Born in East A ...

, already an established presence in American Art, and Charles Cutler, a New England stone sculptor, Cummings turned his family farm into a functional alternative school run by artists for artists. As the name indicates, Skowhegan was originally focused on the traditional art forms of painting and sculpture, but gradually, the program began accepting artists of all practices, even being the alleged site of the first contemporary Land Art piece in 1968 by Douglas Leichter and Richard Saba. Similarly, while the school originally offered classes such as

life drawing A figure drawing is a drawing of the human form in any of its various shapes and postures using any of the drawing media. The term can also refer to the act of producing such a drawing. The degree of representation may range from highly detailed, ...

or plein air painting, it eventually forwent traditional forms of instruction save for weekly faculty lectures, and all classes on campus are now self-directed by participants.

Fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

instruction, however, has always been a part of the program. Today, Skowhegan is one of the few institutions in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

that teaches this technique. N. Sean Glover was the fresco instructor from 2010 to 2019, when Oscar Rene Cornejo took over. Since 1952, Skowhegan has recorded the lectures given on campus by resident and visiting faculty artists. They now comprise an archive of over 700 lectures and are accessible to artists and researchers in select repositories including The

Colby College Museum of Art The Colby College Museum of Art is an art museum located on the campus of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1959 and now comprising five wings, nearly 8,000 works and more than 38,000 square feet of exhibition space, the Colby Colleg ...

, The

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washingt ...

, The

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

, The

Getty Research Institute The Getty Research Institute (GRI), located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts".

, and The

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

Notable alumni

''See also Category list of

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture alumni Skowhegan () is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 8,620. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuously-held state fair in the United States. Skowh ...

.'' Skowhegan alumni have included a number of well-known artists, including:

Faculty

William Zorach William Zorach (February 28, 1889 – November 15, 1966) was an American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and writer. He won the Logan Medal of the arts. He is notable for being at the forefront of American artists embracing cubism, as well as for ...

Karl Zerbe Karl Zerbe (September 16, 1903 – November 24, 1972) was a German-born American painter and educator. Biography Karl Zerbe was born on September 16, 1903 in Berlin, Germany. The family lived in Paris, France from 1904–1914, where his fat ...

Jack Levine Jack Levine (January 3, 1915November 8, 2010) was an American Social Realist painter and printmaker best known for his satires on modern life, political corruption, and biblical narratives. Levine is considered one of the key artists of the Bo ...

Herb Aach Herbert Aach (March 24, 1923 – October 13, 1985) was an American painter and writer. Aach's painting style is known for its intense and well placed pigmentation, which stemmed from his deep interest in color theory and color relationships. T ...

* Berenice Abbott

Awards to alumni

* Artist's Lifetime Achievement Award, National Academy Museum–

Alex Katz Alex Katz (born July 24, 1927) is an American figurative artist known for his paintings, sculptures, and prints. Early life and career Alex Katz was born July 24, 1927, to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, as the son of an émigré who ha ...

('49, '50) * National Artist Award, Anderson Ranch Arts Center–

Enrique Martinez Celaya Enrique Martínez Celaya (born June 9, 1964) is a contemporary Cuban-born painter, sculptor, author and former scientist whose work has been exhibited and collected by major institutions around the world. He trained and worked as a physicist, com ...

('94) * Rema Hort Mann Foundation Grant– Jennie C. Jones ('96) * Adolph and Clara Obrig Prize, National Academy Museum– Robert Andrew Parker ('52) Susan Louise Shatter ('64) * American Academy of Arts and Letters Awards– Brian Alfred ('99)

Ellen Altfest Ellen Altfest (born New York City, 1970) is an American painter who lives and works in New York. She is best known for her realist depictions of landscapes and still lifes that often blur the distinction between the two genres. Education Altfest ...

('02) Matt Blackwell ('80) Mark Ferguson ('94) Stephen Mueller ('68)

Dana Schutz Dana Schutz (born 1976 in Livonia, Michigan) is an American artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Schutz is known for her gestural, figurative paintings that often take on specific subjects or narrative situations as a point of depar ...

('99)

Gedi Sibony Gedi or GEDI may refer to: People * Ali Mohamed Gedi (born 1952), Prime Minister of Somalia, 2004–2007 * Bashir Nur Gedi (died 2007), Somalian dissident journalist who was murdered * Ahmed Jimale Gedi, Somalian Chief of Army, 2010–2011 * M ...

('99) Arthur Simms ('85) Emna Zghal ('04) *

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

– Daniel Bozhkov ('90), Heather Carson ('97) * William H. Johnson Prize, William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts– Edgar Arceneaux ('99) * Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship–

Marie Watt Marie Watt (born 1967) is a contemporary artist living and working in Portland, Oregon. Enrolled in the Seneca Nation of Indians, Watt has created work primarily with textile arts and community collaboration centered on diverse Native American th ...

('95) * John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowships– SoHyun Bae ('93) Tracy Miller ('92) Chris Lan Hui Chou ('02) Christopher Duncan ('75) Amy Feldman ('18)

Judy Fox Judy Fox is an American sculptor who was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1957. She studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1976, earned a BA from Yale University in 1978, studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des ...

('76)

Kalup Linzy Kalup Linzy (born July 23, 1977) is an American video and performance artist who currently lives and works in Tulsa, OK. His performance are characterized by their low-tech quality, themes of community, socializing, family, the church, sexuality a ...

