Touching Artist Lives
When painter Agnes Martin turned up in Taos in the year 1947 she was living out of her car. The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico's very first charitable grant was awarded 71 years ago to Martin, launching her career and culminating in Martin achieving world renown as one of the most heralded and influential Abstract Expressionist artists of the 20th century. Since then, the HWF has provided fellowships to thousands of artists from all over the world.
Agnes Martin
painter
I feel very much honored in being chosen to receive assistance from the Wurlitzer Foundation. Till now I had never sought nor received any real recognition for my work. I did not realize how encouraging it could be. Your kindness has been a positive moral uplift. Your action in this has become the most encouraging event for art in this country that I have ever witnessed. I hope to do worthily. Thank you for all your considerations. [1956]
Raegan
Payne
playwright
The time I spent at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation was full of healing and progress. Taos is an easy place to fall in love with, and I left Taos with not only a place in which I can forever seek sanctuary, but also a group of lifelong friends. The residency is an invaluable experience and a gift to artists around the world.
Charles
Hamm
classical
In addition to the work I managed to get done this summer and the ideas I was exposed to, I feel enormously refreshed. I feel optimistic about the coming year and capable of getting even more done.
Harrison
Candelaria Fletcher
writer
The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation residency was truly a gift. My time in Casita 8 was among the most rejuvenating and productive of my career. I completed two book-length lyric essay and prose poem manuscripts several years in the making and opened pathways to a third. The freedom to create at my own pace among alfalfa fields, cottonwoods, magpies and big-hearted Taoseños allowed me to relax into my writing and re...
John
Repp
poet
Living and working for more than two months in Taos transformed my way of writing. I've secured seven other residencies, but none matched the Wurlitzer residency for peace, quiet, soulfulness, and authentic productivity.
Susan
Zimmerman
visual arts
“Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.” Agnes De Mille, dancer
Coming to Taos was the first of many leaps in the dark during my residency as I wandered down many a different road exploring my art. The beautiful light of Taos that ...
Natacha
Sels
writer
These three months of legitimate leave were grandiose. I finally tasted the state of serendipity, this opening that allows to discover what we do not seek! The first residency allowed me to reconnect with my child's soul and to understand that the game is a royal road to creativity and trust. And during the second, I was able to work with concentration on a novel that will soon be published here in France.
Rachel
Kaufman
poet
The Helene Wurlitzer residency was a time of blissful quiet, of solitude and meaningful companionship, of meadow writing and casita stories. I'm so grateful for this gift of stillness, enough stillness to finish a poetry manuscript and begin a new one. Thank you to Nic, Michael, Marcos, & Mitch for their care.
Mary
Gilliland
poet
Amazing inspiration in the high desert! Terrific library & location and fellow artists. I’m not always able to take 3 months away, but if there’s a sudden cancellation or need to fill out the rest of a residency…just holler!
Robert (Bob)
Ray
painter
Painting must communicate!
Jean
Francis
visual arts
In 2013 I was awarded a 3 month fellowship at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos. This was a profound experience for me as an artist. Time to spend away from my life in Canada, pursue and concentrate on the work, experience another environment and it just allowed time.
The wonderful support and kindness from Michael Knight is a memory that stays with me. I am grateful for the time.
Earl
Stroh
painter
I feel deeply grateful for all that the Foundation has done for me over the years and am very sure that my development as an artist would no be nearly so advanced if it had not been for the many opportunities and great aid offered my by your help. [from a letter dated September 3rd, 1962]
Michio
Takayama
painter
Since we came to Taos in April of this year, we have been spending our most happy time in accumulating ideas for our work. During our stay in Taos I would like to make a new phase of my career. Now I am learning everything from the beautiful "Nature" in Taos. This beauty of Taos is probably impossible to capture in a short time...
I have been overwhelmed with the beauty and majesty of New Mexico.
Joanna
Klink
poet
My days and hours at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation carried a strange deep quiet...time seemed to flow differently there, and the trees and fields surrounding the casitas were often shimmering. I felt so at peace. It's hard to believe that any place could be this welcoming and respectful of the inner lives of artists.
Nicole
Schmölzer
painter
I keep thinking about my two Wurlitzer experiences and they are still very much alive. So many years later, the memories are not only still nourishing, but I feel deeply grateful to Helene for having had such a great vision and for still finding the right people who are able to continue her legacy in such a unique and understanding dedication to her will and to the creative people. A real gift.
Rob
Scheps
classical
The Wurlitzer Foundation is a hidden gem. The program is fantastic; Taos is amazing, and I composed a lot of good music there that I still perform. Michael Knight was a great residency director, and I learned a lot about New Mexico being there.
Steven
Schneider
poet
My residency at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation was truly transformative and inspirational. I was able to use my time in Casita Number 3 to finish the manuscript for my book The Magic of Mariachi. The executive director at that time, Michael Knight, was extremely helpful and supportive. Moreover, I came to know and love Taos, which has a very special place in my heart. Saludos and Kudos to the Wurlitzer Foundation!
Tom
Cho
writer
Definitely among the top artist residencies that I have done. The setting is near-perfect: a town that is rich in arts and culture, with access to much natural beauty. Each artist lives in their own casita and has twelve weeks of uninterrupted time to devote to their process. Delving into the foundation's long and fruitful history of nurturing artists made me all the more humbled to be part of this residency progr...
George Scott
MacLeod
painter
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico twice as young artist. The residencies gave me the focused time I needed to develop my skills and shape my ideas. I carry the incredible residency experiences, memories and colleagues with me. It was a life changing experience which I reflect on with great fondness. Thank you HWF and staff for making it all such a def...
Veronique
Maria
filmmaker
From the moment I first heard about the Helene Wurlitzer Residency in Taos and made my application I found myself engaged in an extraordinary and unexpected life changing experience. It has had deep and profound effect on me, my attitude to life and my art practice.
I decided to use the three month period to explore 'who am I as a creative woman, when I don't have a project, genre, or any other structure to guid...
Andrea
Fuhrman
painter
The stars. The quiet. The black widow spiders by the window outside. The large tables, paint and collage material, while I listen to the Native American radio station. The newspaper that lists arts events, exhibitions, openings. The sky and enormous billowing clouds. The altitude, drinking water, and more water. The 50 year old adobe dust, and my sneezes! The great natural bread at the grocery store. Friendly inte...
Roger
Aplon
writer
It's very subtle, quick and profound. I'm speaking of the magical transformation, both personally and artistically, that takes place when you arrive in Taos and enter your private casita. This phenomenon has been spoken about and written about by artists of all stripes who have had the pleasure and the honor of being invited to The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation\'s unique settlement. The individual experiences range...
Jean
Fineberg
contemporary
My time in Taos at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation was magical. The mountains, the people, and the air itself were infused with the engaging history of Taos, which I felt that wherever I went. I loved our resident planned Friday night hangouts. I value the discussions of our artistic practices, especially those in other disciplines. I think we all felt closer to each other and to all our art forms. Nic Knight wa...
Kathleen
Kelly
poet
Serenity. Productivity. Generosity... Apt descriptors of the three months I lived and wrote as a poet-resident at Casita #10S. Pink-kissed mornings inspired aubades, the magpies’ constant chatter influenced the aural sensibility of my new work, and the ever-pervasive pinyon distilled an acute sense of olfactory responsibility in my verse... This time—seemingly enchanted and surreal yet nonetheless real--create...
Laura
Bennett
photographer
My time at the Helene Wurlitzer residency enabled me to work in a wonderful environment. The casita provided such a lovely warmth, and I experienced the first snow as well. There were times I felt complete, at peace and totally focused on my work. I created handmade books, cyanotype prints and shot 15 rolls of color film and 12 rolls of black and white. I brought my 8x10 camera and my medium format Hasselblad, a...
Shirley
Tipping
visual arts
My time at the HWF allowed me to re-focus and re-channel my energies into my photographic and writing practices. Amidst the magic and beauty of New Mexico, surrounded by fellow artists, given the gift of time, and away from domestic distractions, I left feeling re-balanced.
Fred
Smith
painter
I was honored and delighted to be awarded the Wurlitzer Residency. Having visited New Mexico over many years, by living and painting in Taos for three months, I was inspired and stimulated by the land, the people, the arts community, and the comradery of my fellow resident artists.
Susan
Richards
painter
A wonderful experience in all categories. New friends, beautiful adventures and the start on a new path in my work.
Lorna
Ritz
painter
I had to get special permission from the Pueblo Chief; turns out he was watching me from day one, awed that I could stay so still for all those hours each day standing at my easel. I ended up giving him a drawing of Taos Mountain which is his religion, which then became mine the more I drew it. I had been pulling my easel and drawing board all throughout the landscape searching for composition, (on a bright hot p...
