2020 Residents
Shaving Cream and Burning Bicycle Wheel, archival pigment print, 2020
Adam Eckberg
"This residency would have been magical under normal circumstances but was all the more vital personally and artistically during the stresses of social isolation due to the global pandemic.
The opportunity to explore, let my mind wander for the joy of letting my mind wander, to attempt and fail at making constructed photographs, to sketch preposterous drawings and to be truly present was like a tonic.
Also, if you time it right, you can watch the sunset over Manana Island while swimming in the harbor and then run to the lighthouse to watch the sun set a second time."
adamekberg.com
Monhegan Circles, digital images from drawings and paintings done on Monhegan, 2020
Jody Dube
Maine K-12 teacher residency
"The residency was a very rare opportunity to step aside from all the things that distract to focus purely on my thoughts and my work. The setting, with its beauty and storied history as a destination for so many artists, provided me with all the peace and inspiration needed to refocus and center myself. It has been as much a spiritual retreat as an artist residency. It’s spurred so much new work, it will occupy much of the next year for me and beyond."
“My time on Monhegan was as much a spiritual retreat as an artist residency. It afforded me time… time away from all the cares, pressures, and distractions that tend to clutter the mind and make it difficult to gather ones thoughts properly in the cause of making art. I had a rare opportunity to step aside from time itself and experience genuine immersion into a creative mindset. I’d been moving with clear intention toward two-dimensional work since springtime and the isolation of COVID-19, preparing for the residency by establishing a drawing practice. The physical beauty of Monhegan’s rocky shores and the majesty of Cathedral Woods profoundly inspired me. The freedom of my island life allowed me to delve deeper and explore ideas more than I ever could amidst the distractions of my routines back at home. The Monhegan Artist Residency board thoughtfully addressed challenges brought on by the pandemic and I was provided with excellent accommodations and careful planning for my physical safety, for which I am deeply appreciative. I began several pieces on the island that will be completed over the next several months. The experience will remain with me for a lifetime.”