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Current Opportunities
The Hopscotch House Quarterly Retreat Program
Individual Artists: Day and Overnight Retreat Information
Group Retreats: Artist Groups and Allied Organizations
Summer Residency Program
What to Expect at Hopscotch House
Other Important Information
Voluntary Donations

Hopscotch House Retreat Program
 
Hopscotch House retreats provide feminist artists and activists time and space to create and nurture their creative process in a natural environment that inspires and rejuvenates.  Individual artists, artist groups and allied organizations can request priority scheduling for time and space at Hopscotch House on a quarterly basis.

Requesting Retreats outside the Quarterly Scheduling Process
 
Feminist social change artists, activists and allies may request retreat time and space outside the regular Quarterly scheduling process, but these interim requests can only be approved when space is available at Hopscotch House. Interim requests are considered for the current quarter only, on a first-come first served basis and cannot be scheduled in advance of the regular Quarterly Retreat Request process.

To request a retreat outside the regular Quarterly scheduling process, please first contact Mary Yates, Residency Program Manager at mary@kfw.org or by calling 502-562-0045 (866-654-7564 toll free) to discuss your request and see if the dates you would like are available.  If the dates are available and the individual artist or group meet the criteria below, the Residency Program Manager will send the appropriate Interim Request Form and Liability Release Form, which must be completed and submitted before the retreat can be scheduled.
 
*Please note: no stipend funds are available for Interim Requests.

Hopscotch House priorities for individual artists requesting a retreat outside the regular quarterly scheduling process are:

• The artist is committed to feminism and positive social change and is a resident of Kentucky.
• The artist is requesting time and space to nurture her creative work.

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Hopscotch House Quarterly Retreat Program

Information about priority scheduling for quarterly retreats is announced on this web page and in KFW’s weekly e-newsletter, The Hot Flash, approximately nine weeks prior to the beginning of each quarter. Notifications concerning these requests take place approximately four weeks prior to the quarterly start date.

Typical Hopscotch House Quarterly Retreat Schedule
Winter: January – March
Spring: April - mid-June
Summer: Mid July – September
Fall: October – Mid December
 
Please note: Retreats are typically not available from mid-June through mid-July when the Summer Residency Program takes place.

Hopscotch House Priorities for Scheduling Quarterly Retreats
Quarterly retreat requests for time and space at Hopscotch House are reviewed concurrently to assure fair access to all individuals and groups who share KFW’s mission. In quarterly requests of equal merit when multiple artists or groups request the same dates, scheduling priority is given first to individual artists new to Hopscotch House. Requests in keeping with Hopscotch House intended use are then prioritized in the following order: individual artists, artist groups, and allied organizations.

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What to expect at Hopscotch House

Hopscotch House is a unique space where feminists and social change artists and organizational allies come to work in a supportive community that nurtures and inspires. The community experience at Hopscotch House can provide a basis of support for people to connect with others who share a dedication to art, feminism, the environment, and social justice.

The space at Hopscotch House provides opportunities for people who participate in retreats and residencies to create their own experience in the context of a community of people. Each individual contributes to a changing social landscape ripe with various types of creative expression and communication styles. Since each person has different needs for social and creative interaction, artists and activists participating in a retreat together are free to develop their own individual and group activities, balancing individual preferences and respect for others. Artists are free to organize meals, readings, walks, open studios and other group activities depending on the desires of those present. Participation in these activities is completely voluntary and shaped by those participating.

People who participate in retreats and residencies have walking rights to the Wolf Pen Mill Farm, which owns the meadows and woods that surround Hopscotch House. Participants may feel free to explore on their own, or can arrange for a tour of the trails by contacting Hopscotch House staff. Walkers should be careful to avoid the private residences, which include small parcels of land that are not part of the farm.

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General Information

Individual artists, artist groups and collectives, as well as, allied groups and organizations may request retreats. Individual artists must be Kentucky residents. Groups and organizations must be comprised of a majority of Kentucky residents.