Lauren
Davies
photographer
The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation provides an amazing residency experience with a combination of quiet artistic solitude mixed with the stimulation of an impressive interdisciplinary cohort of visual artists, writers, musicians and composers. Add in my adobe casita studio surrounded by open fields within historic Taos, New Mexico and this experience provided me with a truly magical and creative summer residency.
Ellen
Koment
painter
Now a working artist in Santa Fe for over twenty years, I thank Wurlitzer Foundation for introducing me to this most beautiful part of the world. My association with the foundation as well as the other artists has been life changing. I have been working primarily in Encaustic for the last twenty five years, and throughout this time the magnificent New Mexico landscape, as well as the Santa Fe art world have been i...
Matthew
Rigney
writer
The three months I spent at the Wurlitzer Foundation were essential to my development as a writer. The residency gave me abundant time and a space in which to work, and as any artist knows, these are precious beyond value. I also connected with a community of other artists and made an important friendship that still endures. The residency showed me what the life-as-writer feels like absent all the complicating fac...
C. Robert
Jones
playwright
My three months in Taos at the Foundation were an incredible experience--giving me time to focus entirely on writing I LIKE IT HERE! which was published shortly thereafter. Casita # 8 was charming, a lovely little home. I'm especially grateful for the TLC of Michael and Tonie Knight who were sensational to all of us during our stay.
Robert C
Ellis
painter
My Wurlitzer Foundation grant has given me the time and freedom to study myself and my painting. It has given me time for concentrated creativity, time to select the best from my experiences both past and present.
Anne
Sanow
writer
Arriving in Taos during the quiet stillness of winter set the tone for a contemplative, productive writing season for me. The Wurlitzer Foundation provided a lovely place to make progress on a long-term project and to become acquainted with the town, the mountains, and the history all around me. It's true that there is something magical in this place.
Jeffrey
Salloway
writer
What a privilege to join an elite group of artists, immersed in expression, sharing in fellowship!
Aaron
Brown
painter
I would highly recommend the Wurlitzer Foundation residency to any artist. Helene Wurlitzer knew exactly what she was doing when she structured the program to provide maximum creative freedom, with minimal expectation. The time spent at my casita and with my fellow residents was pleasant, positive and productive. I'm very grateful for the experience.
Yulia
Pinkusevich
painter
The Wurlitzer was an important residency and moment in my life who's impact has lasted for over a decade.
Lucy
Bledsoe
writer
An amazing residency. Wonderful.
Claudia
Tremblay
painter
My residency at The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation was life changing! Uninterrupted time to create offers space for a magical and underestimated freedom. Thanks to a serene setting and gracious hosting, any artist can zero in on their true mission. I’m infinitely thankful for this opportunity and hope that the following artists have a similar experience.
Jessamine
Chan
writer
My three months at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation were the happiest, most fulfilling, and most productive of my life. I’ve been home for seven months now, and every single day I think, with great longing, about Taos, my casita, my desk, the view from my window, the mountains, and the walk through town. I miss the sense of time expanding and I miss the light. You’ll see the most beautiful sunsets in Taos, and ...
Vineetha
Mokkil
writer
The residency at the Wurlitzer is a gift I'll always treasure. The magic of Taos continues to influence my life and work. After having spent a very productive three months there, I'm convinced no other place or community on earth cherishes creative spirits with such kindness and generosity.
Ayden
Graham
songwriter
My time at the HWF was nothing short of transformational.
It was utter madness inside my head, wrapped within the peaceful eye of the storm, my cozy casita #3. I wrangled with my demons, flirted with the muse, tickled the ivories, cooked delicious meals, and stayed up way too late practicing violin arpeggios.
During my time I finessed my looper pedal board, recorded demos, catalogued unfinished songs, finished...
Matt
Bennett
playwright
The Wurlitzer is honestly committed to curating a place for deep work, for cross-pollination among disciplines, and for "refilling the well." (Amid natural beauty that's as humbling as it is stunning!) During my session, I never felt beholden but always free to write and explore. Because there's no agenda, I could share for the sake of sharing. It's changed the way I work, because having a break from constant cont...
Dorothy
Englander
painter
What a magical and life-altering experience I had, from mid April-mid July 2008. My work is still influenced by those days. Fellowship with so many creative people has led to life-long friendships. Sending the foundation my deepest appreciation, Dorothy Englander
Kareem
Tayyar
poet
Simply put, the summer I spent as a Wurlitzer Fellow was one of the very best experiences of my life. Taos is a magical place, and those three months filled me with a happiness I have carried with me ever since.
Maria
Anderson
writer
My stay at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation was incredible. The time and space given to us there was a great gift. Three months really gives you the time to delve deeply into projects, and I was able to begin a novel I've been thinking about for some time. I also revised short stories for my collection. Back at home in Bozeman, Montana, I'm still daydreaming of my desk in my casita, of long runs on the trails near ...
Gonzalo
Rodríguez Gómez
painter
I will always be grateful to the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation. Thanks to this opportunity I was fortunate to work in a dream studio for two and a half months, as well as enjoy the culture of Taos and the company of excellent people and incredible artists.
Rita
Ciresi
writer
It was a great privilege to spend two months in Taos as a fellow at the Wurlitzer Foundation. I finished a novel and generated the first draft of another while in residence. I am so grateful to the Foundation!
Robin
Cole
visual arts
My time with the Wurlitzer Foundation was transformative in so many ways. There, during my uninterrupted working hours, I developed a new mixed media drawing technique that I still use and teach, and continued to explore oil painting--relatively new to me at that time, but now my primary medium. The peace and beauty of the landscape and the amazing intellectual and personal company of the other residents were a so...
Colleen Morton
Busch
writer
My stay in HWF was a long time ago, just after I’d returned from living in Beijing. I needed a place to lay down the foundations of a manuscript about my experience in China. HWF gave me the gift of time and space, and the bonus of being surrounded by beauty and artistic fellowship. I set that manuscript aside to work on other projects, but recently, I rescued it from a drawer and knew exactly what I needed to d...
Andrea
Clearfield
classical
I have no words to express how wonderful and productive and connected this time has been. I was utterly inspired! Thank you for everything!
With much gratitude and appreciation.
Robert
Kostka
painter
[1975] The Foundation continues to be an important aspect of my work... I always seem to develop new ideas, new themes and approaches while I'm here. Perhaps just as important, I discard the old ones as well.
I am grateful to the Foundation for all it has contributed to my personal growth.
Shiuan
Chang
contemporary
The stay at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation was transcendental. Three months of solitude, where I had to face many aspects of fear I could avoid due to the velocity of life. I listen to the fear, and the fear makes me stronger. I'll always be grateful to the foundation.
Anjana
Appachana
writer
Being at Wurlitzer was like a long meditation. It allowed me to reach another level of consciousness and to live and work in this space for over three months. From here flowed my writing, and oh, how it flowed.
Carol
Luc
painter
My six weeks in Taos at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation were incredibly transformative. I "worked like a fiend" and enjoyed every moment, learning so much about the foundation, the city, the culture, the landscape and the region. I can close my eyes and feel it all over again. I met wonderful people, ate great food, planned a party. When I went home I had a new body of work. Thank you so much, HWF, for giving me t...
Linda
Lightsey Rice
writer
I have been so fortunate to be a resident artist at the Wurlitzer Foundation on several occasions, and these residencies have had a profound impact on my creative life. I completed portions of my second novel here in Taos, and many friendships formed at the Wurlitzer have influenced how I see my own work as well as the role of the artist in general. The near-pastoral setting of the artist casitas, the foundation's...
Mashuq
Deen
playwright
The friends I made at Wurlitzer have lasted longer than from any other residency. And it's true what they say about the mountain, it does call you back.
Devreaux
Baker
poet
I feel fortunate to be in residence at the Wurlitzer for many reasons. Not only does it afford me the time to work undisturbed but it also allows me the space in which to be continually inspired by the work of a diverse range of artists, musicians and writers who make up the town of Taos. What greater gift for an artist than to have the solitude to create in a landscape that continually inspires.
Leon
Syfrit
photographer
The moment I arrived, I knew my time here would live within me far beyond my physical departure.
Louise
Minks
painter
I really became embedded in the Taos area while I was at the Wurlitzer and especially so because my project was about the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. I relished my days of exploring the region,hours of research in the public library and becoming comfortable with a town full of cultural material so different from my Midwestern and New England experience. I became so attached to New Mexico that I determined to "find a ...
Debra
Kaye
music composition
I am ever-grateful for the opportunity to be at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation. The respect and confirmation for my work early in my career, helped me honor myself as an artist. The gift of unfettered time in such a beautiful place and the sense of community with the other residents, fed my creativity. The experience continues to inspire my artistic life with a sense of openness to this day.
Ling-lin
Ku
sculptor
The moment I arrived in Taos I knew I was in love with this place. My time at HWF was like a sweet dream full of tree leaves, magic light, and crispy air. It was my honor to have this time and solitude to focus on my work and myself. I came back home refreshed with new inspirations and friendships.
