Residencies

The Yard has two primary goals that we hold in a generative relationship to one another: to bring groundbreaking performers into meaningful engagements with our local communities and to support the creation of new artistic works, which we achieve through our creation residency program.

Residencies at The Yard provide artists necessary time to conduct research, experiment with new ideas, and revise existing material. The residency is their lab–a space to play, investigate, and be in community. Certain settings also stimulate creativity, and our campus on Martha’s Vineyard is no exception. It is a generative space and retreat that fuels the creative process.

The pandemic highlighted the value and scarcity of shared space, that is dedicated to artistic collaboration. With such opportunities even harder to access over the last 3 years, The Yard’s creation residency program and its central purpose have become even more impactful.

Our artists’ work is intrinsically valuable to society, and The Yard endeavors to make certain our Artists-in-Residence program reflects that value. While in residence, artists have nearly unlimited access to our studio and theater, and they receive direct support from our staff in technical production, videography, and marketing. With each residency, we strive to meet the choreographer’s unique needs and to become collaborators in their creative process. All of our residencies are paid. We stock kitchens with food staples to supplement the artist’s weekly food stipend. We cover travel, housing, production supplies, and—last but most certainly not least— beach passes to Lucy Vincent. We offer visiting artists a chance to experience the best of the Island while they create. Clearly, each artist folds the uniqueness of the Island into their new work.

“…I always refer to The Yard as an Artist’s Paradise… Our artistry and humanity are valued and celebrated equally. At the end of our 2022 residency... an idea for my next work began to spark…I felt refreshed, revitalized, clear-headed, and valued as an artist. I was reminded that what we do matters…That we are necessary in imagining a better future…I began to dream again.” ~Adele Myers, Adele Myers and Dancers, Artistic Director.