How many residencies do you award?
In full year round operation since January 2003, we annually accept 44 visual artists in all media and 22 writers in any genre. For each residency, six residents (4 visual artists/2 writers) arrive each 15th of the month and leave the 13th of the following month January 15 through December 13th.
Who determines the residency awards?
After reviewing the art work and manuscripts, a panel of arts and literary professionals rate and rank the applicants based on the development or promise of a personal vision or voice. Along with the supporting materials and references, the staff uses the rankings to prepare invitations and schedule residencies. Panelists rotate every two years. In some instances as part of our partnership program with other residencies and agencies, artists and writers may be invited to Jentel without submitting an application.
How many applications do you receive?
For 2003 we processed 143 applications for 66 resident slots. For the September 15, 2004 deadline, we processed 59 applications for 24 resident slots. Our second deadline for applications is January 15 for residencies May 15-December 13 of the same year. For January 15, 2005 we accepted 116 applications for 42 resident slots.
When is a Jentel residency in highest demand?
May 15-September 13 are the most heavily requested dates for a residency. Summer is attractive because teachers and children are out of school and many people schedule their vacations and free time at that time. Summer is a beautiful time to be in Wyoming. At slightly under 4,000 feet elevation, Jentel evenings and nights are most often pleasant and comfortable.
I see that you have two sessions and two application deadlines. May I select two months in one session and one in the other as my three choices for coming to Jentel?
Applicants indicate their preference for three different months for a residency. The three must occur in the same session. When choices spread over the year, prospective residents may submit an application for each session.
A winter residency in Wyoming. Really?
Winter in Wyoming is a well kept secret and for many state residents their favorite time of the year. Granted a resident may expect cold temperatures in the peak of winter. Unlike some parts of the country, Wyoming enjoys frequently a sun drenched crystal blue sky and the physical and psychic solar effect that it generates. Low humidity outside and well insulated facilities inside at Jentel add to the level of creature comfort.
Why is a winter residency attractive?
Unlike living in an urban center during winter, the snow sculpts an entirely different and unique landscape and one that captures the imagination and invites skiing and snowshoeing or quiet afternoons by the woodstove. The linear drawings created by leafless trees, plants and native grasses further define the winter experience. We have snow shoes ready and waiting, a hill to sled down and cross country rentals in town.
If I am traveling through the area, may I come visit Jentel before I apply?
As staff are available, tours of the facilities may be arranged for individuals and groups of artists and writers during the day on the 14th of the month. The down time in between residencies is a very busy time for cleaning after one group departs on the 13th and preparing for the next group to arrive on the 15th. Please contact the office ahead of time and we will do our best to accommodate you. With notification in advance, tours of The Cabin and Jentel offices and visits with the staff are often possible Monday through Friday.
Does each session include residencies for two writers, no matter their genre?
To date Jentel has had writers working in a wide variety of genre. Currently staff primarily schedule residencies based on a writer’s preference for a particular session. The residency opportunity is only limited by the imagination of the writer to use the unfettered time and space. One writer worked on a novel about a girl growing up in the South Bronx, another completed a short story and trimmed the fat off several others. A resident, who brought a collection of poetry, furthered some longer poems and finished some shorter ones. Another polished, edited and finished up seven short essays. Several screenwriters and scriptwriters have filled the studios with their characters as they created dialog. Most share their amazement at the level of productivity and the amount of work achieved during the residency.
How large are the artist studios?
The artist studios are located in a pole barn, a typical metal ranch outbuilding that is outfitted with ventilation and lighting to accommodate four artists with large, individual 400 square foot studio spaces. Studios are equipped with two worktables, a standard wooden straight back chair, an adjustable drafting stool on wheels, a full length mirror, a day bed, a utility sink, and good overhead light with both track and fluorescent lights on separate controls. Flat fourteen foot ceilings enhance the spaciousness of the studio. A small single window allows visibility to the outdoors and increases the amount of running, usable wall space for two dimensional work.
Do you have fully equipped ceramics, sculpture or printmaking studios at Jentel?
Jentel is a low tech residency. One studio has a Takach Garfield litho press with a 32 x 48 inch bed suitable for monotypes only. This studio also has a drying rack and roll of newsprint and is reserved for exclusive use by one resident per session. Assignment of this studio and press is made as part of the initial invitation to Jentel.
