The Family Residency
SPACE on Ryder Farm’s Family Residency, founded in association with The Lilly Awards Foundation (spearheaded by Julia Jordan, Marsha Norman and Pia Scala-Zankel), provides a residency on the farm for working parents and their children.
The Family Residency is offered twice, each for 10 days. Dates of the residency are announced yearly.
The Family Residency offers artist-parents structured time to create while their child(ren) participate in nature-focused arts programming under the guidance of professional educators. All family residents (parents and children) enjoy three farm-sourced meals daily. (Please see SPACE’s FAQ page for information about diets and food allergies that SPACE’s chefs are able to accommodate.) The residency culminates in short, informal sharings of the work created by both parents and children while in residence.
SPACE welcomes applications from artist-parents with children who will be 5 to 12 years old by July 1 of each residency year.
All time in-residence is fully subsidized. Additionally, those selected for the Family Residency are able to apply for a travel subsidy to help offset their transportation costs. The allocation of travel funds is based on a resident’s geographical location as well as their stated financial circumstances. If you are traveling from New York City, a round-trip, off-peak Metro-North ticket from Grand Central Terminal to Brewster is $30. Transportation between the Brewster Station and farm is provided by the SPACE team.
PO Box 370
North Salem, NY 10560
United States
Residency Program Information
Residency Program Summary
Application Information
Because SPACE residents routinely dine together, work together and inhabit indoor buildings with SPACE staff (who are in turn part of their own communities), minimizing risk associated with COVID-19 requires full participation in straightforward, clear policies. To this end, all residents are required to be fully vaccinated as a condition of attending a 2022 SPACE residency. A similar policy is in effect for SPACE staff and guests.
SPACE recognizes medical contraindications and closely held religious beliefs may prevent some residents from receiving the COVID vaccine. Furthermore, SPACE knows that many have not had fair and just access to the COVID-19 vaccine and have been disproportionately impacted by the virus, leading to the distrust of government health agencies and hesitancy towards the vaccine itself. Such individuals will be asked to follow a thorough set of safety protocols including quarantining and PCR testing before arrival. Additionally, all residents, regardless of vaccination status, will be tested on the first day of their residency.
Please contact Chief Operating Officer, Allyson Davis, at allyson@spaceonryderfarm.org with any related questions or concerns. For more information on the COVID-19 vaccines available in the US, and where to get one please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html
The parent applying for The Family Residency must be at least 18 years old, and the child(ren) who will be in residence must be 5-12 years old by July 1 of each residency year.
Applicants must be available to be in residence during the entirety of their residency period.
Family Residency alumni are not eligible to attend again but are encouraged to apply to SPACE’s other programs.
Prospective residents may only apply for one program in a season.
Please note: If both adults in a two-parent/guardian household want to apply for the Family Residency, each parent/guardian must submit separate applications, regardless of whether they are working on the same or distinct projects. Please know that while SPACE has hosted two-parent/guardian households previously, it is possible that only one adult in a household will be accepted. If either of your participation is contingent on both of you being accepted, please refrain from applying.
Those selected for the Family Residency are able to apply for a travel subsidy to help offset their transportation costs. The allocation of travel funds is based on a resident’s geographical location as well as their stated financial circumstances. If you are traveling from New York City, a round-trip, off-peak Metro-North ticket from Grand Central Terminal to Brewster is $30. Transportation between the Brewster Station and farm is provided by the SPACE team.
Accessibility
SPACE eagerly provides services and aids on a case by case basis.
Residents with limited mobility can participate in the full resident experience. The dock at Peach Lake is a small jaunt from the farm on an unpaved path, but residents with limited mobility can be driven by car or golf cart down the path to the lake, if desired. Other outdoor areas of the farm (the Bowling Green and growing fields) may also prove challenging, as some are multi-level, but reasonable aid and accommodations can be made. Overall, any areas that might be of concern are not core elements of the residency experience.
The second floors of buildings on-site are not accessible by wheelchair. Some bedrooms are located on these floors, but bedrooms on ground levels are available for those with limited mobility. All indoor common areas are also on ground levels. The entrances to Kay Hall and The Sycamores include 3-5 steps, but a ramp is available to be installed for use.
Housing & Accomodation
KAY HALL
This modern home was built in the post-and-beam style in the early 1980s and is SPACE’s residency house. In addition to each bedroom (furnished with a bed, bedside table, and writing desk with chair), there are several workspaces scattered throughout the house, including:
- The Main Room: The open-concept first floor of Kay Hall includes a sitting area and dining room, and offers several distinct workspaces and areas for gathering. The first floor contains a couch, rocking chairs, a chaise lounge and a large dining table with views of the pond and sheep pasture.
- The Garage: This partially open-air space has two large tables and a bulletin board, which is perfect for larger group meetings. It also has a Casio Privia PX-800 keyboard. The Garage can comfortably fit twelve people.
- The Back Deck: Completed in 2017 thanks to a generous donation by Alec and Lee Seymour, the Kay Hall deck overlooks the pond with a small table and chairs covered by an umbrella to keep away the sun. The deck is accessible from the first floor of Kay Hall, as well as the second floor bedrooms, each of which has its own balcony.
THE BARN
Originally built by Will Ryder in 1910, the barn offers a large open area for groups or individuals looking for a large open space. With a wooden stage donated by Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in 2013 and numerous chairs and tables, the barn is easily configured to best serve a resident’s needs, and has been used in the past as a recording studio, rehearsal space for blocking and staged readings. The barn also has a well-maintained Weber upright piano. There is access to electricity and a weak Wifi connection in this space.
THE CHICKEN COOP
A large renovated chicken coop with windows and concrete floors. The space contains two desks and a Roland Juno-DS weighted keyboard. Past residents have used this space both for music recording and as a visual arts studio. There is access to electricity but not Wifi. There is running water just outside the building.
BOWLING GREEN AND STAGE
The Bowling Green is a gently sloping open field with a concrete open-air stage at its end. Numerous lawn chairs and other furniture live on the green. The green is useful for exploration, the meeting of larger groups and leisure.
THE GAZEBO
An open-air structure directly adjacent to one of Ryder Farm’s growing fields, the gazebo is a little further away from the hustle and bustle of the main SPACE campus allowing a quiet place to concentrate and contemplate. There is no access to Wifi or electricity. The Gazebo can comfortably sit four people.
THE DOCK ON PEACH LAKE
Offering some of the most beautiful vistas on the farm, this floating dock, built by the SPACE team in 2012, allows for some peace and quiet far away from the main SPACE campus for a resident to dig into their work. Residents have even been known to take a boat out onto the lake to really clear their minds as they work. There is no access to Wifi or electricity at the lake.
Studio & Facilities
Each resident is provided with a bedroom furnished with a writing desk. Residents are also invited to make use of various facilities around the farm, including:
THE BARN
Originally built by Will Ryder in 1910, the barn offers a large open area for groups or individuals looking for a large open space. With a wooden stage donated by Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in 2013 and numerous chairs and tables, the barn is easily configured to best serve a resident’s needs, and has been used in the past as a recording studio, rehearsal space for blocking and staged readings. The barn also has a well-maintained Weber upright piano. There is access to electricity and a weak Wifi connection in this space.
THE CHICKEN COOP
A large renovated chicken coop with windows and concrete floors. The space contains two desks and a Roland Juno-DS weighted keyboard. Past residents have used this space both for music recording and as a visual arts studio. There is access to electricity but not Wifi. There is running water just outside the building.
BOWLING GREEN AND STAGE
The Bowling Green is a gently sloping open field with a concrete open-air stage at its end. Numerous lawn chairs and other furniture live on the green. The green is useful for exploration, the meeting of larger groups and leisure.
THE GAZEBO
An open-air structure directly adjacent to one of Ryder Farm’s growing fields, the gazebo is a little further away from the hustle and bustle of the main SPACE campus allowing a quiet place to concentrate and contemplate. There is no access to Wifi or electricity. The Gazebo can comfortably sit four people.
THE DOCK ON PEACH LAKE
Offering some of the most beautiful vistas on the farm, this floating dock, built by the SPACE team in 2012, allows for some peace and quiet far away from the main SPACE campus for a resident to dig into their work. Residents have even been known to take a boat out onto the lake to really clear their minds as they work. There is no access to Wifi or electricity at the lake.