The MacDowell Centennial

In 2007, The MacDowell Colony celebrated its Centennial with an exciting yearlong program honoring the freedom to create.  The events were diverse and dynamic, engaging artists, opinion leaders, our nation's government, the state of New Hampshire, the local community, Colony Fellows, and a wide array of art lovers and those curious about the place that has contributed so much to our society.

From a stirring speech on the political necessities of the arts given by MacDowell Chairman Robert MacNeil at the Kennedy Center in Washington (click here for the transcript), to a multi-generational reunion of MacDowell Fellows on the lawns of Central Park in New York, the Colony emphasized not just its own rich legacy but that of those who work each day to bring creativity and insight to our common culture.

We invite you to review some of the Centennial year here, including a beautiful 240-page book with 14 essays by noted MacDowell Fellows and approximately 140 vintage and newly commissioned photographs. Together, these provide both an intimate portrayal of the Colony and compelling insights on art in America. Those curious about MacDowell's history may wish to explore the substantive and intriguing exhibit put together by the Library of Congress.  This exhibition included fine prints, holograph music scores, first editions, photographs, and historical documents from the Colony’s archives that chronicle its development and its influence on the arts in America. For a more contemporary look at the Colony, watch the commissioned MacDowell film which premiered at MoMA in the spring of 2007.  This hour-long feature, entitled Seasons of MacDowell, is a quartet of films created by award-winning Colony Fellows Michael Almereyda, George Griffin, David Petersen, and Elisabeth Subrin that uses the seasons as a setting for a look behind studio walls. (Please be aware that this is 60-minute film and may take time downloading.)   

Local activities, including Peterborough Projects, and the Medal Day commission of Landlines are included here. These events rounded out the fall and winter of the Centennial, along with our November 7th Freedom to Create Symposium in Washington, D.C., cosponsored by MacDowell and the Alliance of Artist Communities, at the National Press Club and featuring NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, as well as our stimulating evening on MacDowell writers and literature at Symphony Space in December. Finally, MacDowell hosted an amazing capstone gala at Roseland Ballroom in New York.

For those interested in seeing MacDowell through all its 100 years, we invite you to scroll through our interactive timeline! To browse through a selection of the wide press MacDowell received during the year, click here.