MacDowell Month Highlight: Star Studio

From MacDowell, Vol. 39, No.1 Summer 2010

When I first entered Star Studio, I noted immediately — and with relief — how pared down its contents were. Two desks were just the number I needed. A dictionary was the only book I wanted, and there it was.

The studio was gloriously devoid of Internet access yet within walking distance of a wireless network. This arrangement meant I was not so cut off that my agent panicked, but neither was I at the mercy of her always plugged-in work habits. Building a fire provided just the meditative activity that I, on occasion, needed. The simplicity of the studio was like a whetstone that honed my attention to a razor-sharp edge.

The cumulative result was the ability to squeeze three days of work out of every 24-hour period. The world that “is too much with us” fell away. In New York, I write before noon but by lunch I feel like I have to plug my phone back in and start returning calls. MacDowell has a different pace, and noon simply became the time when I could retrieve my lunch basket. My only company when I ate was four walls, two large windows, and those uncluttered desks. As I began my afternoon shift, my writing became focused — more alert to itself. Dinnertime arrived just when it needed to and then later, buoyed by the company of powerful artists at the communal meal, I returned to my cabin and worked yet again before retiring. I slept blissfully, in sight of my notebooks, knowing I could resume work when my eyelids opened and the day announced itself.

Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas’s awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. His plays include Maleta Mulata, Sleepwalkers, and Blind Mouth Singing, which was praised as having “visionary wit” by the Chicago Tribune and called “beautiful and strange” by The New York Times. Cortiñas is on the faculty at Lehigh University and belongs to the New York Theatre Workshop and New Dramatists.

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Star Studio was the first studio donated by an outside organization:
the music sorority Alpha Chi Omega.

MacDowell Month - It's almost here!

A reblog reminder about appreciating the fine arts from Mu Tau Mu (virtual alumnae chapter connected to Zeta Upsilon chapter at Case Western Reserve University):

Support Alpha Chi Omega sisters involved in the arts
http://axomtm.squarespace.com/journal/2010/1/25/prepping-for-macdowell-month-part-iv.html

This is one of our absolute favorites at MTM because it's as easy to do long-distance as it is locally. Since all collegiate chapters and most alumnae chapters are local, we'll talk about that first. Here are some ideas:
1. Make a list of all chapter members who are artists - those in the theater, orchestra, choir, as well as the poets, writers and architecture students - and share it with the chapter and local alumnae.
2. Make a calendar of all the fine arts events the sisters in Item 1 are participating in during February and the rest of the month to share.
3. Attend the events in Item 2 as a group and support fine arts and Alpha Chi sisters at the same time!

Long-distance
1. Find video and audio files of sisters' performances and share them. See some samples that MTM has shared at the bottom of our Alpha Chi Omega songs page. Each week in February we send out a link that everyone can enjoy at their leisure... some are from alumnae and others from campus events that collegiate members participate in (like the orchestra and chorale).
2. Find ways to support fine arts on campus. Last year, MTM was a top-level sponsor for the 10th Anniversary show of a student-run theater group, the FootLighters, at CWRU. Sisters had been involved all through the years in productions, both on stage and behind the scenes, so we wanted to help the organization celebrate. It was good PR and inexpensive!
3. Highlight Alpha Chi Omega alumnae artists. For example, read a book by an Alpha Chi Omega author (see a slideshow with some options here) or learn more about a sister who is an artist or composer or architect.
Whatever you decide to do, we hope you enjoy it! We also hope you'll share your thoughts and plans with us by commenting below. Thanks and Happy MacDowell Month!