Application Highlights

Painter Gianna Commito at work in Stone South studio

For your convenience, we have provided all of the instructions from the application form here on the web site for easy viewing. To apply, you must complete and mail the actual application form. Return to the To Apply page for the instructions and links for downloading the application; you may even fill out the form online before printing it. You may also request that a copy be mailed to you by sending an e-mail to Candace Wait at chwait at our domain (please correct email address).

Artists In Residence

Application Process

Application Information

Life At Yaddo

Artists in Residence

Acosta Nichols Stone Tower Studio for composers

What artistic disciplines are represented at Yaddo?

Invitations are extended to highly qualified writers, visual artists, composers, choreographers, performance artists, filmmakers and video artists. Artists who wish to work collaboratively are encouraged to apply. (Only small groups, comprising two or at most three people, can be accommodated. Support personnel or interpretive artists, such as computer programmers, instrumentalists, and dancers, cannot be included in a residency as part of a collaborative team.)

How long are residencies?

Residencies vary in length, lasting up to two months. The average stay is five weeks—the minimum, two weeks.

Who qualifies for admission?

Artists who qualify for Yaddo residencies are working at the professional level in their fields. An abiding principle at Yaddo is that applications for residency are judged on the quality of the artists’ work and professional promise.

Yaddo encourages artists of all backgrounds to apply for admission. Yaddo does not discriminate in its programs and activities against anyone on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, disability, HIV status, or veteran status.

Is there a residency fee?

There is no fee for a residency.

Is financial aid available?

A small fund exists to provide limited help towards the expenses of travel or renting equipment, such as computers and printers, to invited artists of any discipline who otherwise might not be able to visit. The funds must be used exclusively for travel and equipment rental. Receipts are required.

In addition, through a grant from an anonymous donor, a separate fund exists to provide financial aid exclusively for writers who might otherwise be unable to accept an invitation to visit Yaddo. There are no limitations on how funds for writers should be used - recipients may, for example, use the funds for rent, utilities, child care, loans, medical bills or travel expenses, or to cover the loss of earned income during their residency. For the purposes of these grants, "writers" are defined as artists who are approved for residency by the Admissions Committee in Literature.

Only persons who have already been invited for visits may apply for financial assistance. To apply, enclose with your letter of acceptance, a statement of need supported by a brief budget and documentation, such as a copy of the front page of your most recent federal tax return. Forms and information will be included with each letter of invitation.

Does Yaddo accept artists who live outside the United States?

Yaddo has a strong tradition of internationalism. In recent years, Yaddo has welcomed artists from many countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the United Kingdom, Macedonia, Egypt, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Iran, Israel, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa and Turkey. Writers who work in languages other than English are welcome if they can supply samples of work in translation as well as in the original. A working knowledge of English is helpful for international artists. Yaddo does not provide an interpreter for artists who speak little or no English.

Application Process

Archway Studio for visual artists

How does one apply for a residency?

Mail your completed application form and supporting materials in one package to:

Admissions Committee
Yaddo
P.O. Box 395
Saratoga Springs, New York 12866-0395

Postmark application deadlines are January 1 (for residencies starting mid-May of the same year, through February of the following year), and August 1 (for residencies starting late October of the same year through May of the following year). Applicants may apply only once during the calendar year, either January or August, but not both. There is a non-refundable filing fee of $20, payable in U.S. funds. Application fees may also be charged to VISA and Master Card accounts.

How are applications judged?

Applications are considered by admissions committees in the artistic disciplines represented at Yaddo. Membership in these committees rotates frequently, and the members are artists whose work is recognized and esteemed by their peers. Applicants should apply in the discipline that best represents the project they wish to undertake should they be invited for a residency. Applicants may apply in only one discipline at a time.

How many artists are accepted each year?

Almost 200 artists are invited each year, about one-sixth of the number who apply.

How are applications for repeat visits judged?

The criterion for repeat visit requests is the same as for first visits—the quality of the artist’s work; however, preference is normally given to persons who did not visit Yaddo in the previous year.

