Anon L.
Yelp
I'm thinking through this review very carefully as I don't want to diss a place that is still rebuilding its programming.First, I have nothing but good things to say about the person assigned to be my liaison in this residency- Anne.. Noting that there is only one review--a negative one-- since 2017 is interesting. Things seem to have improved since then. I think that the people who organize this residency need to be very clear about some aspects as they are trying to rebuild their program. The living/studio space was not adequate as a studio, and more like an empty air b&b. A really good place for spouses and partners, but both have to be artists, in some sense of the word. The view from the room was scrubbery and not interesting to draw. I couldn't walk to any beach- an accessibility issue.
They need to emphasize what 7 miles away from town really looks and feels like without transportation. Unless one is able to bike, one relies on irregular van trips to town for groceries, or the expense of Uber. Most of the time I was worried about grocery shopping. This interfered with concentration on work, the main reason people do residencies. It is also not handicap accessible. A mile separates the main farmhouse to the apartment/"studios"- a dangerous road after dark with no walkways, and with SUVs racing through (this being Nantucket 2025).
They talk about it being self-structured and for independent people, but it is not easy to self-structure a working day when the plans are so loose.
This is not a residency that supplies meals for the residents, as many do. Residents have to pay an additional fee for classes. I think it would be best if this program suspends its residencies till it has resolved issues like transportation, food access and community. There is a difference between being "self-structured" and leaving people at loose ends. A positive was the programming with music at the farmhouse once a week. Great potential for a cultural center. A positive suggestion is to have a poetry symposium. I learned a lot about what I can and can't do on a residency, should I do such a thing I the future. I realize I need more socializing, and it would have been good if there were a regular dinner hour with other residents.
I would recommend going off-season. When the tourists and summer house McMansion people are gone one can really appreciate the island. Otherwise, going to town is one tourist trap after another.
