Art Kibbutz NY, the international Jewish artist colony will be launching its pilot residency program this spring at Eden Village Camp in Putnam Valley, New York. The first season’s theme is THE JEWISH WALTZ WITH PLANET EARTH. From May 1-22, 2013, outstanding Jewish artists from all disciplines will be able to work on developing their work while in residence at Eden Village Camp, renowned for its naturalistic beauty. In addition to a room and kosher, vegan meals, each artist will also be provided with shared studio or work space at the environmentally-friendly facility.

Under the terms of their residency, the Art Kibbutz NY artists will also be encouraged to work outdoors and create art inspired by the lush surroundings. The goal of Art Kibbutz NY is to create a kinetic, multi-disciplinary community of artists where musicians, writers, dancers, performing artists, playwrights, photographers, sculptors, landscape artists, culinary artists as well as visual artists will be asked to engage with their natural environment, said Patricia Eszter Margit, founder of Art Kibbutz NY. Much of the work created by the Art Kibbutz NY fellows will remain part of the permanent landscape of Eden Village Camp.

The concept behind the Art Kibbutz NY pilot artist residency program is to enable collaborative and creative responses to climate change, food security, and sustainable development. This project will be a living model of a thriving, inspired, sustainable Jewish artistic community, grounded in social responsibility.

Most of the artists who participate in the artist colony’s pilot residency will live and work on site. Eden Village Camp is a 248-acre venue bordered on three sides by the wooded hills of Clarence Fahnestock State Park in the Hudson Valley. Located 50 miles north of New York City and six miles from Cold Spring, NY, it is also accessible to those artists who wish to commute.

During the day, the artists-in-residence will work on their various projects and in the evenings, they will share their work, ideas, and experiences with each other and learn about Jewish environmental issues in our Artist Beit Midrash.

For additional information about Art Kibbutz NY, please visit artkibbutz.org.