Beginning this fall, two cohorts of artists will be selected to spend focused time on Ossabaw, Georgia’s third-largest barrier island. Just south of Savannah, Georgia, and accessible only by boat, Ossabaw features 26,000 acres of undeveloped maritime forest, tidal wetlands, and Atlantic shoreline. It is protected by the State of Georgia as a heritage preserve to be used for natural, scientific, and cultural study. The Ossabaw Island Residency both advances ARTS Southeast’s commitment to deep creative inquiry by providing artists time and space on Ossabaw and continues the island’s tradition of multidisciplinary study rooted in nature, culture, and reflection first established in 1961 by Eleanor Torrey West and Clifford B. West.
The residency is intended for artists’ ideas to emerge and take shape, free from urban distractions. It is open to emerging, mid-career, and established artists across disciplines who are encouraged to pursue self-directed work shaped by solitude, a sense of place, and the pace of natural rhythms. There are no thematic requirements or expected deliverables. Housing, meals, and full logistical support are provided.
The residency includes:
• Private housing on Ossabaw Island
• All meals during the residency period
• Transportation from Savannah to and from the island
• On-island logistical support provided by ARTS Southeast and The Ossabaw Island Foundation
At this time, the Ossabaw Island Residency is invitational.
Betsy by the dock causeway. Photo by Carmela Aliffi
“Over the many years that I have been coming to Ossabaw, I have done small drawings sitting out in the maritime forest, on the side of the dirt roads, on causeways and by the ocean, preferably on the edge of transition zones.
It takes a dedicated effort to shake off the incessant demands of our lives… and just sit and observe and ingest what is seen and heard. All senses are alert and alive when you position yourself in wildness. Sandy understood this power and how it changes you.”
– Betsy Cain, December 2024
