Community Programs

The Colony makes ongoing efforts to bring together the local community with the art and artists at MacDowell in order to further appreciation of the arts and inspire creative pursuits.

MacDowell Downtown
MacDowell Downtown is a series of presentations by Colony Fellows that takes place on the first Friday of the month from March to November in downtown Peterborough. Each season of MacDowell Downtown features a wide array of programming, including film screenings and workshops, readings and writing seminars, concerts, visual art shows, dramatic performances, talks, and more. MacDowell Downtown begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. “At MacDowell,” a column in the local newspaper, The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, details each presentation the week before the event.

MacDowell in the Schools
MacDowell in the Schools brings the excitement of the creative process to the classrooms of the Monadnock region. Students in grade school, high school, and college have all benefited from the time and expertise of MacDowell Fellows as they share their passion and their work with the next generation of artists and art lovers. Teachers and parents are invited to get in touch with the Colony should they have an idea or request related to MacDowell in the Schools.

The MacDowell Collection at the Peterborough Town Library
Those interested in the works of art produced by MacDowell Fellows may visit the Peterborough Town Library, where an ongoing collection of music, film, books, and other media created and donated by MacDowell Fellows is housed. These works may be checked out by those with a library card or enjoyed while at the library.

Medal Day
Medal Day, which in past years has honored such artists as I.M. Pei, John Updike, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Aaron Copland, is MacDowell's largest public event of the year. Typically, it attracts more than 1,500 people, and is an ideal way to be immersed in the Colony. First awarded in 1960, the Edward MacDowell Medal is a national award presented annually to an artist for outstanding contribution to the arts. The artistic discipline in which the award is given rotates in order to celebrate all the creative fields practiced at the Colony. Chosen by a distinguished panel, the Medalist is introduced with remarks by an equally well-known professional in his/her field. After the ceremony and picnic lunch on the grounds, MacDowell's artists open their studios to visitors for several hours, allowing guests to experience and interact with exciting, contemporary work.