Catwalk Art Residency
Yi Xin Tong, To Die For, Installation in the Tower, Catwalk, September 2014
The Art Residency Summer Program at CATWALK, a historic estate in Catskill, NY.
About the Catwalk Art Residency Program
Catwalk Art Residency is an artist residency program established in 2004 by James and Purcell Scheu Palmer ’62 at their historic residence, which was originally the home of Hudson River School painter, Charles Herbert Moore.
Catwalk Institute welcomes proposals from artists and collaborative teams for 2–4 week residencies. Participation is exclusively for faculty and alums from Columbia University, New York University, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Mannes School of Music, Penn State, and Vassar College. Applications are by recommendation through each institution.
Situated on a magnificent historic site of 70 acres on the Hudson River, Catwalk sits across from Olana, the home of Frederic Edwin Church, America's first environmentalist, and just north of Thomas Cole's home, Cedar Grove. Residencies are space/time grants designed for reflection and personal artistic growth. Spaces include a fully outfitted kitchen and individual studio spaces, the quiet solitude and surrounding nature create an idyllic atmosphere for visual artists, performance artists, writers, and scholars to rejuvenate and recreate their own personal vision.
The Palmers were drawn to the Hudson Valley by the rich arts legacy of the area and the collaboration that the proximity to New York could provide. After spending over 30 years in Chicago pursuing careers in finance and sales, a three-year search led them to CATWALK, an estate that they found too wonderful not to share with others. They have long supported artists and arts organizations and found the perfect balance in the world they are now developing.
The mission of the Catwalk Arts Residency is to establish Catwalk as a special retreat for art-making, collaborative projects and scholarly discourse in a visually stimulating part of the country that has historically provided and continues today to provide significant inspiration to artists, cultural historians, writers, and scholars.
The Palmers envision this as a developing concept and intend for participating institutions (Columbia University, New York University, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Mannes School of Music, Penn State, and Vassar College) to have wide latitude in developing the program in a manner that is meaningful for the participants and enhances the recognition of the excellence of the institutions involved.
Purcell Scheu Palmer ’62: Making Room for the Arts
The Opportunity
Vassar alums with an MFA, or equivalent level of professional experience, as well current Vassat faculty and staff with a graduate degree (from any institution) are invited to apply. Recipients will be granted residencies to pursue art-making, collaborative projects, and scholarly pursuits focusing on art including (but not limited to) sculpture, installation, video, poetry, performance, film, opera, drawing, and painting. Ideally, residents’ projects should be ones that expand and enrich their current artistic perspectives and endeavors. Residencies will be granted for a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of four weeks depending on the time required for the project being explored, and the availability of space.
One of the most important features of the residency is that it offers an entirely self-directed block of time for developing and creating art, all within an extraordinary landscape. Opportunities for residents to socialize and share their work are flexible and can be shaped according to the needs and desires of the artists, such as shared meals or informal gatherings on the grounds.
Accommodations at Catwalk are shared, with most residents housed alongside other artists, fostering a sense of community and collaboration. Only the Tower is designed for a single artist, providing a more secluded space for those seeking solitude. Daily life at Catwalk is self-sustaining. Residents provide their own meals, with each accommodation offering a fully equipped kitchen. Laundry facilities are available on-site. To enhance their experience and facilitate shopping for food and necessities, residents are encouraged to have a car during their stay at Catwalk.
Full use of the grounds is encouraged along with the exploration of the Catskill and Hudson area, which is not served by public transportation. Projects that connect to this region specifically are especially appropriate for selection.
Please note project stipends are not available.
Residencies will run from May–October, 2026
Deadline to apply is March 29th.
Please check this year's residency announcement for application details.
Vassar’s Previous Artists in Residence (203KB)
Catwalk Institute welcomes proposals from artists and collaborative teams for 2-4 week residencies May-October at Catslair. This newly acquired 1980 residential complex is situated on a magnificent historic site of 70 acres on the Hudson River across from Olana, the home of Frederic Edwin Church, America's first environmentalist, and just north of Thomas Cole's home, Cedar Grove. Catslair residencies are available to artists, writers, and scholars in all media exploring subjects related to place, landscape, and environment investigating universal aspects of nature embedded in the Hudson Valley landscape and ecology. Residencies are space/time grants including a fully outfitted kitchen, individual and group studio spaces with three bedrooms. Please note project stipends are not available and residents must have access to a car during their stay.
Photos by Philip Loheed and Earthos Institute, summer 2014 residents.