Organizer Information
Bloedel Reserve is a 140-acre public garden and forest preserve on Bainbridge Island, Washington, created by timber industry executive Prentice Bloedel and his wife Virginia, who purchased the property in 1951 as their private residence. Over more than 30 years, the Bloedels transformed the former logging site into a series of interconnected gardens and landscapes celebrating the relationship between people and nature, working with landscape architects including Thomas Church, Richard Haag, Koichi Kawana, and Fujitarō Kubota. The Bloedels later gave the property to the community, and it opened to the public as a nonprofit-run garden in 1988. Established in 2015, Bloedel Reserve's Creative Residency program has since welcomed 70 Creative Residents across a wide range of disciplines.
Title & Description
Creative Residency at Bloedel Reserve — Class of 2027
The Creative Residency program at Bloedel Reserve is designed to foster creative thinking inspired by nature and to explore the connection between humans and the environment. Open to professional and emerging artists, composers, writers, botanists, landscape architects, researchers, and others working with themes of nature and the human relationship to it, the program offers a three-week stay at Bloedel Reserve's 140-acre garden and forest preserve. For some residents, the experience is a private time of rest and reflection; for others, a chance to experiment, begin new work, or continue projects already underway.
Theme
Nature and the human connection to the natural world. Applicants' proposed project, artwork, or research must relate to nature in some specific way, and special consideration is given to projects investigating the relationship between people and the natural world.
Categories
- Residency
- Visual Arts
- Sound/Music
- Poetry
- Literature
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
- Research
- Landscape Design
- Performance
- Filmmaking
Eligibility
- Open to professional and emerging artists, composers, writers, botanists, landscape architects, researchers, and others exploring themes of nature and the human connection with nature
- Applicants must be 21 years of age or older
- Disciplines are grouped for jurying into five categories: Visual Arts (e.g. painting, photography, craft, sculpture, installation, 2D, 3D, digitally assisted); Performance, Film & Composition (e.g. music, theater, dance, music composition, film, performance art); Poetry; Prose Fiction & Nonfiction (e.g. novels, short stories, essays, memoirs); and Research & Design (e.g. landscape design, scientific research, botanical illustration)
Program Benefits & Awards
- Three-week onsite stay in a furnished, two-bedroom, two-bath home on the Bloedel Reserve grounds, designed by architect Jim Cutler and known as the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Education Center
- Home includes bed and bath linens, toiletries, and a kitchen stocked with cookware, spices, and tea essentials
- Wi-Fi and laundry facilities available in the home
- Use of a Smart Car during the residency (valid driver's license required)
- 24/7 access to Bloedel Reserve's gardens, forests, and grounds during the stay
- In 2027, Domestic (U.S.) Residents receive a $1,000 stipend; International Residents may submit up to $1,000 of expenses for reimbursement
- Residents stay one at a time, with no overlap between residencies
Application Fee
$22.00 (USD)
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 1 September 2026
- Residency Period: 2027 (specific three-week residency dates are assigned individually; past cohorts have been scheduled across the full calendar year, from January through December)
Location
Bainbridge Island, Washington, United States
Additional Details
- There is currently no dedicated studio space on the grounds; residents use the residence itself as their studio
- An electric piano is available for use in the residence
- No pets are allowed
- The program has hosted a wide range of past residents, including a Suquamish Tribal Member documenting Tribal Canoe Journeys, an Australian composer working with field recordings, and artists, writers, and researchers from across the U.S. and internationally
- Applicants interested in a shorter-term, non-residential opportunity may instead apply to Bloedel Reserve's separate Community Creative program
- Questions about the program or application process can be directed to Inspiration & Education Manager Amy King via the contact link on the Bloedel Reserve website