Getting Involved

The artist, the student AND the institution have important roles as we attempt to co-evolve with an emergent strategy. From close contact with friends and colleagues teaching art theory and practice, we hear and understand the frustrations and limitations of conventional visual art programs; but also, there is a will and a new excitement to explore alternatives to educational conventions. We have done this throughout our own practices for years, and this is a way to formalize our methods without becoming a part of a traditional school. We invite you to participate in this experiment to rethink visual arts and trans-disciplinary education.

Mildred's Lane directors and advisory board members invite Artists to propose projects for this 95-acre site in NE Pennsylvania. These artists receive an honorarium for their involvement at Mildred's Lane. They propose a project, event, or other, and we collectively construct a course of study around and within each project. These generally range from 1 to 3 week intensives; or/and can have evolving phases for more than one season.

There are numerous ways in which to be involved in the early generation of this program:

Artists, Students, and Visitors

• Visiting Lecture Events during each Project session are co-curated by the Project Artist and Mildred's Lane. Artists coming as invited guests are involved through presentations and discussion around the project in session at that time. These invited Artists/Lecturers also receive an honorarium for their participation.
• Independent Students, Post Graduate and Independent Artists may also apply individually for non-credit. Tuition is $1500. plus $1000.room and board fee. Click here for applications and fee schedule.
• Guests may simply come to one or more of our public events, lectures and dinners. An invitation must be requested, and a confirmed RSVP is based on available space for each event. View our calendar of events for dates and details.

Institutional Involvement

• Institutions, departments, or faculty may develop a course of study around a project, or possibly invent a new project with and for Mildred's Lane, and become a sending institution.
• Adjunct Contracts may taken on by an institution (negotiable based on student enrollment), with one or more of the artists working on projects at Mildred's Lane; hand selecting students for the program, (previous syllabus info is available upon request).
• A sending institution, department or faculty may hand pick students whom they feel would benefit from this unusual environment of trans-disciplinary practitioners and, with their recommendation, encourage them to apply. Students sign up for any of the project courses for credit through the sending institutions. Room and board fees may apply and vary depending on each sending institution's arrangement with Mildred's Lane.
• A Faculty could come as an invited Project Artist of Mildred's Lane, paid by their respective institution and bring there own class of select students, or we can put together the students to work on their project via other sending institutions.
• Mildred's Lane is also an unusual environment for institutional retreats, for think tanks, symposia, etc. and may be arranged with the co-directors J. Morgan Puett and Mark Dion

These rare and valuable conditions of exchange and collaboration are designed to become shared experiences that will have transformative and lifelong effects on how we think of ourselves as artists functioning in the social sphere. This is a very exciting time and we welcome you to consider being apart of it! We have already successfully developed programs with Mary Jane Jacob, Director of Exhibitions, at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and others.

A partial listing of projects, lectures, and events

Applications and fee schedule