('02) Karyn Olivier ('00) * MacArthur Fellowship–

Whitfield Lovell Whitfield Lovell (born October 2, 1959) is a contemporary African-American artist who is known primarily for his drawings of African-American individuals from the first half of the 20th century. Lovell creates these drawings in pencil, oil stick, ...

('85) * New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships– Danielle Abrams ('92) Patricia Cronin ('91) Peter Dudek ('78) Alessandra Exposito ('97)

Heather Hart Heather T. Hart (born May 3, 1975) is a visual artist who works in a variety of media including Interactive art, interactive and participatory Installation art, drawing, collage, and painting. She is a co-founder of the Black Lunch Table, Black L ...

('05) Wayne Hodge ('06) Shih Chieh Huang ('01) Yoko Inoue ('00) Jihyun Park ('02) Michael Rakowitz ('96) Peter Simensky ('03) Shinique Smith ('03) Steed Taylor ('97) Mary Temple ('99)

Hank Willis Thomas Hank Willis Thomas (born 1976 in Plainfield, New Jersey; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) is an American conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to identity, history, and popular culture. Early life and education Hank Willis Th ...

('05) Traci Tullius ('02) Nari Ward ('91)

Saya Woolfalk Saya Woolfalk (born 1979, Gifu City, Japan) is an American artist known for her multimedia exploration of hybridity, science, race and sex. Woolfalk uses science fiction and fantasy to reimagine the world in multiple dimensions. Currently repre ...

('04) Charles McGill ('87), Heather Carson ('97) * United States Artists Fellowship–

Laylah Ali Laylah Ali (born 1968Baker, Alex (2007) ''Laylah Ali: Typology''. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. p. 47. ) is a contemporary visual artist known for paintings in which ambiguous race relations are depicted with a graphic clarity and cartoo ...

('93)

William Pope.L Pope.L (also known as William Pope.L, born 1955 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American visual artist best known for his work in performance art, and interventionist public art. However, he has also produced art in painting, photography and theater ...

('96) * Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Grant– Cris Cristofaro ('70) * Art Matters Grants– Sanford Biggers ('98) Daniel Bozhkov ('90) Wayne Hodge ('06) Shaun Leonardo ('04) Charles McGill ('87) Kori Newkirk ('97) Clifford Owens ('04) Cauleen Smith ('07) Allison Wiese ('99)

('04)

Leslie Hewitt Leslie Hewitt (born 1977, Saint Albans, Queens) is an American contemporary visual artist. Education Leslie Hewitt was born in 1977 in Saint Albans, Queens in New York City. Hewitt received a B.F.A. from the Cooper Union's School of Art in 2 ...

('01) * Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation Grant– Donna Conlon ('02) * Gwangju Biennial Prize–

Allora & Calzadilla Jennifer Allora (born 20 March 1974) and Guillermo Calzadilla (born 10 January 1971) are a collaborative duo of visual artists who live and work in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They were the United States Representatives for the 2011 Venice Biennale, ...

- Guillermo Calzadilla ('98) * Creative Capital Grants–

Brody Condon Brody Condon (born 1974 Mexico) is an American artist. He facilitates and documents game-like group encounters that experientially probe dissociative phenomena, critical psychology, and performance art history. The resulting immersive situations ...

('01) Allison Wiese ('99) Wayne Hodge ('06) * Fulbright Senior Research Grant– Margaret Lanzetta ('81) * Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Grant– Jon Cuyson ('06) * Joan Mitchell Foundation Grants– John Bisbee ('92) Amy Feldman ('13)

Lilian Garcia-Roig Lilian Garcia-Roig (born 1966) is a Cuban-born, American painter based in Florida. She is mostly known for her large-scale painting installations of densely forested landscapes. Garcia-Roig is a professor in the Department of Art at Florida S ...

('90)

Rajkamal Kahlon Rajkamal Kahlon is an American artist based in Germany whose work draws on legacies of colonialism, often using the material culture, documentary material, and aesthetics of Western colonial archives. Biography Kahlon was raised in California, t ...

('98) William Villalongo ('02)

- Guillermo Calzadilla ('98) * Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Grants– Astrid Bowlby ('02) Amy Feldman ('12) Heesop Yoon ('05) Tamara Zahaykevich ('95) Tim Doud ('92) * Penny McCall Foundation Grant–

- Guillermo Calzadilla ('98) * Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grants– Marcus Bjernerup ('04) Sarah Cain ('06) John Hock ('92) Beth Campbell ('97) Christopher Duncan ('75)http://www.chrisduncansculpture.com Katie Grinnan ('92) Iva Gueorguiva ('05) Kirsten Hassenfeld ('97) Eric Hongisto ('98) Young-Min Kang ('04) Elanit Kayne ('07) Haegeen Kim ('06) Tracy Miller ('92) John O'Connor ('00) Jean Shin ('99) Hong Zhang ('03) * Virginia Center for the Creative Arts 2012 Fellowship - Charles McGill ('87) * Cintas Fellowship–

- Guillermo Calzadilla ('98)

References

External links

Skowhegan School of Art
website {{Authority control Education in Somerset County, Maine Skowhegan, Maine 1947 establishments in Maine Educational institutions established in 1947 Artist residencies