How can I work without a fully equipped studio?
Sculptors, ceramists, textile artists and artists creating in media that is often heavily based in equipment and technology intensive studio support have all come to Jentel and had successful residencies. A sculptor daily gathered found materials from walks around the ranch and completed a series of constructions based on tension and balance whether reflecting the idea in nature or in local community politics. A “subversive textile artist” shipped her sewing machine and thermo fax machine and created a series of politically based wall hangings. A film maker altered film in preparation for access to editing equipment at another residency later in the year. A ceramic artist used drawing as a transition to developing a new body of work. An installation artist negotiated access to a welder’s shop in Sheridan and drove her vehicle into town as needed to develop some of the components for her work. The residency opportunity is only limited by the imagination of the artist to use the unfettered time and space.
Do I need to bring my own tools?
Residents are urged to bring an adequate stock of art materials and supplies for their session. If you need a tool or piece of equipment on a continual basis, you are expected to buy or bring your own. Check with staff before proposing a project that requires bringing major equipment, since there may be matters related to noise, safety and ventilation to consider.
Located in each studio, basic tool kits hold an assortment of hand tools such as a hammer, pliers, a wire cutter, stapler and staples, screw drivers, levels, and a straight edge ruler. An ever varying assortment of nails and push pins rounds out the inventory. Several step ladders of various sizes provide access to the upper sections of the walls and are available upon request. Two metal painting easels for large work and a portable metal easel for field work are available. T-squares, heavy duty extension cords, a small desk lamp and a variable speed drill are on hand.
What is your Internet setup for residents?
Jentel provides a PC with rewritable, recordable CD capabilities and an HP LaserJet 1000 printer with standard connectivity, as well as, satellite Internet service for email and research in the Loft Library in the Residence. All the residents have access to this computer station.
What is the Internet set up for visual artist studios?
Visual artists using electronic media to view, generate and/or print out art work need to bring their own hardware and software for use in the studio while at the residency. The Artist Studios are without Internet access. Satellite Internet access on the PC in the Loft Library is available for web browsing and email. Visual artists are asked to refrain from hooking up their own hardware/software in the Loft Library.
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What is the Internet set up for writer studios?
Writers using electronic media to create their work need to bring their own hardware and software for use in the studio while at the residency. This includes a printer. Each writer’s studio has satellite Internet access. The computer and printer located in the Loft Library in the Residence are for the general use of residents for email and Internet access.
Do I need a car at Jentel?
Once a week, a staff member will drive residents into Sheridan to buy fresh groceries and other food staples. Depending on the needs and interests of the group, staff may also coordinate stops with residents at the Post Office, health food store and related errands during the town trip. For residents wanting to explore the area or needing more frequent access to town, several national rental agencies offer vehicles at competitive prices by the day, weekend and week.
Are there home cooked meals at Jentel?
Residents are responsible for buying their own food and preparing their own meals. A large pantry and two side by side refrigerator freezers provide ample room for storage. A large, well designed kitchen is easy to use for individual or group meal preparation. A stipend is part of the residency award an helps to defray expenses related to food and other personal needs. Residents are creative about how they manage food preparation and solutions run the full gamut of possibilities. Each group is different. Some have agreed to share and rotate daily communal cooking, while others arranged to share cooking as a group endeavor once a week or a special meal once or twice during the residency. Another group managed happily with individual prepared frozen food entrees and sides that they conveniently heated in the oven or microwave whenever they pleased.
May I bring my dog to Jentel, if he stays in my car in the parking lot?
Regrets, but Jentel is on a ranch and cows and wildlife take priority over other four legged friends. The Residence, studios and environs are reserved for residents. However in the past, some residents have boarded their animals in Sheridan while at Jentel. They also brought a vehicle to accommodate the 20 mile trip into town for visits.
Do you accept applications for collaborations?
Collaborators may be accepted for a residency; however, both artists need to submit separate applications along with a joint proposal. Please indicate in the proposal the requirements for work space.
Do you accommodate applications for couples?
