ELIZABETH MURRAY ARTIST RESIDENCY
OUR PROGRAM
The Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency (EMAR) program by Collar Works is designed to provide emerging, underrepresented, and established artists an immersive, supportive, productive, and communal atmosphere for art-making and dialogue on a bucolic 77-acre historic farm in Washington County, NY.
EMAR offers 2-week residencies for individual artists and 1-week residencies for families, as well as other opportunities throughout the year for artists and partnered arts collectives.
EMAR addresses the critical barriers facing early career and parent artists by centering wellness and providing an inclusive, fully supported environment where creative risk-taking can thrive. Fostering artistic growth, professional development, and meaningful connection, EMAR empowers artists to advance ambitious new work while building a more equitable and representative contemporary arts community.
LOCATION
Collar Works hosts the residency at the Upstate New York home and studio of the late visionary artist Elizabeth Murray, in partnership with the Murray-Holman family. The property sits on a bucolic 77- acre historic farm in Washington County. The serene, natural landscape and intimate setting creates an environment that stands out as a safe space for creative risk-taking, personal growth, and respite.
ELIZABETH MURRAY
Elizabeth Murray in her studio. Photo by Barry Kornbluh, December 1987. Estate of Elizabeth Murray.
Elizabeth Murray believed that each person deserves an opportunity to make their art and for their art to be visible on equal platforms.
Elizabeth Murray (1940–2007) transformed the language of contemporary painting through her groundbreaking shaped canvases, fearless experimentation, and commitment to artistic innovation. As one of the most influential American painters of her generation, she challenged traditional ideas of abstraction while navigating the demands of sustaining both an ambitious artistic practice and family life. Her career exemplifies resilience, creative risk-taking, and the importance of institutional support for artists, at pivotal moments.
The Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency honors this legacy by creating opportunities for artists to pursue ambitious new work in an inclusive, fully supported environment where experimentation, dialogue, and artistic growth can flourish.
ALUMNI & CURRENT RESIDENTS
Current (2026)
Alumni
Tye Defoe (2023)
Liz Ferrer & Bow Ty-(2023)
Gaby Collins-Fernandez (2023)
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Applications for the 2026 season are closed. Information about the 2027 will be available soon.
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We are committed to having EMAR be a supported, no cost residency. Our goal is to keep working towards providing artists with meaningful financial support and stipends.
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No. EMAR is currently only open Spring, Summer, Fall.
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The studios at EMAR are semi-private. They are located in a hay loft of a former dairy barn, the same barn where Elizabeth Murray made her iconic paintings. They are each equipped with a six-foot table, a chair, fan, 3.5 walls and a privacy curtain at the entrance. Studios are all the same size: roughly 12 x 18 feet. The studios are not air conditioned but are designed for air flow with large industrial fans and windows.
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EMAR does not provide supplies, and artists are responsible for bringing their own supplies. However, proper waste disposals and fire-safe containers are provided.
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Currently the EMAR schedules weeks 1-4 for individual artists only. Week 5 is dedicated to artists with families only. We are sorry but we can not accommodate outside guests or pets (not including certified service animals).
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EMAR provides staples/stocked pantry for breakfast, lunch and snacks to be assembled by artists on their own schedule, and dinners are prepared and served communal family-style by an onsite chef at 6pm daily.
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Although Collar Works is working towards a site-accessibility study in order to make improvements, currently this historic house, barn and studio property is not currently ADA accessible year-round. We will diligently work with individuals on a case by case basis to help meet your specific needs. Applicants to EMAR should be aware that there are no medical facilities or medical personnel on site. If you are an artist with a disability, and/or require a certified service animal to be in residence with you, please reach out to us so we can discuss your needs and how we can best accommodate you.
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