Individual Artists:
Day and Overnight Retreat Information

PLEASE NOTE: Day and Overnight Retreats are different than the Summer Residency Program, which has a different application, process, and deadline.

Day Retreats – Kentucky women who are feminist social change artists and wish to use Hopscotch House or studio space during the day, but do not require overnight accommodations, may request individual day retreats.

Examples of Day Retreats

• A local feminist writer, who is also the mother of two young children, comes to Hopscotch House one morning a week when she has childcare to work on creative non-fiction pieces.
• A local playwright frequently uses a studio on the Hopscotch House grounds to work away from the daily distractions of her home. Over the past five years, she has written two full-length plays, which have both been produced.

Overnight Retreats – Kentucky women who are feminist social change artists may request stays for up to two weeks. The purpose of the retreat is to provide a creative environment and uninterrupted time to focus on initiating, developing, or completing a project. Up to five individual artists may participate in a retreat at a time.

Examples of Overnight Retreats

• A feminist poet has a five-day retreat at Hopscotch House to develop new work about how HIV/AIDS affects women beyond the government-identified stereotypes.
• A visual artist comes to Hopscotch House to prepare a portfolio of botanical engravings and drawings of Pine Mountain, KY flora to complete work on her grant from the American Society.

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Groups: Artist Groups and Allied Organizations

Day and Overnight Retreat Information

Day Retreats – Artist groups and allied organizations that identify themselves as artists, feminists and/or social change activists, may request a day retreat for meetings or other approved activities. Hopscotch House will accommodate groups of 30-40 people for day retreats .

Examples of Day Retreats
Artist Groups:

• A professor of art from a local university brings her art students out to study and experience the Hopscotch House labyrinth to prepare for a community art project they are working on.
• A group of plein air painters spends the day at Hopscotch House creating the natural environment and connecting with nature.

Allied Organizations:

• A teacher who works with abused and at-risk teens brings her students to Hopscotch House to make art, write and to experience the natural environment in an effort to give the girls an opportunity they don’t have and to create a sense of safety and a feeling of being at home.
• Members of a social service organization that serves women, children and families affected by domestic violence, rape/sexual assault and economic hardship hold their staff retreats at Hopscotch House to refresh and focus on improving their social service work.

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Overnight Retreats – Groups and organizations that identify themselves as artists, feminists and/or social change activists may request a short-term stay of 2-3 nights. Hopscotch House will accommodate 6-8 people comfortably for overnight stays.

Examples of Overnight Retreats

Artists Groups:

• An artist collective will use a weekend at Hopscotch House to prepare for one in a series of the me-based, multi-media art events that are set in unique venues throughout Louisville.
• A group of feminist artists and writers based in Berea convene to share work, critique and to have focused time for their varied artistic projects.

Allied Organizations:

• An organization that works with refugee families brings a group of teen girls to Hopscotch House for a weekend to give them the opportunity to experience nature and in a space that is different from their day-to-day urban environment.
• A group gathers to develop goals for their emerging organization and focus on improving the lives of women and girls through the healing and therapeutic benefits of movement in a social services setting.

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Summer Residency Program

The Hopscotch House Summer Residency Program is a special one or two-week opportunity for up to 10 feminist social change artists, which takes place every year, typically in late June and early July.

The 2010 Summer Residents have already been selected. Applications for the 2011 Summer Residency Program will be available Spring 2011.

The Hopscotch House Summer Residency Program provides feminist social change artists the opportunity to participate in a one or two-week residency including a need-based stipend of up to $400 per week. This program provides Kentucky women artists with opportunities to advance their artistic development in a supportive creative community. The program welcomes artists at all stages of development, and does not require a work sample, encouraging a balance of emerging, mid-career, and seasoned artists to enrich the Hopscotch House community experience. During the residency, artists have the freedom to experiment with new forms, create new work or conceptualize future work. Applicants must be able to commit to completing a residency of at least one week.

PLEASE NOTE: Day and Overnight Retreats taking place during the regular Summer Quarter are different than the Summer Residency Program, which has a different application, process, and deadline.