Melisa
Tien
playwright
More and more, I believe that people are the defining feature of experience—more so than place, infrastructure, or resources; perhaps in an abstract and deeper sense, people *are* the place, infrastructure, and resources. This has certainly borne out in my time with the artists here at Wurlitzer, some of whom I imagine I'll break bread with for many years to come. The beauty of the artistic cohort became evident...
Jack
Ortiz
writer
At the HWF I felt a strong creative energy, on the grounds and in my lovely casita. There I was able to start from scratch a novel, the first long project I truly believe in. Shoutout to the staff who were so warm and welcoming.
John
Anton
writer
For me, spending another summer in Taos in Mrs. Wurlitzer's company meant the reaffirmation in my faith in culture.
Tim
Houghton
poet
Wurlitzer is awesome. It's the only place where I want to work.
Anna
Badkhen
writer
I am grateful for the quiet thinking time the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico afforded me in spring of 2019. The semi-seclusion and the near-monastic infrastructure provided a marvelous excuse to focus on nothing but word for the almost three months of the residency. It gladdens me to imagine the artists who will create in this space in the future--perhaps at the very same desk overlooking the very same ...
Eleanor
Guilliatt
painter
I brought away from Taos a new and delicious sense of abject dedication which is largely due to John Anton and Mrs. Wurlitzer; and it is for this new dimension of understanding that I am writing to thank you. I brought chaos to Taos and took directed wildness away. This is what I needed, and it is what the Foundation environment and Taos gave me.
Ron
Strickland
writer
I remember my time at Wurlitzer with great fondness. New energy infused my work. Insights from that period continue to enliven my recent writing.
Erik
Jackson
playwright
My time at the Wurlitzer Foundation was absolutely transformational. The location is idyllic, the support is absolute, and inspiration is everywhere. I loved being able to set my own schedule and to socialize as much or as little as I desired. The wonderful casitas are close enough to the town when you need to run errands, stock up on groceries, get coffee or a bite—but they have the feeling of being off the bea...
Virginia
Barrett
poet
I feel very blessed to have twice been a Wurlitzer Foundation Fellow (1997, 2017). My first stay imprinted Taos, and the surrounding landscape, indelibly on my creative psyche. When I returned twenty years later, the feeling only deepened, and has led me into a series of poems focused on the area. I now intend to spend a good deal of my time here; Taos continues to inspire.
Jory
Mickelson
poet
My time at the Wurlitzer foundation was transformational. The residency allowed me the time and space to take an accumulation of my writing and shape it into a manuscript. I am so grateful for my stay and the ability to step away from my regular life and enter deeply into the life of my writing.
Meeting and getting to know the other residents was wonderful. Also the opportunity to explore my surroundings--Norther...
Nathan
Kelly
classical
Wurlitzer in the winter was a magical place. Its quiet solitude gives an artist the space and inspiration needed to create, reflect, and dream. I can't wait to return.
Kathleen
Edwards
visual arts
My time at the foundation has been an enormous and deeply appreciated gift. Quiet, undistracted focus in the studio allowed my work to grow like a pot-bound tree placed into the ground.
Susan
Smereka
visual arts
Time, space, place and people - this convergence at HWF was life-altering. The freedom I experienced allowed my work to change in ways I didn't anticipate. Connections to other artists - now friends, has been an added bonus.
Judith
Arcana
poet
My first stay was a kind of paradise -- and my second stay was another kind of paradise.
Whenever I think of those weeks and months, I am awash in gratitude.
Tanya Husain
Palit
songwriter
My winter at the Wurlitzer Foundation was deeply transformational. Having time and space for creative reflection and learning about the indigenous history of this area has forever changed me and my perspective as a settler on this land. I am so grateful to the Foundation and to the Pueblo people, their ancestors and descendants.
Theo
Chandler
contemporary
My stay at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation was immensely transformative. With the time to write and reflect, I was able to come away from the residency with clearer goals for myself as an artist, as well as a more secure sense of my compositional abilities.
I have not seen another program that offers such extended residencies - 2.5 months - and this amount of time was critical for my growth, allowing me to get tot...
David
Cote
playwright
The three months I spent at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in fall 2022 was a period of gentle introspection and steady, satisfying work. I won’t lie; past residencies lasted only three or four weeks, and the extended period offered by Wurlitzer was both exciting and intimidating. I had been to New Mexico about fifteen years earlier as a tourist, and now felt challenged to melt into the place, at least temporar...
Karen
Kevorkian
poet
I love the solitude of the casitas. I came to love the town and the state and found much to think about. I return to Taos as often as I can.
Paula Schmidt
West
writer
I will be grateful all my life for the gift of time provided to me by the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, and for the profound kindness of Nic Knight and my fellow artists in residence. This is a special place to grow.
Loraine
Veeck
painter
With the beautiful surroundings of Taos New Mexico as inspiration, I found my stay as a resident in Casita #1 very productive. Nic Knight and the staff at Wurlitzer were very supportive of my needs, and my residency will stand out as a wonderful memory in the years to come.
John
Balaban
poet
My Wurlitzer stay was tonic. I wrote a novel and a book of poetry while there, during one long winter and, again, during another fall. Strangely enough, despite the isolation and its freedom to concentrate, I made more lifelong friends in the town of Taos than anywhere else I've lived. And the dramatic land and people around Taos were life-affecting.
Caitlin
McGill
writer
My time in Taos was unparalleled--peaceful, productive, restful. Grateful for this community!
Larry
Calcagno
painter
...There were lots of people at the opening and both shows look good! - But I'm exhausted and am looking forward to just painting and some peace and quiet again. I shall busy myself preparing for an April show...
I am grateful for the opportunities in my work that the Foundation has made possible.
[from 1973 letter to H.A.S.]
Andrea
Scrima
writer
I don’t think I can overstate the vital importance of the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation residency program. My three months in Taos have had a profound effect on my writing process; they were miraculous and transformative. As writers, artists, and musicians, the majority of us are struggling to make a living and juggling a number of roles simultaneously, all the stuff of life that competes with the “actual” wor...
Lourdes
Bernard
painter
This residency had a profound impact on me and my work. The Wurlitzer Foundation's mission is a gift of time to artists and I will always be grateful for the space and support this fellowship generously offers. The setting is historic and the landscape is breathtaking. I was there during the winter and it helped me to fall in love with winter....the stillness and quiet coaxed new ways of making work and re-ignite...
Allie ('Blue')
Armstrong
songwriter
My time at the Wurlitzer Foundation was paramount to the recording of my first album. Here I was able to unplug, rest, meditate, and find the energy that manifested into the completion of 5 compositions. The residency had an incredible warmth thanks to Nic Knight and his family, and to the beautiful residents whom I shared a term with. I'm so grateful to the Foundation for allowing me the space and time to create....
Andrew
Porter
writer
I absolutely loved my time at The Wurlitzer Foundation. I can't think of a more inspiring or supportive environment in the country.
N. Scott
Momaday
writer
This is to greet you warmly and to thank you sincerely for your generous assistance. I do indeed very much appreciate the accommodations you made available to me. Not only were they comfortable; they were exactly appropriate to my purpose, and I got a lot of work done.
To tell you the truth, I miss the rituals of getting out of my Taos bed and opening the curtains on that splendid view of snow falling in the tre...
Susan
Lloyd
writer
Thank you for providing a space of tranquility and inspiration during my various sojourns there. It has always been a relief to arrive at one of the Wurlitzer casitas where I know I can concentrate on my writing and photography free of distractions--so rare and so necessary if one is to get serious about one's work.
Millee
Tibbs
photographer
My time at the Wurlitzer Foundation has been one of my most productive residencies and rewarding artistic experiences. Northern New Mexico is an absolutely enchanting place that I hope to return to again and again.
Meredith
Wilder
songwriter
The summer of 2017 was an invaluable experience, to be surrounded by the beauty of the desert and the energy of the other artists in residence. Once I set up my recording gear and sat down at the grand piano with the sole purpose of writing new music, creativity started filling every corner of the casita. There is something magical about Taos and Helene Wurlitzer's legacy and I would recommend this to every artist...
David
Groff
poet
PHOTOBOMB POEM, TAOS
The sky on the butt side of sunset is
a veiny blue, the clouds vapor-trailish
but not jet-made, probably, below
a mountain that looks like a mountain.
I don’t know its first name or its tales.
Its greens go gray with drought & dusk
but still it’s strewn with glare,
hard to look at, a lung-busting climb.
Trees like brandy snifters dot the plain:
vases in a cemetery with flat plaques.
Di...
Jane
Isakson
painter
From September through December 2018 I had the pleasure to participate in the Helene Wurlitzer Artist Residency. This was an amazing opportunity to think and experiment and find clarity of focus as I embark upon creating a new body of work. The landscape and community and fellow artist residents made for a supportive and simulating environment. I can only describe my time there as magical.