Couples who are artists or writers may apply individually with the understanding that one partner may be accepted and the other may not. Each artist or writer accepted for a residency will be offered a separate studio or work space. The Foundation is unable to invite spouses or partners to accompany artists-in residence under any other circumstances.
Does it make any difference if my residency proposal involves making art work and writing?
Four studio spaces are designed for visual artist needs and two for writers. The writer studios are cozy, comfortable carpeted spaces with Internet access. They are not practical for medium to large scale art making or for wet work or processes requiring ventilation for fumes or dust. The artist studios are spacious, well lit and ventilated work spaces. They do not have Internet access. Visual artists and writers use one dedicated studio for the duration of the residency. Your proposal should match your studio request.
What is included in the residency award?
Jentel provides the following to residents:
> Comfortable furnishings
> Two sets of linens, towels and washcloths and a warm Qualofil duvet
> Kitchen equipment: pots, pans, plates, bowls, cups, silverware, glasses, etc.
> Cooking staples: basic seasonings
> Domestic supplies: dishwashing soaps, toilet paper, paper towels, soft tissue
> Weekly ride into Sheridan for grocery shopping
> Regular mail delivery and pick up
> Phone for local calls
> Computer and printer for general shared use and Satellite Internet access
> Spacious, clean, artificially lighted artist studios
> Comfortable writer studios with Internet access
> A stipend to help defray expenses
> Safe, peaceful working and living environment
> A beautiful landscape
> A supportive staff
What are the expenses related to Jentel?
Residents are responsible for transportation to and from Sheridan, WY and for transporting or shipping personal items, materials and equipment needed for creative work. Residents also shop and prepare meals and purchase personal items. As part of the residency award, a stipend helps to defray some of these expenses.
Does Jentel award additional funding?
Residents who need funding for travel, materials, supplies and/or at home expenses are encouraged to research opportunities through state arts councils, local and regional foundations and related resources.
Where is Jentel?
Jentel is located in north central Wyoming about 37 miles from the Montana state line. Six hours north of Denver. Three hours east of Cody and add an hour to the East Gate of Yellowstone National Park. Three hours west of Devils Tower National Monument. Two hours south of Billings, MT.
The closest communities for goods and services are Sheridan (population 15,800 and elevation 3,786 feet) 20 miles to the northwest and Buffalo (population 4,000 and elevation 3000 feet) 19 miles to the southwest.
Jentel is not located in Banner (population 40), but Buffalo serves as the postal address although the post office is in yet another community, Story. Jentel is out in the Lower Piney Creek Valley about 11 miles from Banner.
What are the directions to Jentel by car?
By car heading north toward Sheridan from Buffalo and approximately 12 miles north of Buffalo, take Exit Number 44 (Piney Creek Road) from I-90. At the bottom of the exit ramp turn right at the green highway Piney Creek Road sign and head east on the gravel road. This is also marked as Sheridan County Road 149. Travel approximately 5.5 miles from the bottom of the exit ramp. Just after the only metal bridge crossing Piney Creek, turn right into the driveway by the Jentel mailboxes. The log cabin at the left end of the village houses reception, the offices and staff to greet you.
Heading south toward Sheridan from the Montana border, take Exit Number 25 (Sheridan/Hwy 14) from I-90. From the bottom of the exit at the underpass, head east (left turn) on Hwy 14. Gauge 18.5 miles on the odometer. Just after you come over a hill, you will see a sign for Sheridan County Road 149. Turn right and travel for 1.6 miles until you see the metal bridge crossing Piney Creek. Just before the bridge, turn left into the driveway by the Jentel mailbox. The log cabin at the left end of the village houses reception and the offices.
Do you collaborate with Ucross in any way?
In a state that is 450 miles by 425 miles, Wyoming enjoys the unique situation of having its two residency programs within eight miles of each other. Jentel and Ucross staff are always open to the opportunity, as cooperative ventures further strengthen the cultural community in the area and enhance the experiences of the respective residents. Telephone calls go back and forth between staff. Announcements of readings, slide presentations, studio tours and exhibition openings at our respective facilities are posted for residents and staff. Depending on the individual residents and interest of the group, Jentel residents have made informal arrangements on a session by session basis to visit Ucross or to interact with residents.
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