Interdisciplinary Residency
Interdisciplinary Residencies
A Five-Week or Two-Week Residency Program
We offer 5-week or 2-week sessions of our Interdisciplinary Residency. The 2-week Interdisciplinary Residency program is designed for parents, caregivers, or others for whom a 5-week Residency is not possible. We encourage those who are able to apply to the 5-week Interdisciplinary Residency to do so.
Purpose
The goal of this program is to provide individuals with the time and space to pursue their own creative projects alongside other Residents who may be examining plants, landscapes, gardens, and the natural world from different perspectives. Artists, conservation practitioners, researchers, scholars, scientists, and/or writers are encouraged to apply to our Interdisciplinary Residency Program. This is our flagship Residency program that was started in 2021. Now, in 2024, we have hosted over 50 Interdisciplinary Residents, and we plan to award 40 Interdisciplinary Residencies annually. We hope our Residents will develop meaningful relationships around shared creative interests, and find abundant inspiration while at OSGF.
Interdisciplinarity is a key value of OSGF, and this Residency provides ample opportunities for Residents to explore our various resources. Beyond the time devoted to their projects, an Interdisciplinary Resident’s typical day at Oak Spring might include a walk to enjoy the landscape or birds; an appointment to visit the Oak Spring Library; and/or a morning spent volunteering at the BCCF or in the formal garden. These optional activities provide Residents time to learn from, and interact with our staff. None of these kinds of activities are required, and we understand that many Residents might want to spend most of their time in their writing or studio space. This program supports varying Residents, needs, and strikes a balance of socialization, and independent work time.
Residents are not required to make work that addresses our site specifically, but they should work on projects related to OSGF’s mission. We often find that Residents who use their time for research and inspiration are most satisfied with this Residency experience.
Who We Support
Our program is mainly directed to support individuals working in the following four overlapping, very broad, categories:
Artists and Writers
Individuals devoted to creative expression and innovative thinking that leads to new objects, movements, or ideas. This includes, but is not limited to, artists, dancers, filmmakers and musicians of all kinds, as well as writers of both fiction and non-fiction. Visual artists creating book art, drawings, fiber art, graphics, illustrations, paintings, photography, prints, sculpture or other objects have been especially prominent in Oak Spring Residencies so far, but we are keen to support all forms of artistic expression.
Conservation Scientists & Practitioners
Individuals undertaking research, practice, or action related to the conservation and sustainable use of plants, and the ecological/environmental systems of which they are a part of. The work may be situated in environments ranging from “natural” to human-dominated, including in agricultural systems in which minimizing adverse environmental impacts and conserving biological diversity is a priority.
Researchers & Scholars in the Humanities
Individuals devoted to traditional or non-traditional research and scholarship in anthropology, art history, history, human geography, history, language, law, politics, sociology and religion with connections to plants, gardens and landscapes. The outputs from such work may be traditional high-quality scholarship, or other work that seeks to reach a broader audience, for example through electronic media. We are especially keen to support individuals who will make use of the exceptional collection of art, manuscripts, books and other objects in the Oak Spring Garden Library.
Plant & Ecological Scientists
Individuals undertaking basic or applied research in plant science at the organismal or ecological level, including the importance of plants in ecological processes of all kinds. Individuals may be pursuing research at the population or species levels, but might equally be addressing questions related to the ways in which plants participate in global systems or biome level processes. We are especially keen to encourage research on the plants, ecological systems and habitats of the Oak Spring landscape.
What We Provide
The first week of the Residency will include required tours of the formal garden, landscape, and library. This orientation period is important to introducing Residents to our site, resources and staff. After this, Residents will be provided about 3 meals per week, and these are a very means of building community among Residents, OSGF staff, and other visitors who might be on-site. OSGF’s Chef Jason creates artistic, delicious meals, that are inspired and crafted using the fresh produce grown on-site at the BCCF. Residents are required to join all provided meals, and will take turns helping clean the dishes and space afterwards. Beyond the weekly meals, we trust our Residents to use their time as they best see fit, and there will generally be a few optional weekly activities or field trips for Residents to participate in. The final week of the Residency, Residents are asked (but not required) to participate in a Residency Showcase. The Residency Showcase is an informal opportunity for staff and other program participants who might be on-site to visit with the Residents and learn about what they have worked on during their time at Oak Spring.
Residents are housed in nicely appointed shared accommodations. Each Resident will have a private bedroom and bathroom, and share a living space and kitchen with 1 - 3 other Residents. Visual artists will have 24/7 access to a studio within 0.75 miles of their accommodations, and other Residents will have a designated writing space in their accommodations.
Award
Residents selected for a 5-week session receive a $2,000 individual grant, and Residents selected for a 2-week session receive an $800 individual grant. Residents will be asked to arrange transportation to Dulles International Airport or Union Station, and OSGF will provide ground transportation to our site in Upperville, VA.
Residents who complete this program will be able to apply to our annual Perennial Residency Program.
Eligibility
We recognize that individuals may be at different stages in their lives when they arrive at a point where a dedicated period in residency may would helpful to their work. There is no expectation that Residents be at a particular point in their career to apply for this program. We do, however, expect that Residents be considerate, able to live with a housemate who might be in a different stage than themselves, and Residents must be interested in interacting with the other members of their cohort, as well as other program participants who might be at OSGF.
We do not allow pets or overnight visitors during the Residency. Residents must arrive on the first day of the program and depart on the last day of the program.