Summer Residency Program Archive

2010 Summer Artists-in-Residence
2009 Summer Artists-in-Residence
2008 Summer Artists-in-Residence
2007 Summer Artists-in-Residence
2006 Summer Artists-in-Residence
2005 Summer Artists-in-Residence

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Other Important Information

Facilities and Amenities
Introduction and Brief History of Hopscotch House
Why Hopscotch House is so Special
Voluntary Donations
Articles about Hopscotch House


Facilities and Amenities

The house has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a large living room/dining area, a sunroom and a deck. Hopscotch House is home to a varied art collection by Kentucky women artists and a library with over 1500 titles, including a stellar collection of literary works by Kentucky authors.

The large kitchen is fully furnished and well equipped. Meals are not provided, but residents can prepare their own meals. Room and studio requests can be submitted, but Hopscotch House staff cannot guarantee any specific space unless an artist demonstrates a physical or artistic need for special accommodations that may be required during their visit.

Hopscotch House currently has three studios for artists, one in the house and two contained in an out building. Hopscotch House does not have darkrooms or ceramics facilities, but staff is willing to work with residents interested in bringing their own tools and supplies. None of the studios have running water. Studio space for artists is available upon request and assigned based on artistic need.

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Labyrinth on the grounds of Hopscotch House. Photo by Trish Lindsey Jaggers

Introduction and Brief History

Hopscotch House is a program of the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Hopscotch House is first and foremost an artist retreat center for feminist social change artists. It is also used by a variety of groups and organizations that are focused on the arts and positive social change, who are working to better the lives of women and girls in Kentucky.

Hopscotch House was purchased by the Kentucky Foundation for Women in 1987 and was first used by a group of women writers known as the Wolf Pen Writer’s Colony. In the early 1990’s Hopscotch House became available to other women artists and women’s groups. Over the years, Hopscotch House has served thousands of women including artists, activists, feminists, eco-feminists, art critique groups, drumming circles, quilting groups, social justice groups, girls’ empowerment groups, arts organizations, and social service organizations.

The property is considered a "classic" Kentucky farmstead and is located 13 miles east of downtown Louisville. A large renovated farmhouse, originally built in 1848, serves as the main residence, with converted outbuildings serving as artists’ studios. Wolf Pen Branch Mill Farm, comprised of more than 400 acres of breathtaking woodlands, rolling fields, and watersheds, surrounds the property. The farm is privately owned but permits pedestrian access to Hopscotch House guests.

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Why Hopscotch House is so Special

Hopscotch House retreats and residencies provide time and space for Kentucky women artists to create in an environment that inspires, nurtures, and rejuvenates. Stays there encourage self-exploration and personal growth through the land and house resources and the company of other women. It allows women to be artists and activists first, in a world where they juggle so many other roles and responsibilities. Hopscotch House offers a unique environment of natural beauty, creativity, and spirituality. Hopscotch House is also located in a natural environment that is protected from development and therefore the space is unique in providing a connection to nature as an element of the creative process. Hopscotch House is also a place to engage with a community of feminist social change artists and activists who convene in a nurturing environment. Many people find the sharing of common interests and goals in their work to be a great source of support and inspiration.

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Voluntary Donations

Hopscotch House is offered free of charge to approved groups and individuals. Donations are greatly appreciated and tax deductible. Donations make it possible for KFW to offer a limited number of stipends to women who require financial assistance in order to use Hopscotch House. Donations also allow the Kentucky Foundation for Women to continue to provide Hopscotch House services free of charge and to maintain the amenities offered.

Donation envelopes are available at Hopscotch House for gifts made upon departure. Donations can also be made by mail at any time. KFW staff and Board suggest a donation of $10 per day per person.

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Articles about Hopscotch House

"Raising Women's Voices" : Hopscotch House featured in the Alliance of Artists Communities newsletter.

"A Room of One's Own in KY" by Constance Alexander

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Contact Information

Hopscotch House
c/o Kentucky Foundation for Women
332 West Broadway, Suite 1215
Louisville, KY
(502) 562-0045
E-mail: mary@kfw.org