Hee Sook
Kim
visual arts
The residency in the Wurlitzer Foundation has transformed my artistic path every time I was in.
The time was just inspiring and atmosphere was magical. I always enthusiastically recommend the residency to my fellow artists. The surrounding with Taos mountain is surreal.
Tana
Wojczuk
writer
This experience entirely changed my life. It was my first residency, I was leaving an abusive relationship and finally trying to write full time. I've since been writing and teaching writing and my first book comes out this July! Thank you.
Eileen
Tabios
writer
I am appreciative of and grateful for my time at The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation.
Barbara
Claus
visual arts
When I was invited to attend the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation residency, in 2008, it was a crucial period in my artistic path. I so needed time to reconnect with studio practice and it gave me a great opportunity to trust myself, experiment different things and find new confidence in my work. I also enjoyed very much the casita, the natural environment, cycling, going to the farmer’s market, visiting museums, art...
Alexander
Lumans
writer
My time at the Wurlitzer Foundation proved to be absolutely necessary to my development as a writer. The residency guided me toward transformations in my current project as well as in my perspective on the creative process. I will be living on the fumes of my singular experience in Taos for a long time to come.”
Samyak
Shertok
poet
I think of my time at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation as a dream: enchantment, haunting, and reverie all in one. Driving alone through the Rio Grande National Forest in the dark, I had an uncanny encounter with an elk family, in which the papa or mama elk stared at me until all the baby elks were safely on the other side of the road. That set the tone of wondering and wandering for my entire residency. Besides the...
Arnito
Fillion
music composition
This residency time at HWF was such a great experience. The campus provides such a perfect surrounding for creating in peace, with a very positive philosophy and deep concern about each artist well-being. Certainly one of the most productive time of my life !
Michael
Pearson
writer
Taos is a place filled with magic, and the Wurlitzer Foundation makes that magic real for artists of all kinds. From the first moment I entered the town, saw the fiery sky and the holy mountains, felt the history and the cultures, I knew I was home.
Maggie
Graber
poet
I've been fortunate to come to Taos for two residencies (winter/springs 2015, 2019) and each one was was so affirming and surprising in what it opened up in me and my work. After my second residency, I stayed in northern New Mexico for six more months, because I knew I wasn't going to be ready to leave at the end of the residency. Forever thankful to the Wurlitzer Foundation for believing in my work and providing ...
Lex
Williford
writer
If it had not been for Wurlitzer, I may not have written all the flash fiction in my award-winning chapbook, Superman on the Roof, part of a novel in flash fiction, short fiction and novellas, which I'll be working on during my stay at Wurlitzer Summer of 2021. I’m grateful for the time and solitude Wurlitzer has allowed me to continue my work.
Lauren
Mantecon
visual arts
My time in residency was productive in a non-traditional way.
The atmosphere, support and space became a refuge after an extremely turbulent time in my life.
The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation became my entrance to New Mexico which has since become my home;
as seeds planted for the next chapter to my art making career.
I was able to not only reflect but make work in what I considered a sanctuary of " place".
Fiona
Sze-Lorrain
writer
I think of my time in Taos with such gratitude, fondness, and joy: the quiet and mountains and friendships . . . I am much grateful to the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation for bringing this special place and its kind soul(s) into my life. Merci beaucoup.
Ryan
Matthews
writer
I was looking for a period of solitude, to escape the weight of the last two years and thoroughly examine my artistic practice. I needed to focus on the puzzles of the work all day, every day. At the Wurlitzer Foundation, free of responsibilities and distractions, but surrounded by the like minded - I had the space to finally pursue risks in my writing and embrace creative challenges.
Amy
Boaz
writer
My two summer residencies at HWF allowed me to fly — finally, creatively.
Ferdinand
Rosa
painter
A truly inspirational moment in my life! Thank you Helene Wurlitzer for your ongoing gift to the Arts in America.
Leandro
Vesco
writer
One of the best moments of my life, I spent in the Casitas of the Foundation, writing, and then walking and talking with so many friends! Greetings to everyone from Buenos Aires, especially Michael Knight, whom I always remember.
Dienke
Nauta
visual arts
The work period at the Wurlitzer has had a huge impact on me and my work. It gave me back my work flow and it has brought me a more playful and organic approach. I can't live without creating. The fact that I was able to create without the pressure of an upcoming show or having to work my night job, gave me such a breather. Art is Spirit. I saw that in one of Helene Wurlitzer's rooms of the main house, where the D...
Leah
Grams Johnson
songwriter
That summer in New Mexico, I grieved the distance between who I was, and I thought I’d be, at that point in my life. It was the most powerful and transformative three months I’ve ever experienced— guiding me back to the raw wilderness of my own intuition, as an artist and as a woman.
Howard
Sherman
visual arts
Wonderful gift of space and time to focus on my work.
Peggy
Diggs
visual arts
Of the residencies I've had, the Wurlitzer was ideally designed. To have my own house, my own studio, and a group of equally independent colleagues made for a situation where I could work intensively in isolation, do things with others when the mood hit, and focus focus focus. Those choices were so important to me. The good length of time, 3 months, also enabled that period of settling in to happen and then a soli...
(Laurie) Franciszka
Voeltz
poet
When director Michael Knight told my fellow residents and I that our time at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation was to be used in whatever way best serves work and our selves (whether that meant sleeping for three months or writing every day for ten hours a day or anywhere in between), I took it to heart. It was precisely that kind of non-pressure, generous support and trust that allowed me to push through some major...
William
Malpede
filmscoring
My residency at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos was one of the most profound and life-changing experiences of my life to date. I would encourage every artist to apply for the Residency. The solitude, and the gift of time to reflect, work, and soul search combined with the special energy of Taos provides a truly unique experience!
Gustavo
Lopez
music composition
My summer at the Wurlitzer Foundation was everything I hoped for. It was a calm, serene experience and I made major progress on compositions for my next record. I also met many interesting and inspiring people. I’ve long been fascinated by New Mexico and Taos completely lived up to its cultural and artistic reputation. I settled in quickly and am eager to return as soon as possible. My sincere gratitude to Nic K...
Pilar
Hanson
visual arts
My time at the HWF residency was extraordinary and productive. There were periods of total immersion in my work alongside the enjoyable exchanges with the other residents.
Kathleen
Heideman
poet
Remembering my terrific residency with the Wurlitzer Foundation, luminous sunset memories of Taos flood the mind — the arms-flung-wide light over Taos. I recall peace and clarity of thought, the sense that each studio-casita was a small hive in which wild-buzzing creative ideas were distilled into honey. Best of all, I arrived with storage boxes of handwritten drafts and left with manuscripts and clarity! It was...
Cristina
De Gennaro
visual arts
My time at the Wurlitzer Foundation was truly transformative. I am deeply grateful for being given the opportunity to have lived and worked in such a beautiful place with such creative people.
Nell Shaw
Cohen
classical
During my residency at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, I came into a different pace of living and of creativity. Arriving from bustling New York City, I discovered Taos's unmistakeable ease. This place encouraged a spaciousness and clarity of thought in my composing process. Sitting on the porch of my cozy casita, enjoying the scent of petrichor and cottonwoods after one of Taos's summer afternoon rainstorms, I s...
Lane
Abernathy
contemporary
My time at the Wurlitzer foundation was not only personally and artistically transformational, but the most creative period of my career. It's simply impossible to put into words the experience of living on the campus, surrounded by the sublime beauty of Taos and northern New Mexico. Following the footsteps of some of the world's greatest artists to Taos, with the support and generosity of everyone at the Wurlitze...
Frank
Avella
playwright
In many respects, my residency at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation saved my life. This is not hyperbole. I wasn't even certain I would be able to accept the residency. My mamma had fallen very ill. She died a few days before I was scheduled to leave. I was beyond devastated. The day after the memorial, my husband packed me up into my Jeep and insisted I take the trek to Taos. And what a trek. I drove into TWO typho...
Xandra
Clark
playwright
Since my time in Taos, the Foundation and its environs have remained seared in my mind and are continually a part of my reflections and work process. In fact, "Taos!” has become a way to remind myself to slow down when I get into the chaotic hustle of New York creative life. I have completed the script I was working on when there, and I've stayed in close touch with several fellow residents. The relationships fo...
Clemonce
Heard
poet
Where I met my soul poet. Enchanting to say the least.
Jean-Marc
Felzenszwalbe
painter
Taos light, talking with Henry Sauerwein will allways stay in my memory as an inspiring moment.
Carolyn
Gage
playwright
This residency gave me time... three months of time. I was not only able to move forward with new work, but I also had the luxury to finish up those dozens of projects that had been "hanging fire" for years. Invaluable!