Dates
5-week Session I: Monday, March 3, 2025 – Sunday, April 6, 2025
5-week Session II: Monday, May 19, 2025 – Sunday, June 22, 2025
5-week Session III: Monday, June 30, 2025 – Sunday, August 3, 2025
5-week Session IV: Monday, September 8, 2025 – Sunday, October 12, 2025
2-week Session I: Sunday, April 13, 2025 - Sunday, April 27, 2025
2-week Session II: Sunday, August 10, 2025 - Sunday, August 24, 2025
Application process
The application portal is now open and will close May 31st, 2024. Please note that there is one application for all of our 2025 Residency and Fellowship programs, and you will be prompted to select which programs you would like to be considered for. You will be asked to submit:
a resume/curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages),
a 200 - 300 word statement on your artistic practice,
a 200 - 300 word statement about how your work relates to Oak Spring Garden Foundation’s mission to “perpetuate and share the gifts of Rachel (“Bunny”) Lambert Mellon, including her residence, garden, estate and the Oak Spring Garden Library, to serve the public interest. OSGF is dedicated to inspiring and facilitating scholarship and public dialogue on the history and future of plants, including the culture of gardens and landscapes and the importance of plants for human well-being,”
a 200 word or less response to the prompt: Please describe a time that you were part of a community. What role did you serve in the community, and what aspects of being in community did you enjoy the most?
work samples
For visual artists: 5 - 10 images, please include the dimensions, year, medium, and title of each work sample.
For creative non-fiction, fiction, essayists, or other writers: 7 - 10 pages total that demonstrate your current interests. Please use 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and double-space your writing sample. Do not include photocopies of published work, title pages, tables of contents or HYPERLINKS. Please be sure to state the genre of the work sample.
For time-based artists, including: filmmakers, musicians, dancers, and performance artists: 10 minutes cumulatively of work samples. OSGF encourages video files to be uploaded directly to Submittable, but when necessary, we also accept links to vimeo or other external sites as long as the appropriate passwords are provided.
For poets and playwrights: you may submit 7 - 10 pages total. Poetry may be spaced as needed, and scripts should follow standard script formatting.
Selection Process
Residents are carefully selected through a multi-round review process in which OSGF staff, Residency alumni, and external jurors review and score applications. Residents are ultimately selected by panels of external reviewers who are established and working in fields or practices relevant to OSGF’s mission. The primary criteria for scoring applicants include: an applicant’s current work’s relationship to the OSGF mission; potential of applicant; and quality of work samples.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, unfortunately we are not able to provide individualized feedback to applicants who are not selected for a Residency. In most cases, we do not allow selected Residents to defer their award.
Quotes from previous interdisciplinary residents
“My experience at OSGF was one that stood out. From the moment I arrived, I felt a sense of support and kindness from everyone. The studio and housing situation were top notch and I had such a fruitful time. Everything from the chef cooked meals to the personalized research assistance of the library staff, to the kind support the Residency staff had helped to make this experience one of the most fruitful Residencies I have been to. The location was very inspiring as well as the immersion in the gardens and library of Bunny Mellon. I would spend the weekdays researching and bike over to my studio where I work based on the inspiration I gleaned from the day. Thanks to the access to the rare books in the library I feel that my sculptural style has been pushed forward towards advancement in just the 5 weeks I have spent at Oak Spring.” Goldie Poblador, Interdisciplinary Residency, Session I 2022
“Everything about it was perfection and bliss for me. The staff were so accommodating and kind, the facilities were comfortable, clean, quiet and spacious. The unstructured time for wandering, socializing, creating art, resting was such an incredible experience for me. I have described it as a "spa for the artist's soul". There was not one thing I can complain about!! I am so grateful and felt it was a life changing event for me.” Melissa DeSa, Interdisciplinary Residency, Session III, 2022
“The interdisciplinary nature of our cohort made for constantly engaging conversations which fed into each other's work in unexpectedly helpful ways; watching how the artists approached their work inspired me to take a freer, more creative approach to my own learning, expanding my perspective enormously. I was struck that nearly everyone said during their showcase presentation that they came to OSGF planning to do X and ended up also doing Y -- there was an atmosphere where creativity and experimenting with ideas really flourished.” Emily Pegues, Interdisciplinary Residency, Session IV, 2022
“Between the bountiful CSA boxes, chef prepared meals, garden volunteering, breadth of ecological and arts related activities, and overall stunning grounds and facilities, I felt completely nourished in mind, body and spirit. I was also in residence with a fantastic group; I really enjoyed the variation in geographic, cultural and disciplinary backgrounds of everyone. I was looking forward to time and space in the beauty of the grounds, but didn't expect it to be so wholly engaging and perception-changing. After time in the field, in the phenomenal library and conversing at dinner with the classes, I'll never look at plants, trees and the landscape in the same way. Esy Casey, Interdisciplinary Residency, Session IV, 2022
"My time as a Resident at OSGF was rich and productive. It was very special to be in a cohort with several other artists of color and know that our perspectives with regard to the ecological futures of our local and global environments were valued and supported." Saretta Morgan, Interdisciplinary Residency, Session IV, 2021
“I had such a fantastic time at OSGF. The property was incredibly beautiful, the studio spaces were well set up and spacious, and the house was super comfortable. The other Residents and the staff were all great. Everyone I encountered at OSGF was friendly and made me feel welcome. I was able to be productive as well as relax, and overall it was a very regenerative experience for me.” Kate Klingbeil, Socially-Distanced Residency 2021
Oak Spring Garden Foundation supports individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, creed, abilities/disabilities, or socio-economic status.