Chiwoniso Kaitano of MacDowell wants to concentrate on living in artists

Chiwoniso Kaitano has served as executive director of MacDowell since 2023. MacDowell’s mission is the oldest ever-operating artist residence, “fosters art by providing talented people with an inspiring residential environment in which it produces lasting works for creative imaginations,” its website. Located in Peterborough, Woody town in southern New Hampshire, MacDowell offers residents in seven art disciplines for two to eight weeks throughout the year, awarding about 300 scholarships each year.

Prior to MacDowell, Kaitano was the executive director of two art education – focusing on nonprofits: Hearing Girls, Global NGOs and Brooklyn’s Ifatayo School of Culture and Arts. Over the past two years, Kaitano has focused on improving MacDowell’s profile in larger art fields. Although MacDowell is one of the most respected residence programs in the world, she feels organizations like this are gradually being pushed to the edge of the art world’s discourse, and she hopes to change that. During a period of art and culture being under attack, especially with the current Presidential Administration, Ketano believes that the residence program is key to supporting artists.

This interview has been edited and condensed to be clear and concise.

Artnews: Can you tell me a little about McDowell’s history and how you see it related to our current cultural and political moments?

Chiwoniso Kaitano: We are the oldest artist resident, and in the United States, and of course the older artists around the world. We were founded in 1907 by Edward and Marian MacDowell, who are themselves pianists and composers. We are 118 years old, so we managed to keep this business going for almost 125 years. What we did a century ago and what we are doing now hasn’t really changed. We are shelter, retreat, where artists can come to create art for two to eight weeks. We have seven disciplines: architecture, film/video, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music creation, drama and visual arts. Every artistic medium represents.

I’ve been in this job for two years – I’ve started this for the third year – I’m a newbie [direct] Artist support. I come from art education, so it’s been learning curve. The advantage of doing this is that I was able to bring relatively fresh eyes to a very old department. Even in those two years, the cultural world has changed dramatically. From what I started this work and where I am now, becoming an artist support organization will be very different. The wider dialogue along the political and cultural lines is affecting us, and it will certainly affect many organizations smaller and younger than us. As a traditional organization or an organization of a certain age, what we are trying to do is figure out how we can use it to help others in the wider art field navigate and negotiate space at this moment and thrive and stand out at this moment.

One thing that surprised me for newbie in this community is living on the edge of the arts field. Large galleries and large museums are now dialogue. The industry is indeed driving the direction and pace of artist creation. Throughout the group, where art begins (i.e., living) has been downgraded to the edge of the ecosystem, and I have made us my personal mission to bring us back to the center of the conversation.

What would you say is the biggest challenge for an organization like yours now?

Nonprofit arts institutions have been struggling with funding. I think this is true under any government or any form of cultural system. Always like this. I think the difference in this moment is that it is not only a lack of art funding, but an active inactivation of federal art funding. This is a problem, especially for organizations that are much smaller than us and rely on that resource. Plus that’s it – I call it censorship, the prescriptions of art should be made, the way artists make, the subjects they should talk about. Artistic expression is definitely the current challenge. Just watch Amy Sherald cancel her exhibition at Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery because [the museum] Not sure this is the right time to showcase some of her art. I think it’s very courageous for her, maybe a symbol of how individual artists and institutional organizations like us act reaction In this space.

Would you say that direct support for artists is now essential for organizations like MacDowell?

Our long-standing formula is the freedom of time, space and creation, which is our mission. The conversation we have had in-house over the past few years is whether artists still need to support them in the same way? Are the artist’s residents still relevant in the same way? The answer is decisive, “Yes.” We still make total sense. One thing I always talk about is that the public (citizens, citizens) interact with art every day, whether it’s reading or newspaper, whether it’s going to a museum, watching a movie or listening to a song. The creator of what you consume starts somewhere, it starts in a place of loneliness and reflection—maybe in their private studio, or in a place like MacDowell, where situations can cause creativity. It is an honor for me to be able to be in a small part of the art ecosystem: where art begins.

A large proportion of MacDowell’s residents may come from urban centers. Can you talk about the meaning of being able to travel to southern New Hampshire and stay away from everyday life and networking?

This is an important part of our artistic residence formula. Over the past few years, I have met residency directors from all over the world, some of whom have city residences, for example, artists in a townhouse in Brooklyn. These are great, effective and necessary experiences. But the difference from McDowell, a 500-acre wooded forest in southern New Hampshire, is that there is this non-disturbance component. Add to this nature, when you get away from the feeling of being busy, everyday, away from all these cities, you get your own feeling and then hike. The shelter and residence of the artist are spaces created specifically for artists immersed in this environment. I mentioned our time, space and the way we create freedom. Other components of this formula are nature and community. If you have one, if you have a small group of artists, you are in the woods with a small group of other artists, if you have a job, you are not working day at all. You live in the city; make groceries – all. We try to strip it off so you’re alone in a private studio, in a wooded isolation, your ideas and creativity, all your materials need to be taken care of. Our goal is that in that moment, it can help you unlock it needs to reflect and create something that has an impact on the culture. What is the use of this formula? I can say that we have been doing this for nearly 125 years, and our result is speaking ourselves – pulitzers, Academy Awards, Guggenheim Scholarships, Grammys.

You mentioned earlier that you have a background in leading an arts education organization. How do you apply your background to art education to fit your vision for McDowell?

I have a very nonlinear career path. My academic certificate is law, especially human rights law. I spent a short time as a primary human rights advocate in Human Rights Watch. Somewhere, I worked in technology and software for 10 years. But the last decade of my life has been focusing on art management. The intersection between art education and artist residence may be a form of art education that is supported by artists. When people are young, you are catching them. Honestly, I think some of the challenges we see now in the art ecosystem – wealth, lack of resources, and artists struggle – is because we have not yet worked enough to educate our public and audience and our future public and the importance of art in a fully functional and healthy society. I certainly think some countries can understand correctly. Many of them tend to be in Europe, but the United States certainly has a long way to go when it comes to educating its audience. We continue to be on the spot. This is my ongoing journey. Ten years ago, I decided that this was my call. It’s more than just a job. I feel asked to work in the Artist Support Department, to promote and amplify as much as I can, and make sure that it is considered an organization that is responsible for them.

I agree that the United States has not done a good job in educating the public about the importance of art education. The recent cuts to NEA and NEH, which really brought art and culture to communities across the country, has become even more terrifying. Has McDowell been affected by these cuts?

We are recipients of NEA funding and, like many of our sister organizations in the industry, we received a letter a few months ago about the termination of our grants. We are lucky that this is not a big part of our budget, and since we do have generous supporters who are able to step in and fill that gap for us. This is a community of artist-supported organizations, and we know many of the smaller organizations that have been severely affected. For McDowell and I, the conversation wasn’t that much “we are affected as an organization?” Yes, we are. We were able to survive this particular storm, but we did have attention and concern for the industry. I think the numbers are powerful, and I think organizations like McDowell do have a responsibility to lead and help and support at this moment.