Cheryl
Durden
writer
I enjoyed a 5-month writing residency at The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico - 1/97 through 6/97. This was, I believe, the first winter that the foundation's homes were open to residents.
I didn't understand it at the time, but my stay at HWF was the perfect transition stop; it became the crossroads of my life and key to making the decision to leave the corporate world and connect more fully with ...
Kenneth
Fuchs
classical
I had the most extraordinary experience as a fellow at HWF during the summer of 1988. I fell in love with the Land of Enchantment and have returned to New Mexico many times since. I am pleased to tell you that my fifth Naxos recording with the London Symphony Orchestra won the 2018 GRAMMY Award in the most coveted category, Best Classical Compendium
Mildred
Tolbert
photographer
[2-16-1973] This period here at the foundation is a unique experience for me - that is, it is the first time in my adult life that I have not felt responsible for myself and/or others, and the fact that I received this grant has had great psychological impetus for me.
Rafaël
Leloup
filmscoring
HWF is an amazing oasis where time stops and allows one to focus solely on their work for a few months. With so little distractions, such an amazing environment, gorgeous views, and clear air, I was able to finish many personal projects that were always set aside when in my regular workplace.
I wish a similar experience to all future residents.
Thanks to everyone at the Foundation!
Alumni News
Clam Down and Carry On
It’s been eight years since I first began writing Clam Down, and now I’m finally ready to share the finished book with you. In the words of my favorite marathonist, Shizo Kanakuri, “It was a long trip.” Along the way, I got a job, got married, and had a kid—-he’s almost three! Now going to bed is the most exciting prospect of the day. But I think I’ve gained some insights that might speak to our current times of crisis and retreat. “To clam or not to clam?” This was the post-it note I taped on my computer. If we instinctively close up when we’re feeling scared and overwhelmed, how can we begin to open up again?
Clam Down is a "memoir" about a woman who turns into a clam in the aftermath of her divorce, after her mom repeatedly texts her to "clam down." Clamming has been the family's tried-and-true method for survival, and the clam decides to go on a quest to learn more about her true species. She wants to find out whether there’s a cost to embracing isolation and invisibility. This book is a genealogical accounting of clamhood, starting with the family unit and extending beyond, to other artists and writers and scientists and even invasive Asian clams. The story ends with her dad revealing why he had to leave the family for a decade to write his top-secret accounting software, Shell Computing.
In many ways, this book was co-created with my family, who endured years of endless pestering with egoless patience. At first, I thought my dad had said (warned? threatened?) “don't betray me,” but later he insisted that he’d said, "don't betray yourself." He wanted me to tell the story my way. I hope that I managed to, as he would put it, "extend the historical feeling," and "add compassion" for the immigrant experience. This is a book for those of us who are always weighing the pros and cons of speaking out, torn between caution and circumspection and freedom. What is required of us in this historical moment? What is the best way to thrive?
In case any of this sounds interesting to you, the pre-order link is below, or you might also request a copy from your library!
My very best to you,
Anelise
Cyrus Cassells Wins 2025 Jackson Poetry Prize
Cyrus Cassells has been awarded the 2025 Jackson Poetry Prize, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for an American poet. Presented annually by Poets & Writers, the prize recognizes exceptional literary talent and includes a $100,000 award.
Judges James Richardson, Patricia Spears Jones, and Chase Twichell praised Cassells’s work as:
“Painterly, precise, simultaneously strange and utterly familiar… In a world that is increasingly unstable, the brave compassion of these poems, both profound and hard won, is a rare and precious thing.”
Cassells’s inventive, lyrical language continues to move and inspire:
“Coal-dark and stillborn grapes,” “a hurrah of wheeling blackbirds,” “the choir of cliffs.”
Unlike most prizes, the Jackson Poetry Prize has no application process—poets are nominated by a panel of peers and selected by some of the country’s most distinguished voices in poetry.
Photo credit: Eyoel Kahssay
Installation at Bates College +
HWF alumna Tirtza Even, alongside collaborator Nadav Assor, is opening Chronicle of a Fall at Bates College, Maine, as part of the Impact 21st program. The feature-length immersive installation explores the experiences of six immigrant cultural workers from the Middle East, Africa, and the Global South, using body cameras and 3D laser scanning to create a fragmented yet interconnected space. The exhibition runs from April 3 to May 2, 2025.
Beyond this installation, Tirtza has been developing Disturbed, a series of multichannel installations capturing the emotional impact of climate change through digital disruptions and personal testimonies. The project’s first segment was recorded during her Winter 2023 residency at HWF, followed by a second in Louisiana. Future segments are planned for Alaska (Summer 2025) and additional locations through 2027.
Following her Alaska shoot, Tirtza will spend five weeks at the Rauschenberg Artist Residency in Captiva, Florida, editing the first sections of Disturbed.
If you're on the East Coast this spring, stop by Chronicle of a Fall at Bates College!
Paul Ré in the January 2025 JPW
The Journal of the Print World (JPW) is devoted to antique and contemporary works of fine art on paper. After 46+ years of quarterly publication it has just published its 186th issue! This is a remarkable achievement. Included in their January 2025 issue is presented the image shown here; It is about my award-winning UNM Press book Art, Peace, and Transcendence https://www.paulre.org/art-peace-transcendence
The work pictured in that file is: Paul Ré, Embrace in Hyperspace, 2004, Réogram (hybrid hand-digital print), edition of 4, 13” x 19”.
This volume presents the vision for the Paul Bartlett Ré Peace Prize https://www.paulre.org/peace which to date has recognized 43 diverse individuals and organizations for their peace-promoting efforts. On that webpage are links to view the 2020, 2022, and 2024 Peace Prize Receptions. Also, in the current issue of the Journal of the Print World in the New Works section is my recent artwork:
Paul Ré, Let Us Dance in the Darkness, 2024, Réogram (hybrid hand-digital print), edition of 4, 13” x 19”.
Thank you for your personal efforts to help heal our extremely challenged world.
My tenth book of poems, Everything in Life is Resurrection
My tenth book of poems, Everything in Life is Resurrection: Selected Poems, 1982-2022 (TCU Press: Texas Poet Laureate Series) will be published on February 25:
Drawn from eight acclaimed books of poetry and spanning forty years, Everything in Life is Resurrection: Selected Poems, 1982-2022, is 2021 Texas Poet Laureate Cyrus Cassells’s long-awaited retrospective volume. Ellen Hinsey, in her compelling introduction, “A Lyric Poet in Dark Times,” heralds Cassells as “America’s foremost lyric poet, who, under the pressure of adverse circumstances, has turned from his home in music to unflinchingly face the blood and havoc of his era's civil sphere.” Hinsey makes revealing comparisons with Yeats’s trajectory from high lyricism to poems of lament and Irish Civil War witness: “when we read Cassells’s work over the last four decades, we are aware that the music he hears is intrinsically intertwined with the noise of the world’s destruction.” In addition, Hinsey lauds Cassells’s always riveting language “characterized throughout by a highly visual and expressive vocabulary, one touched by the grandeur of Shakespeare and the authority of the King James Bible. There is a love of verb and noun, a richness of consonance and assonance, and a voluptuousness that makes a feast of description.” Mark Doty has said: “The astonishing lyric fabric of Cassells’s work is weighted, as true lyrics of the earth must be, with the sorrow and cruelty of history. The sparkle of light on waves, the ‘foam and fish-scale blue’ of wild indigo can only be sung honestly beside the memory of the Middle Passage. One side of the song doesn’t cancel out the other; they are held, in Cassells’s sweeping oratorios, side by side.”
Publication of new book Picturing
"If / pleasure is an ending, then surely we are / joined," Jory Mickelson writes, in Picturing, where the viewer melds with the art, the gaze moves between and beyond, exposing a sorry inside desire’s hinge. From Marilyn Monroe to Icarus, Paul Cadmus to “the angel’s ruffling wings,” these poems shift the lines between longing and conquest, childhood and history, an open wound and a painter’s caress. Reveling in beauty and damage, this is a book that sings and singes.
Judging Intl. Dublin Literary Prize
Fiona Sze-Lorrain has been appointed as a judge for the 2025 International Dublin Literary Prize.
Fiona Sze-Lorrain is a multifaceted writer, poet, translator, musician, and editor known for her distinctive voice across genres and cultures. She stands out as one of the few English-language women writers adept in multiple artistic expressions, crafting and translating works in English, French, and Chinese.
Her literary contributions include the novel-in-stories Dear Chrysanthemums (Scribner, 2023), five poetry collections—most recently Rain in Plural (Princeton, 2020) and The Ruined Elegance (Princeton, 2016)—as well as fifteen books of translation and three coedited anthologies of international literature. Sze-Lorrain’s exceptional talent has garnered significant recognition; she was longlisted for the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and has been a finalist for prestigious awards such as the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Best Translated Book Award, and the Derek Walcott Poetry Prize.
