The late Elizabeth Murray (1940-2007), a prolific artist and mother of three, believed that artists should not have to choose a career over family - a pressure many emerging artists and parent artists still feel today. Since its inception, creating an environment that is unique and stands out as a safe space for creative risk-taking, personal growth, and respite, especially for parent artists, has been a core goal of the Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency by Collar Works.

EMAR is an immersive, communal experience, where artists have time and space to grow and experiment with their works without choosing between their art and their families. Our goal is to remove barriers to access for parent artists to be able to connect to fellow peers in the field and engage in meaningful dialogue to build far-reaching connections that will grow far beyond the walls of a residency. At EMAR, our residency program can support up to 5 parent artists and their families during a one-week session. Artists and families are housed in the historic, large, double farmhouse where Elizabeth Murray spent summers with her family. Studios are located in the cathedral-like barn loft overlooking Elizabeth Murray’s studio.

The Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency by Collar Works will invite up to 5 parent artists together with their families to spend one week in residence at EMAR. Artists and their families will be provided a private bedroom (families may need to room together) with shared bathrooms in the large farmhouse, as well as communal living room spaces, kitchen, and a library featuring Elizabeth Murray's personal art book collection. In addition, artists have a semi-private studio in the same barn that Elizabeth Murray worked in during summers with her family. The property also features a 'Kids Studio' for children and family members. Property amenities include a swimming pool, pond, and 77 acres.

The Elizabeth Murray Family Residency is a fully-supported opportunity for artists and their families. There is no cost to participate for accepted artists in the Family Residency program. An integral aspect of our program is that we provide full-day (9AM-5PM) child care in the form of a parallel creative residency for children ages Pre-K through 12, that focuses on art and nature programming. Oftentimes there are after-dinner activities for children as well. While parent artists have uninterrupted time in the studios, their children are spending time in their very own EMAR Kids Art Studio, engaged in meaningful art projects, outside exploring nature through guided activities, playing, swimming, reading, and at times, going on guided field trips to local farms and museums. Although we welcome partners to join and participate in the care of their children if desired, our Educators in Residence are committed to fully supporting artists and families who want or need to attend solo with their children. Given the rural nature of the program, Collar Works will work with each artist on a case-by-case basis to ensure the necessary support and equipment is in place prior to arrival as much as possible.

The goal of the Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency for Families is to provide the time, space, and connections parent artists desire, together with an immersive, enriching experience for the entire family. We highly recommend reading through our Artist Handbook prior to applying.