Bubbawood is an evolving experiment in collaboration and alternative living that actively explores how humans relate with their environment and each other. Through a seasonal residency program, creative people of all sorts are invited to experience the space-time of a focused retreat while engaging in place-based projects of all disciplines.
The unique context of Bubbawood and the surrounding Columbia River Gorge affords residents the opportunity to live in community and in close contact with the natural world while exploring a range of sites, topics, and opportunities. For a period of two weeks, each selected resident will have access to shelter, water, an outdoor shower, a composting toilet, and a variety of tools.
The residency shelter is a ten by twelve foot off-grid cabin in a secluded corner of the property, with huge windows that look out through the oaks, to the Mill creek valley beyond. The cabin is furnished with a bed, desk and tiny kitchen, but has no running water. Bubbawood does not offer a traditional studio space, but rather, offers the land and the operations of daily life as a creative opportunity. Each residency culminates with a public event to showcase and celebrate the resident’s work at Bubbawood.
Why a residency program? Bubbawood offers residencies as a form of communalism and collaboration, with hopes to activate the potential of our land through meaningful and creative projects. By living for a time at Bubbawood, we hope that residents come away with a closer connection to nature and some new perspective on their place in the universe. We aim to create a community on the land that ebbs and flows with time, of which residents will be a vital part, bringing new energy and ideas from elsewhere and leaving beautiful traces of their passing.
Who is eligible? Anyone with a creative practice who feels inspired by the context of Bubbawood and its proximity to nature, its communal ethos and its creative potential. We do not want to limit the offering to only those who consider themselves artists, and we invite applications from writers, scientists, builders, activists, philosophers, musicians, community organizers… whoever feels compelled to engage with the project.
When are residencies available? We are offering three residencies to the public in 2019, corresponding to the seasons:
~ Spring: April 15 - 28
~ Summer: July 15 - 28
~ Fall: September 23 - October 6
Each season here has it's own glories and challenges!
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What is the application deadline? The application deadlines are about four months before each residency: January 10 for the spring residency, March 15 for summer, and May 30 for fall (if you apply for one residency but are not chosen and would like to re-apply for a later one, we will waive the application fee).