A 2019–20 Abigail R. Cohen Fellow at the Columbia University Institute for Ideas and Imagination, Sze-Lorrain also served as the inaugural writer-in-residence at the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires. She currently resides in Paris, where she is an editor at Vif Éditions. In addition to her literary pursuits, Sze-Lorrain is an accomplished zheng harpist, performing widely across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Her expertise extends beyond the arts into negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution.
Alumni Association
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Upcoming Exhibits or Performances
- Solo or group exhibitions
- Theater productions or music performances
Publications
- New books, articles, or essays
- Featured works in anthologies or magazines
Creative Projects
- Launch of a new collection, album, or series
- Collaborations with other artists
Awards and Recognitions
- Industry honors, nominations, or distinctions
Workshops or Lectures
- Hosting or participating in art workshops
- Giving public lectures or panel talks
Media Features
- Interviews, podcasts, or articles featuring their work
- Spotlights in art-related publications or media outlets
Community Contributions
- Public art installations or community-based projects
- Contributions to local arts initiatives
Residencies or Fellowships
- Acceptance into new artist-in-residence programs
- Awards or grants received
Calls for Collaboration
- Seeking input or partnerships for upcoming projects
loading HWF artists
HWF Artists
Agnes Martin
Painter, 1954
Michio Takayama
Painter, 1968
Vernon Fimple
Visual Arts, 1977
N. Scott Momaday
Writer, 1987
Marcia Oliver
Painter, 1968
Cyrus Cassells
Poet, 1984
Kenneth Fuchs
Classical, 1988
Rudolf Baranik
Poet, 1993
Cynthia Madansky
Painter, 2017
2025
Caroline
Clerc
photographer
Kathleen
Eastwood-Riaño
painter
Stephanie
Robison
sculptor
Emily Rose
Soreghan
writer
2024
Harrison
Candelaria Fletcher
writer
Hollis
Hammonds
visual arts
Erika
Ji
music composition
Jerome
Kitzke
contemporary
Gustavo
Lopez
music composition
Morris
McLennan
playwright
Gregory
Mertl
contemporary
Blaine
O'Donnell
visual arts
2023
Lauren
Davies
photographer
Ricky
Zoker
music composition
2022
Lydia
Bain
music composition
Theo
Chandler
contemporary
Petros
Chrisostomou
photographer
Jaynie
Crimmins
visual arts
Alison
Pebworth
visual arts
Gonzalo
Rodríguez Gómez
painter
2021
Allie ('Blue')
Armstrong
songwriter
Danila
Cervantes
filmmaker
Cristina
De Gennaro
visual arts
Eric
Guinivan
contemporary
Christine
Hamilton-Schmidt
playwright
John
Hollenbeck
contemporary
Hyeseung
Marriage-Song
painter
2020
Laura
Bennett
photographer
Andrea
Clearfield
classical
Charles
Gershman
playwright
Gregory
Mertl
contemporary
Stephanie
Nilles
songwriter
Glenn Aparicio
Parry
writer
2019
Nell Shaw
Cohen
classical
Jean
Fineberg
contemporary
Gregory
Mertl
contemporary
Tanya Husain
Palit
songwriter
Susan
Zimmerman
visual arts
2018
Lora-Faye
Åshuvud
contemporary
Leah
Grams Johnson
songwriter
Lordscience
Jones
painter
Linda
Lightsey Rice
writer
Matan
Rubinstein
music composition
John Richard
Saylor
writer
2017
Allie ('Blue')
Armstrong
songwriter
Nell Shaw
Cohen
classical
Arnito
Fillion
music composition
Terri
McNaughton
photographer
Karen
Miranda-Rivadeneira
visual arts
Solange
Roberdeau
photographer
Meredith
Wilder
songwriter
2016
Lane
Abernathy
contemporary
Jeff
Brown
music composition
Andrea
Clearfield
classical
Nell Shaw
Cohen
classical
Kathleen
Edwards
visual arts
Benjamin
Marshall
playwright
2015
William
Malpede
filmscoring
Marty
Regan
music composition
Solange
Roberdeau
photographer
2014
Ahimsa Timoteo
Bodhrán
poet
Jeff
Brown
music composition
Barbara
Lindsay
playwright
Leon
Littlebird
music composition
Jacqueline
Norheim
visual arts
Carter
Pann
music composition
Miranda
Putman
visual arts
(Laurie) Franciszka
Voeltz
poet
2013
Sangeeta Laura
Biagi
music composition
Andrea
Clearfield
classical
India
Court MacWeeney
writer
Richard Pierce
Milner
music composition
Shirley
Tipping
visual arts
Ophra
Yerushalmi
filmmaker
2012
David
Alexander
visual arts
Michelle
Alonso
music composition
Daniel
Brewbaker
music composition
Elizabeth
Burger
visual arts
Cristina
De Gennaro
visual arts
C. Robert
Jones
playwright
Linda
Lightsey Rice
writer
Lauren
Mantecon
visual arts
Karen
Miranda-Rivadeneira
visual arts
Elizabeth
Nonemaker
music composition
Howard
Sherman
visual arts
Katherine
Sullivan
visual arts
Bruce
Trinkley
music composition
2011
Michael
Brodeur
visual arts
James Benedict
Bulman-May
poet
Ryan
Ferreira
music composition
Sara
Graef
music composition
Donna
Martin
music composition
Gabrielle
Mayer
visual arts
Barbara
Mehlman
visual arts
Gregory
Mertl
contemporary
Scott
Rosenberg
music composition
Sara
Softich
music composition
2010
Lera
Auerbach
music composition
Cristina
De Gennaro
visual arts
Christine
Hiebert
visual arts
Melissa
McCutcheon
visual arts
Elizabeth
Orndorff
playwright
Gabriella
Soraci
visual arts
Bill
Wolter
music composition
2009
Susan
Gladstone
visual arts
Debra
Kaye
music composition
Rebecca
Layton
visual arts
Gretchen Jane
Mentzer
visual arts
Jessica
Pallingston
writer
Glenn Aparicio
Parry
writer
Paul
Rudy
music composition
Loren
Stillman
music composition
Joelle
Wallach
music composition
Stephen
Wilcox
music composition
2008
Debra
Kaye
music composition
Linda
Lightsey Rice
writer
Gloria
Ruenitz
photographer
Greg
Sinibaldi
contemporary
Marq
Sutherland
photographer
Shirley
Tipping
visual arts
Christos
Tsitaros
classical
2007
Daniel
Brewbaker
music composition
Marie-Hélène
Cauvin
painter
Andrea
Clearfield
classical
Maxwell
Goodman
photographer
Paul
Rudy
music composition
Penelope
Scambly Schott
poet
2006
Suzanne
Benton
visual arts
James Benedict
Bulman-May
poet
Kathleen
Edwards
visual arts
Sonja
Hinrichsen
visual arts
Linda
Lightsey Rice
writer
Catherine
Young Bates
painter
2005
Christine
Hodak
playwright
John
Hollenbeck
contemporary
Suzanne
Kanatsiz
photographer
Penelope
Scambly Schott
poet
Catherine
Young Bates
painter
2004
Daniel
Brewbaker
music composition
Brigitte
Kornetzky
filmmaker
Elizabeth
Motlow
photographer
Carolyn
Steinberg
classical
Bruce
Trinkley
music composition
Mary Ann
Wentworth
painter
2003
Sharon
Allocotti
visual arts
Xaverio Javier
Munoz Bullejos
painter
Bruce
Trinkley
music composition
2002
Caryn
Friedlander
photographer
Eileen
Kalinowski
songwriter
Linda
Lightsey Rice
writer
Brian
Silberman
playwright
2001
George Scott
MacLeod
painter
James
Nicholson
playwright
Jack
Pressly III
classical
Glen
Rogers Perrotto
painter
Christos
Tsitaros
classical
2000
Susan
Balboni
photographer
Sandra
Dal Poggetto
painter
Ivan
Knight
music composition
Jacek
Maczynski
photographer
Andrew
Rindfleisch
classical
1999
Gerry
Gomez-Pearlberg
poet
Madeline
States
contemporary
Mary Ann
Wentworth
painter
Judith
Zivanovic
playwright
1998
Colleen Morton
Busch
writer
Shirley
Gish-Reich
playwright
Mary Ann
Wentworth
painter
Krzysztofa
Zwierz-Ciok
painter
1997
Henspetter
Christy
painter
Shirley
Gish-Reich
playwright
Linda
Lightsey Rice
writer
Susan
Metzger
photographer
Nannette
Montgomery
playwright
Cheryl
Nyland-Strayed
writer
Mary Ann
Wentworth
painter
Krzysztofa
Zwierz-Ciok
painter
1996
George Scott
MacLeod
painter
Joanna
Priestley
filmmaker
Evelyn
Ruesseler
photographer
Laurinda
Stockwell
photographer
1995
Shirley
Gish-Reich
playwright
Linda
Lightsey Rice
writer
Judith
Sainte-Croix
classical
Bruce
Trinkley
music composition
1994
Barbara
During-Harris
writer
Bruce
Trinkley
music composition
1993
Theresa
Connelly
filmmaker
William
Copper
contemporary
Barbara
During-Harris
writer
Shirley
Gish-Reich
playwright
Bruce
Trinkley
music composition
1992
Richard
Danielpour
classical
Shirley
Gish-Reich
playwright
Melanie
Kaye-Kantrowitz
poet
Jeanne
Ladewig-Goodman
painter
Wendy
MacLaughlin
playwright
1991
Chris
DeBlasio
contemporary
Melanie
Kaye-Kantrowitz
poet
Mary
Maughelli
visual arts
Judith
Zivanovic
playwright
1990
Ruffin
Cooper
photographer
Jean-Marc
Felzenszwalbe
painter
Kathleen
Ferguson
sculptor
Linda
Whitaker
visual arts
1989
Ruffin
Cooper
photographer
Kathleen
Ferguson
sculptor
Shirley
Gish-Reich
playwright
1988
Wendy
MacLaughlin
playwright
1987
Wilhelmine
Bennett
classical
Chris
