Stay up-to-date on the latest news in the artist residency field.

Artist Communities Alliance (ACA) News provides information about happenings at our organization and throughout the artist residency field. This includes announcements about upcoming ACA events, Advocacy Alerts that spotlight policy issues, funding opportunities for artists and arts organizations, and press releases.

In addition to this News page, ACA regularly sends newsletters that feature important news and happenings that are relevant to artists, artist residency staff and other arts administrators.

The Five Pillars of a Healthy Residency

August 11, 2020
ACA Five Pillar Logo
The Residency Self-Assessment Tool that ACA has developed is built on five pillars (Identity, Program Design, Operations, Resource Development, and Stewardship) through which to analyze what makes your organization’s climate exceptional or toxic. This tool will help you identify what is working or getting in the way of creating safer spaces for artists, staff, and community members in order to create structural change and sustainability.

FIELD PRACTICE | MacDowell Removes "Colony" from Name

July 22, 2020
Colorful MacDowell Logo
MacDowell Colony announced the organization will now officially be known as MacDowell. We spoke with the executive director Philip Himberg about the staff petition that set their name change in motion and laying the groundwork for this shift at the 113-year-old institution.

FIELD NOTES | Language Matters

June 26, 2020
Artist Colony on The Cape image
“There is not a place in North, South, or Central America that is not Indigenous land.” —Sharon Day, 2019 AAC Conference, St. Paul, MN “The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away, and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.” ―Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny