I'm excited to see more residency programs working to connect art making with community, ecology and a sense of place. Unlike the older "retreat" model, which serves artists (often from urban areas) by allowing them to "get away" and commune with something vaguely referred to as "nature," a true sense of place helps artists comprehend that they have arrived somewhere with a rich history. This history is not just the names and stories of artists who have come before or the biography of the founder, but a complex interweaving of ecology, economy and community.

One of the things that we hope will characterize Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing and the Environment is a strong sense of place. It's right there, implicitly and explicitly, in our mission and vision statements.

But how does one develop a sense of place?

A TRIP TO THE HEARTLAND
A report from Taylor Van Horne, Director of the Instituto Sacatar 

How often has an artist at a residency felt that their work was deeply informed by and related to the ecology of that place? How about the local economy (such as it is)? How about the local cultural community (such as it is)?

Beyond that, how many artists have felt that they are bringing their home community (if they call one home) with them to inform their work or to relate to the work of the residency?