DeBlasio
contemporary
Jean-Marc
Felzenszwalbe
painter
Melanie
Kaye-Kantrowitz
poet
Wendy
MacLaughlin
playwright
1986
Nadine
DeLawernce-Maine
visual arts
Mary
Maughelli
visual arts
1985
Kathleen
Ferguson
sculptor
Shirley
Gish-Reich
playwright
Gregory
Rohall
photographer
Sheila
Silver
music composition
Liza
Von Rosenstiel
painter
Linda
Whitaker
visual arts
Judith
Zivanovic
playwright
1984
Antoine Ó Flatharta
Flaherty
playwright
Robert
Savage
contemporary
Hester
Simpson
visual arts
1983
Katherine
Jones Rao
playwright
Mary
Maughelli
visual arts
Hester
Simpson
visual arts
1982
Conrad
Cummings
contemporary
David
Featherstone
photographer
Erica
Rutherford
visual arts
Hester
Simpson
visual arts
1981
Erica
Rutherford
visual arts
Katherine
Sturtvant
writer
1980
1979
John
Bailey III
playwright
Marshall
Bialosky
classical
Robert B
Miller
photographer
Hester
Simpson
visual arts
Claire
Trotter
photographer
1978
Robert B
Miller
photographer
Claire
Trotter
photographer
1977
Juhani
Komulainen
music composition
Mary
Maughelli
visual arts
Dolores
Pacileo
photographer
1976
Charlotte
Hastings
painter
Mary
Maughelli
visual arts
1975
Dolores
Pacileo
photographer
1974
Judith
Azrael/Greenberg
poet
Dolores
Pacileo
photographer
1973
Judith
Azrael/Greenberg
poet
Mildred
Tolbert
photographer
1972
Mildred
Tolbert
photographer
1971
Constance
Pearlstein
writer
1970
Ralph
Christiansen
painter
1969
Bernard
López
photographer
1968
Ralph
Christiansen
painter
Allen
Davis III
playwright
Bernard
López
photographer
1967
Allen
Davis III
playwright
1966
1965
Gudbrandur
Gislason
writer
1964
1963
1962
1961
Bartholomeus
Kool
classical
Kazik
Pazovski
photographer
Elizabeth
Walker
visual arts
Mary
Wishard
music composition
1960
Bartholomeus
Kool
classical
Elizabeth
Walker
visual arts
1959
Bartholomeus
Kool
classical
1958
Elizabeth
Budlong
classical
1957
Elizabeth
Budlong
classical
1956
1955
Kai-Sa (Percy)
Sandy
painter
1954
Helene's Earlier Years in Taos
Helene Wurlitzer's legacy as a patron of artists began decades before she established the HWF. During these years Helene held close relationships with, and was influential in the careers of many successful artists. She began buying art from Taos artists in the early 1940's, often commissioning pieces from artists known as the Taos Modernists.
Eduardo Rael
Opera Singer
Patrociño Barela
Sculptor
Ansel Adams
Photographer
About
Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist. His black-and-white images of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, books, and the internet.[1]
Adams and Fred Archer developed the Zone System as a way to determine proper exposure and adjust the contrast of the final print. The resulting clarity and depth characterized his photographs. He primarily used large-format cameras because the large film used with these cameras (primarily 5×4 and 8×10) contributed to the clarity of his prints.
Adams initiated the photography group known as Group f/64, along with fellow photographers Willard Van Dyke and Edward Weston.
Testimonial
Andrew Dasburg
Painter
About
Andrew Dasburg (1887, Paris France – 1979, Taos, New Mexico)
“It was, I think the immensity, the openness of everything that touched me very deeply.” – A. Dasburg [on why he loved Taos]
Andrew Dasburg spent his young childhood in Germany and came to the United States with his widowed mother at the age of five. He suffered from tuberculosis, and attended a school for students with disabilities where he was first exposed to arts and crafts. He went on to study art at the Art Students League in New York and at the New York School of Art. Dasburgvisited Paris where he became part of the modernist circle of artists in that city, and was deeply influenced by Cézanne and Cubism. In 1913, Dasburg showed his work at the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” better known as the Armory Show in New York City. Later, Dasburg’s work was shown at Alfred Stieglitz’s 291 gallery.
By invitation from Mabel Dodge Luhan, Dasburg first came to Taos in 1918, and permanently settled here in 1930. As a teacher, he was held in high esteem by other Taos artists. In 1937, he became ill with Addison’s disease. Helene Wurlitzer was instrumental in paying for his medical expenses so that he could receive treatment. It was after regaining his health from this illness, that Dasburg switched from paints to pastels.
After his death, the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe held a large retrospective exhibition of Dasburg’s work which traveled to four other states. Dasburg’s works have been collected by the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Mexico Museum of Artand the Denver Art Museum, among others.
Testimonial
Eduardo Rael
Opera Singer
About
Eduardo Rael (1915, Talpa, New Mexico - 2005, Taos, New Mexico)
Eduardo Rael led a full life as an opera and concert singer, national guardsman, a state legislator, a sculptor and a voice/piano teacher. He grew up in Talpa and went to school in Ranchos de Taos and Taos (New Mexico).
In his high school years he enrolled and finished at the Herrick Dramatic School in Denver, CO where he took acting classes. He then went to New York City and studied at the Julliard School of Music. Later he obtained a full scholarship to complete his music degree at the Cincinnati College of Music. As he embarked on his career as a professional opera singer, he sang in German, Italian, French, Spanish and English, and was categorized a high or lyric baritone. He sang with the Manhattan and Boston Grand Opera Companies, was the star baritone of the Charles Wagner Opera Company performing across the globe from the United States to Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, and countries in South America.
After leaving the opera world Eduardo spent several years on the concert circuit. After more than 20 years of singing, performing and touring he settled back in Taos in the 1960's. He served in the New Mexico State Legislature and helped establish the Rio Grande State Park of the Wild Streams which stretches from Velarde to the Colorado state line. He also began sculpting in wood and stone and had his pieces exhibited in museums throughout New Mexico including the New Mexico Museum of National History & Science, the Rio Grande Nature Center and the Millicent Rogers Museum. During his time in Cincinnati he met Helene Wurlitzer and later accompanied her to Taos where she built a home, and helped her establish the Wurlitzer Foundation which to this day continues to support those who endeavor in all aspects of the creative arts.
Testimonial
Patrociño Barela
Sculptor
About
Patrociño Barela, also known as Patrocinio Barela or Patrocino Barela (1900–1964), was a self-taught wood carver. Because of the religious nature of his subjects he was called a santero, but he did secular work too. His work was shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York with other artists of the Federal Art Project and he was feted as "a discovery." He was the first Mexican American artist to receive national recognition.
He found his calling as a carver of sacred objects in 1931. He repaired a figure of St Antonio and he later recounted that he knew that someone was going to make 20 dollars from his work and he was promised five. Although the five dollars never appeared, Barela realized that his work had value and he continued to make figures. He was taken on by the Works Progress Administration working with a horse and cart. His carvings were spotted and he was set to do those instead, eventually as part of the Public Works of Art Project. Because he was illiterate he was given a sheet filled with squares to which he would add a cross every day to record his work. This was in 1935 and eventually his work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art but he had no ambition to see the eight objects chosen as part of a Federal Arts Project exhibition there. He was lauded by the museum as "the most dramatic discovery" and he was called "discovery of the year" by Time magazine. Two other exhibitions of his work in 1939 further established Barela nationally, the San Francisco Golden Gate Exposition and the American Art Today show at the New York World's Fair.