Application Information

North Studio in the mansion for writers

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines are January 1 (for residencies starting mid-May of the same year through February of the following year), and August 1 (for residencies starting late October of the same year through May of the following year). Completed applications must be clearly postmarked by these deadlines to be considered in these judging periods. Late applications will not be accepted. Notification of results will be mailed March 15 and October 1. You may apply in either January or August, but not both within the same calendar year.

Application Materials

In order to be processed, your application must include all the following materials:

• The original and two copies of the application form.
• Three copies of a professional resume of no more than two pages.
• Work samples, as specified below, with a stamped, self-addressed return envelope appropriate for slides, videotapes, CDs, DVDs or musical scores.
• Two letters of support, sent directly to Yaddo by the sponsors on the enclosed form. Applicants are responsible for sending the forms to sponsors, for providing them appropriate information, and confirming that the letters have been sent. Sponsors should be individuals who know the applicant personally, and who can comment knowledgeably about his or her work. Artists who have either been to Yaddo within the past five years or submitted two sponsoring letters within the past five years need not have additional letters sent. Application deadlines also apply to sponsor letters.
• A non-refundable application fee of $20 made payable to “The Corporation of Yaddo.”
• A stamped, self-addressed postcard for notification of the receipt of the completed application. E-mail notification will be available only to those artists living abroad.

Two or three persons wishing to be considered as a single collaborative unit should indicate that fact but submit individual application forms, CVs, sponsor letters and fees. Work samples may be individual or collaborative. Please refer any questions to the Program Director.

Work Samples

Samples should be of recent, finished work that reflects your highest accomplishment. They may take the form of typescripts, slides, scores, compact discs, audiocassettes, videocassettes, or DVDs, according to the medium in which you work. Send only the materials requested below. Additional support materials, such as exhibition cards, book reviews or published interviews, will be discarded.

Literature: Writers working in fiction, non-fiction, drama and poetry. Three copies of a typescript of no more than 30 pages (approximately 10,000 words), consisting of a short story, a one-act play, or a portion of a novel, play, or other work, accompanied by a synopsis only if necessary. Poets should send three copies of 10 short (one page) poems or appropriate excerpts from a longer poem. Please do not send published books: photocopies of selected pages are acceptable, as long as the total sample does not exceed 10,000 words. It is helpful if writers who work in languages other than English submit typescripts in both the original and English translations. Do not bind manuscript pages. Please collate your materials into three packets, each including the application form, two-page CV and work sample.

Visual Arts: Artists whose finished works are visual images. Seven colored 35 mm slides in thin frames, encased in plastic sleeves. Write the title, dimensions in inches, and artist's name on each slide, and place a red dot in the lower left-hand corner. Do not add tape or stickers to the slide casings, as these can jam the projector. Include a written list of the slides, with titles, media, dimensions and date the work was completed. The Admissions Committee in Visual Art will consider only seven slides—do not send additional slides, exhibition catalogues or video documentary of exhibitions.

Musical Composition: Two separate musical scores and a clearly labeled audio cassette or compact disk of one or both of them. For works created without a score, a brief statement describing the recorded music should be included.

Media and Performance: Artists working in new genres, multi-media, performance art, experimental work combining more than one genre, electronic art forms, choreography, and collaborative artists: Two VHS cassettes or DVDs showing the same work, clearly labeled, in a format that can be played on American equipment, cued to a segment no longer than 10 minutes, accompanied by a brief written explanation if necessary. Do not send work that can be viewed only through internet access.

Film and Video: Filmmakers and videographers whose final work is principally cinematic in nature. (Filmmakers whose finished works involve genres outside of film should apply to Media & Performance). Include two VHS cassettes or DVDs showing the same work, clearly labeled, in a format that can be played on American equipment, cued to a segment no longer than 10 minutes, and accompanied by a written explanation if necessary. Screenwriters should send three copies of a 30-page segment of a screenplay, accompanied by a synopsis if necessary. Do not bind typescripts. Please collate your materials into three packets, each including the application form, two-page CV and work sample. The Admissions Committee in Film and Video strongly suggests that your work sample reflect the type of project you plan to pursue during your residency. Please submit only one work sample per application.

