By Lesley Leduc, The Corporation of Yaddo

Charlotte, North Carolina, will be the first stop on a series of road trips Yaddo, the artists’ community in Saratoga Springs, New York, is initiating to extend its reach across the country and to reaffirm its commitment to serving artists working in a range of disciplines.

On May 22, Yaddo artist Beverly McIver and Director of Development Steve Dennin will present “Yaddo: The Residency Experience” at The North Carolina Dance Theatre in Charlotte. The information session is free and open to anyone interested in knowing more about Yaddo, the application process and the types of artists served by the residency program. The event has been organized in cooperation with three local institutions – the McColl Center for Visual Art, The North Carolina Dance Theatre and the Charlotte Arts & Science Council.

The presentation in Charlotte is made possible with support from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which awarded Yaddo a $125,000 grant to fund residencies of four to eight weeks for eight artists, working in a variety of mediums, and drawn from eight cities where Knight Foundation invests. In addition to Charlotte, the locations include Akron, Ohio; Macon, Georgia; San Jose, California; St. Paul, Minnesota; Detroit, Michigan; Miami, Florida; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The artists will be given private living and studio space at Yaddo, and, if needed, financial aid to help cover costs such as lost income, transportation, and childcare – expenses that might otherwise prevent an artist from accepting the offer of a visit to Yaddo.

In Charlotte and elsewhere across the country, the Yaddo outreach sessions will include artists from the local region who have spent time at the retreat and will emphasize Yaddo’s desire to expand geographically and to attract applicants in emerging art forms, such as electronic media and ambient sound composition. Yaddo also is working with other institutions to encourage applications from individuals working in forms and regions currently underrepresented in the Yaddo community. This commitment to outreach includes a pledge to support artists post-residency with opportunities for them to engage with audiences at appropriate and useful points in their careers.

The program in Charlotte is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance at The North Carolina Dance Theatre, 701 North Tyron Street. No RSVP is required. A reception will follow the program.