For the past twenty eight years The Millay Colony for the Arts has provided a retreat-like setting for writers, visual artists, and composers to immerse themselves in the force and beauty of their creative process. The Colony is located about 2 hours due north of New York City on 635 acres of hilltop, fields, streams and forest that once belonged to the first woman poet to receive the Pulitzer Prize, Edna St. Vincent Millay. The Colony offers 72 month-long residencies every year. Each month, a multidisciplinary group of 6 artists enjoy complete freedom and privacy to focus on their work. Each resident has a private room and studio.
Food is provided for breakfasts, lunches, and weekend meals.
Weekday dinners are prepared by a chef. The Colony has two buildings - the Steepletop Barn that houses four residents, and the new Main Building that has two resident suites and a common kitchen, dining and living room area, music room, darkroom, and utility rooms. The Main Building features universal design elements to comfortably accommodate artists with disabilities. The Millay Colony is the repository for an extensive art library that was donated by the late sculptor Nancy Graves, and is available for residents' use in the administrative office. The Millay Colony does not charge a residency fee.