Madison at Elsewhere Studios' Artist Residency

Madison Elyse Rubenstein is organizing this fundraiser.

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The Residency

I was recently accepted into Elsewhere Studios' Fall Artist Residency in Paonia, CO beginning September 1st. Elsewhere is a non-profit organization that hosts visual artists, writers, musicians, performance artists and more at any stage of their career. The mission of the residency is to provide a rich, calm setting for artists to connect with each other and dive deep into their practice to bring their work to the next level.

Paonia has attracted artists, organic/biodynamic farmers and community minded folks for decades. This has resulted in a community of strong individuals, high interest in sustainable lifestyles, and a growing art scene where the mountains meet the desert.
-From Elsewhere's Website - Elsewhere Studios

How your help and this residency will support my artistic practice

This residency offers the unique opportunity to have focused and uninterrupted time to further develop my painting practice and connect with other artists. Without financial support, I will not be equipped to utilize my time at Elsewhere to its full potential.

My art practice investigates challenges with chronic illness and mental health by using painting as a tool to process trauma and sensory experiences in the body. The images I create refer to the physicality of being human and the history of what a body has endured, physically and psychologically. I use oil paint, gouache, graphite, and charcoal to abstract the figure, expressing physiological and visceral experiences in the human form. Over the years the pathologies attributed to abuse, assault, disease, and chronic pain in my personal life have loosened their hold as I continue to process them in my images. I find this journey to be a commitment to healing and resisting the forces, internal and external, that would prefer for me to reject my body. Through this work I can meditate on the strange and uncomfortable experience of inhabiting a body, and through this investigation I repair the relationship I have to my own physicality. Spending time in a rich, quiet landscape like Paonia will provide me with a grounded environment in which I can investigate these themes further, continue healing and help my artistic practice mature.

Additionally, sharing a space with artists who, like myself, are seeking to cultivate a deeper sense of connection with their artistic process will provide further support to achieve these goals. While painting is usually a solitary process for me, exchanging ideas and feedback with other artists is crucial for mutual growth.

"Reflections in Kaiju" (detail)
36” x 48”
gouache and graphite on clayboard
2018

"If I Could, I Would" (detail)
16” x 20”
gouache, graphite, oil pastel on clayboard
2018

"Take Your Time" (detail)
36” x 36”
Gouache, graphite and oil pastel on clayboard
2018

How your financial support will help me
Elsewhere provides studio space, access to artist resources, teaching opportunities, and community connections that will help my practice flourish. While Elsewhere Studios receives a lot of a grant funding to make the residency as affordable as possible, I am still required to pay for housing, art supplies, and general living expenses such as groceries.

The living space I will be staying in is a small private room (about 9x10 ft with a 5x9ft sleeping loft), with use of main floor studio space (approximately 330 sq ft), and shared kitchen, bath, common area and outside yard. Utilities and WiFi are included. This space is $600/month ($1,200 for my 2 month stay).

Aside from paying for housing, funds will be used for personal groceries while attending the residency, gas for transportation, and the art materials I will need to create new work.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Every donation, no matter the amount, will be so helpful for me while I am at the residency. Please reach out with any questions!

Best,