I will be the first resident artist at Riachuelo Artist retreat. A project that is born like a falcon out of ashes. What is Riachuelo? The home and property of the late Steve and Janet Baird is currently being developed to preserve and generate the humanitarian spirit they both embodied. The Baird's lived joyful lives, contributing so much to their family, communities-local and global; they were innovators, happiness-builders, and genuinely inspiring people. Sadly, they have both passed on and left their legacy in all they have built, shared, and cultivated with us, the fortunate people to have shared their exuberance for life. Their daughter, Regna Frank-Jones, has been left the guardianship of the property that the Baird's built over four decades and is turning it into an artist residency and retreat, Riachuelo. I will list some further details below.

I have recently finished my Ph.D. in Fine art, and I am eking out a new life in Colorado with my partner and dog. I have been paddling like mad to settle into our new adventure here. The residency will be a renewing process for me, taking the six weeks at Riachuelo to dive back into my artist life. I have things that I want to pick up and things that I want to forge forward with. I will be starting with a theme, 'Making things in the dark'.

'Making things in the dark' is a subject that resonates with the uncertainty that has come to the surface as something we like to pretend isn't happening! Even though uncertainty is a constant in our lives, we would rather 'know' than accept that uncertainty is the most consistent reality. Control and spontaneity have a compelling relationship and 

I am exploring this in my artwork. 'Uncertainty' is entangled with intimacy, desire, fear, and hope. A process that relinquishes control and looks at the unexpected as something also 'unknown .' I had a method of making in my most recent work, the Boxing Series, but I never knew the outcome. It did cause me anxiety, but it was also exciting, creating something new to question. I thought of the process of making as a collaboration between my body and material. I considered my body as part of the dynamic material engagement of wrestling cardboard boxes until it was changed into something less neat, less structured, and creating something messy, organic, chaotic, and usually strange. 

I will be starting with drawing and casting, two things that I have consistently done in my artistic practice. Experimenting with getting to know the marks that I can make, trying to recognize who I am now in this present moment through the energy of the drawing. A visual diary that will accumulate over the six weeks of the residency. This coincides with a new biological stage of being a woman, no longer young but not yet 'old .' Perhaps age is a state of mind and age is the amount of living experience we have; regardless, as we grow, our perspectives change. Transitions are often the most challenging time in our lives, thrilling and daunting.

I have also created a public project for the Cedaredge community while I am the resident artist called 'The Dinner Party.' A temporary collective of artists chosen from the immediate vicinity of Cedaredge to create a community. Within this group, we will share our perspectives and create site-specific artworks in the home of the late Baird's property and now, Riachuelo. We will meet over four dinners to share our practices as artists, feed our creative need for exchange, and create an exhibition to be open to the public in October. 

I am very excited about this opportunity! I will be posting a regular blog about the residency, which you can read here or on the Riachuelo Facebook page. This new venture will be developed over time, evolving and growing as we go. You can find more information below. 

About Riachuelo:(Ri-achue-lo) Riachuelo is the name of a new artist residency and retreat located in Cedaredge, Colorado, on a property built by Steve and Janet Baird. The name, Riachuelo, comes from ‘Ria’a beloved pet dog, and ‘Chuelo,’ the Portuguese word for creek. The Bairds moved to the area in 1981 and developed the land over the course of four decades. They were an extraordinary creative couple who lived by the fundamental values of kindness, service, adventure, stewardship, and hospitality. They lived passionately and with joy. Janet and Steve have recently passed away, leaving guardianship of the home to their daughter Regna Frank-Jones. To preserve and celebrate her parents’ life and legacy, she is opening up the property to host creatives and travelers to retreat, create, work, and find inspiration in a remarkable place.

THE DINNER PARTY AT RIACHUELO is a collaborative, community project designed to gather a group of nine artists to engage, co-create, and become inspired around a shared experience.

About THE DINNER PARTY: To introduce Riachuelo to the community, we are doing a project centered around a series of dinners, conversations, and the creation of site-specific art. Artists are asked to apply and will be chosen based on their interest, work, and enthusiasm to participate. The group will meet weekly in June over four dinners, and each artist will be invited to design and create an artwork that considers the unique property and home to be temporarily shown there. The artwork will be made off-site and installed for an exhibition and gathering in mid-September.

The project will culminate in a community event at Riachuelo to celebrate the works created by the group. The event will be an open house where people come to meet the artists, see the exhibition, tour the property, listen to music, and enjoy nibbles and libations. 

This project provides an opportunity for artists, painters, sculptors, poets, musicians, and performers to build relationships, discuss ideas, and exhibit new work. Riachuelo’s artist in residence, Stephanie Spindler, will facilitate these group dinners, and participants will learn about the legacy of the property and get to know one another through conversation and feedback about the work proposed by each artist.

How to apply: If you would like to participate in the Dinner Party project, please submit a short letter of interest and tell us a little about yourself(500 words max)and include up to five images of your work in a pdf format to stephanie.spindlerphd@gmail.com or a link to representations of your work. Please submit your email with the Dinner Party interest as the subject. All kinds of artists are welcome to apply; however,  we are looking specifically for artists local to Cedaredge and Delta County.

Participation is limited. There is no fee to apply. The dinners will be vegetarian, alcohol-free, and you are asked to attend all of the dinners. 

Deadline to apply:  May 13

Notification:  May 20

Dinner dates:

Thursday, June 9, 5:00pm- 8:00pm

Thursday, June 16, 5:00pm- 8:00pm

Thursday, June 23, 5:00pm- 8:00pm

Thursday, June 30, 5:00pm- 8:00pm

Art Installed: Week of September 11-15

Public Exhibition and Event at Riachuelo: September 17 and 18