Typescripts cannot be returned. Other work samples (DVDs, CDs, slides or videotapes) will be returned only if they are accompanied by separate, self-addressed return envelopes with sufficient postage.

Questions

Questions may be addressed to Candace Wait, Program Director, 518.584.0746 or chwait at our domain (please correct email address). Please include your name and discipline in all correspondence.

Life at Yaddo

Pinetree Studio interior

Is Yaddo open year-round?

Yes, except for the first three weeks of September. During the “large season,” from mid-May through Labor Day, up to 34 artists are in residence at any time; in the “small season,” approximately 15 guests at a time can be accommodated. Yaddo is closed from the end of August to the third week of September.

How is the working day structured?

Traditionally, Yaddo has reserved the periods between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and after 10 p.m. as “quiet hours,” for artists to work without interruption. During this period there should be no interference with the working time of fellow guests and no studio visits without direct invitation. The same policy applies to outside visitors, who may come after 4 p.m. (though they cannot be accommodated at dinner), and stay until 10 p.m., when they must leave.

Yaddo has no programs other than the residency program. Unlike many organizations that provide residencies for artists, Yaddo does not arrange or encourage workshops, readings, recitals, performances, exhibitions or other such activities.

Is Yaddo accessible to the handicapped?

Though the main buildings at Yaddo were built at or around the turn of the century, improvements in accessibility have been made in recent years. There are wheelchair-accessible bedrooms, bathrooms, and studios (including the darkroom), and every reasonable effort is made to assist individuals with special needs.

Does Yaddo provide room and board?

Each artist has a private bedroom in one of the several buildings on the estate. Linens are provided, and laundry facilities are available. As for meals, breakfast and dinner are taken communally, while lunch is packed for each artist to carry away. Although the kitchen cannot offer meals for special diets, vegetarian alternatives are provided.

Does Yaddo provide supplies?

Other than what has been described above, Yaddo does not provide supplies or equipment for professional work, such as computers, printers, paper, typewriters, paint, or power tools. Saratoga Springs has a fairly good art supply store, and Yaddo office staff members can refer artists to computer rental agencies.

Does each artist have a studio?

Each guest is assigned a private studio. For visual artists, there are studios for painting and drawing, printmaking, sculpture and welding, as well as a black and white darkroom. Because the studios vary in size, it is important that visual artists make clear the dimensions of the work they propose to do. There is no equipment for editing film or video. Composers’ studios are equipped with pianos. Choreographers may request portable mirrors and barres, and the floors of their studios can be covered with marley. They are asked not to use resin. Some of the larger bedrooms serve as both living and working space for writers. Appropriate table space is supplied for writers using computers.

May I bring my spouse or partner, or my pet?

Accommodations cannot be made at Yaddo for family members or friends of invited artists, for either overnight stays or meals. Except for seeing eye dogs, pets may not accompany artists.

What can artists do when they’re not working?

Since Yaddo is a working community, it offers no formal social activities. There are winding roads and paths through the woods. There is a tennis court, a swimming pool, a pool table, a ping-pong table and a supply of bicycles to be shared by guests. Yaddo maintains several small libraries, including one of books by Yaddo authors. A Yaddo car leaves for downtown Saratoga Springs late each weekday afternoon, and returns an hour later. Off the grounds, Saratoga Springs offers many amenities. Guests may borrow books from the excellent public library and the library at nearby Skidmore College. For a fee they may use the athletic facilities at the YMCA.

What other policies are important to know?

Yaddo does not provide medical facilities, meals for special diets, or insurance for the medical needs or personal property of guests. The use or possession of drugs prohibited by law is prohibited at Yaddo. The Corporation of Yaddo reserves the right to end a guest’s visit when responsible officials judge it necessary to do so for the good of the community.