Problem

The tradition of silently delivering lunch baskets to the artists’ studios at the Colony dates back to the days Edward MacDowell spent composing in his log cabin. Marian MacDowell understood artist’s need for a quiet place to work undisturbed and she dedicated herself to fostering the creative gift in artists throughout her lifetime. Many of the 250 creative artists who come to MacDowell each year have no other place to work or hold other jobs.

The Gift

Your gift will provide an artist with a peaceful day to work undisturbed with the gift of a nourishing lunch basket left on the studio porch. The MacDowell Colony exists to nurture the creative process. Away from the demands of everyday life in a quite, natural setting, artists can focus on their work. Your gift of an artist’s lunch basket supports a time-honored tradition at the Colony, one that symbolizes the very things artists say they love most about MacDowell: uninterrupted time, nourishment of the body and soul, and complete respect for artists and their work. "MacDowell performs a clever magic trick on its residents: we are so well taken care of we end up feeling self-sufficient, and then we are brave enough to try anything." --filmmaker Sabrina Dhawan