He was discovered and was regarded almost immediately as a leading artist with his fluid sculptures carved from juniper wood. Barela's carvings found willing buyers but Barela was not a willing seller. He spent a great deal of time drinking and he would sell his work in small deals. He was driven to carve and he chose subjects from the Bible or imaginary subjects which usually had a spiritual nature.
Testimonial
Isaac Udell
Painter
About
Source: Impact, Volume 8, Number 24 • Albuquerque Journal Magazine - Tuesday, April 2, 1985 - By Tricia Hurst
For 45 years, Isaac Lawrence Udell was a small town physician with a big heart and a nearly hidden talent.
After a childhood in Michigan, Colorado, and Raton, N.M., where his parents ran a bakery, Udell arrived in Taos in 1924. He was 20 years old and a chiropractor by education. Because Northern New Mexico needed physicians and because Udell had briefly attended medical school in Colorado, the state permitted him to practice medicine.
And practice he did. People came from three surrounding states to see kindly and gentle Cod Udell. Often his patients checked into local motels and simply waited their turn.
Udell’s story, which has been told before, is a classic one: Patients paid him whatever they could (eggs, chickens, and even a horse once), and whenever they could (sometimes never).
Yet there is another, special side to Udell’s story that has seldom been told. A big, white-haired, teddy bear of a man, Udell possessed an avocation that nearly equaled in passion his need to care for people: Painting the stages of the Penitente ritual. ...
READ MORE
Testimonial
Emil Bisttram
Painter
About
Emil Bisttram (1895–1976) was an American artist who lived in New York and Taos, New Mexico, and was known for his modernist work. Emil Bisttram was born in Hungary, near the Romanian border, in 1895. When he was 11 years old, he immigrated with his family to New York City, where they settled in the Lower East Side.[1] He was a talented artist, and after a few years began his schooling at the National Academy of Art and Design, then Cooper Union, Parsons, and The Art Student's League. He began teaching soon after completing school, first at the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts, and then at the Master Institute of the Roerich Museum.
Bisttram first visited Taos in the summer of 1930. He later fell in love with the scenery and moved there. In 1931 he won a Guggenheim Fellowship to study mural painting. The fellowship enabled Bisttram to travel to Mexico where he studied mural painting with the world famous muralist Diego Rivera. Numerous mural commissions were to follow throughout his career (the Department of Justice in Washington D.C., The Taos County Courthouse, New Mexico, and the Federal Courthouse in Roswell, New Mexico.) After returning to Taos in 1932, Bistrram started the Heptagon Gallery and the Taos School of Art.[2] In 1938, Bisttram founded the Transcendental Painting Group with Raymond Jonson and several other Santa Fe artists.
In 1952, Bisttram co-founded the Taos Art Association, and later in 1959 won the Grand Prize for painting at the New Mexico State Fair.
In 1970, Emil Bisttram served as a judge and monitor for a statewide arts grant competition for art to be placed in the newly constructed County Courthouse building, designed by architect Bill Menningbach of Taos. Ken Drew, a local sculptor, won the competition. Bisttram oversaw the project for the next two years, and in June 1972 Drew completed the installation. Then-Senator Joseph Montoya and other dignitaries from Santa Fe officiated at the dedication ceremonies. In 1975, his birthday, April 7, was declared "Emil Bisttram Day," a New Mexico state holiday.
Testimonial
Tom Benrimo
Painter
About
Thomas Benrimo (1887-1958)
Born in San Francisco in 1887, Thomas Benrimo began to draw at a young age, but the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 destroyed his early drawings and notebooks and forced the family to move to New York.
Despite suffering from tuberculosis, Benrimo recovered and became a successful stage designer and commercial artist in New York. He painted seriously whenever he could, but only a few of the Cubist paintings of this early period survive. Benrimo taught at Pratt Institute and was one of the first in this country to introduce the teaching methods developed at the German Bauhaus School of design.
Benrimo moved to Taos, New Mexico, in 1939, and was able at last to paint full-time. His work evolved through periods of Cubism and Surrealism and pure abstraction, often showing influences of antiquity, traditional painting and architecture, yet the artist believed, as he had once observed, that "abstract art departs from reality and nature only to draw far-reaching conclusions about reality. A legitimate abstract work of art can be produced only on the basis of a profound knowledge of nature." Benrimo was influenced by the landscape of New Mexico but not chained or restricted by it.
As Benrimo gradually worked from the surreal to the more abstract, he explored a series of classic images based often on Greek tragic masks. In a Canfield Gallery exhibition catalogue, the New Mexico artist Earl Stroh writes: "The greater formal discipline of classic motifs, based on themes from the literature of Greece and Rome (he read and reread the Greek and Latin poets and dramatistsVirgil, Ovid, etc.) on an acute absorption of the visual ideas of Mediterranean art, helped him to free himself from the more literal rendering of his ideas and to achieve that lyric, almost romantic, exactness that gives his finest work its contained clarity. It is mostly this particular combination of the romantic and the classic modes of feeling that gives his art its unique quality. One of the principal things that really creative art contributes to our lives is some new vision of the marriage of what are, until that moment, considered as opposites. This union of contrasts, both formal and significant, occupied him greatly."
During his life, Benrimo's work was shown at the Art Institute of Chicago, Toledo Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, San Francisco Palace of the Legion of Honor, Whitney Museum of American Art, Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris, Guggenheim Museum in New York, San Francisco Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Benrimo paintings are in the permanent collections of the Cincinnati Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum, Fort Worth Museum of Modern of Art, and the Whitney Museum of Art. In New Mexico, Benrimo's work is in the Harwood Museum, Taos; Wurlitzer Foundation, Taos; University of New Mexico Museum of Art, Albuquerque; Roswell Museum and Art Center, and the Fine Arts Museum in Santa Fe.
Source:
Canfield Gallery,
Testimonial
Dorothy Brett
Painter
About
Dorothy Eugénie Brett (10 November 1883 - 27 August 1977) was a British painter, remembered as much for her social life as for her art. Born into an aristocratic British family, she lived a sheltered early life. During her student years at the Slade School of Art, she associated with Dora Carrington, Barbara Hiles and the Bloomsbury group. Among the people she met was novelist D. H. Lawrence, and it was at his invitation that she moved to Taos, New Mexico in 1924. She remained there for the rest of her life, becoming an American citizen in 1938.
Her work can be found in the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C., in the Millicent Rogers Museum and the Harwood Museum of Art, both in Taos. Also at the New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, the Roswell Museum and Art Center, Roswell, New Mexico and in many private collections.
Testimonial
Ira Moskowitz
Painter
About
Moskowitz, Ira (Poland, 1912 - New York City, 2001)
Ira Moskowitz: Born in Poland, Ira Moskowitz came to New York at the age of sixteen. Within a year he received a scholarship to study at the Art Students' League under such well known instructors as John Sloan and Harry Wickey. Ira Moskowitz's first paintings, etchings and lithographs were exhibited in New York in the early 1930's. Throughout the 1940's Moskowitz lived in the American Southwest and became a prominent member of the Santa Fe Group of Artists. His original prints and paintings of Navajo life and customs gained for him a strong national reputation.
Ira Moskowitz returned to live in New York after 1949 and continued to produce remarkable works of art. Today his etchings, lithographs and paintings are included in many major collections in Europe, the United States and Israel. These include the Library of Congress, Washington DC, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, and the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris.
Religion and Jewish culture played a vital role in Ira Moskowitz's art. Isaac Bashevis Singer once said of Moskowitz; "Ira has recaptured the religious view of God and the world in his works." From 1967 through 1969 Moskowitz was a frequent visitor to Israel and had several solo exhibitions there at the Haifa Museum of Modern Art.
Ira's wife, Anna Barry (1907-2001), produced a number of portraits of Helene Wurlitzer in Taos in 1956, when Helene was 81 years old. (image on right)
Testimonial
[1948] In Taos, New Mexico, my work was handled by the Blue Door Gallery, run by Manny and Margaret Berg. The sold a set of fifty lithographs to an opera star who was being sponsored by Mrs. Howard Wurlitzer. Through him, Mrs. Wurlitzer saw my work and became interested, so that on our next visit to New York, we were invited by the singer to spend an evening with them. At dinner, there was an Art News on the coffee table, with reproduction of a Renoir visible, and an article about a collector who bought the Renior for a half-million dollars. Mrs. Wurlitzer said, "This collector must love art very much to pay such a high price for a painting." I replied, "Not necessarily. It is probably an investment. If he really loved art, he would buy contemorary work and encourage artists to produce."
Our conversation made an impression on Mrs. Wurlitzer. She asked me what my plans were. I said that my greatest desire was to return to New Mexico to pursue my work on the American Indians. She asked me to see her at her hotel the next day. There, she asked me what I would need to get along. I asked for a modest amount, two hundred dollars a month, and she became my patron and dear friend.
