Self-Directed Residencies at Volland
Self-directed residencies at Volland provide an opportunity to work and stay in the Flint Hills. Self-directed residencies are not juried and are open to creative practitioners at any stage of their practice. There are no requirements, just time and space for your creative juices to flow.
Self-directed residents spend six nights - Tuesday noon through Monday at 10 am - in the Loft at the Volland Store or in the Little House. Offered at a deeply discounted rate, you may enjoy time away from your daily routine to refresh, reboot, write, make art, think – in a setting that lends itself to creativity.
$300 for six nights in the Loft, or $350 for six nights in the Little House.
Bill McKibben’s words in his introduction to Walden by Thoreau resonate with what you will find here: “What nature provides is scale and context, ways to figure out who and how big we are and what we want. It provides silence, solitude, darkness: the rarest commodities we know.”
Learn more about the Loft and Little House here
For more information or to make a reservation, please contact info@vollandfoundation.org
Photos by Mike Sinclair
Past Self-Directed Residencies
Pandemic 2020
An accidental residency. Zooming from Volland to the World.
Summer 2020
Artist Jeremiah Ariaz stopped by Volland on the way to Maine. And stayed for a residency in the time of the pandemic.
A Biennial Residency Program
A Collaboration of The Volland Foundation and the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University. The first PSI residents arrived in the fall of 2019: artist Zhang Hongtu and photojournalist Jim Richardson.
October 6, 2019
The first Prairie Studies Institute residents are arriving this fall. Artist Zhang Hongtu and photojournalist Jim Richardson will speak at the Closing Reception of the Hungry Heartland exhibition. PSI is a collaboration of The Volland Foundation and the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art.
Summer 2019
The inaugural inter-disciplinary residency at Volland features a painter and a poet. We extend a warm welcome to Zhang Hongtu and Mary Pinard.
June 3, 2017
The Volland Foundation welcomes Mary Pinard, our first poet-in-residence, May 26 - June 6, 2017. Mary has enjoyed residencies in the southern part of the Flint Hills and is looking forward to experiencing our part of the tallgrass prairie.
June 2017
Jeremiah Ariaz and Lily Brooks return to Volland as 2017 Artists-in-Residence. They look forward to seeing friends they made last summer while in the Flint Hills and are eager to make new ones.
Summer 2025
Two former Volland Residents returned to the Flint Hills. This time, as a collaborative duo.“Laney” Haake’s Diary of her Self-Directed Residency at Volland
ELAINE HAAKE FINE ART
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AN ARTIST RETREAT
An Artist Retreat
What do you do when you get the “everything’s-cancelled blues”? Well…I created my own artist retreat and I’d love to share this journey with you.
Each year, I am fortunate to be able to attend workshops and plein air events. Not only do these give me a much-needed break from day-to-day responsibilities, but they enrich my learning and skills. After learning about yet another plein air event cancellation, I was in a bit of a funk so I set about planning a ‘plein air’ artist retreat … for one!
Off to the Flint Hills
Less than two hours from home, the Kansas Flint Hills checked many of my boxes. I chose the last week of September, knowing the prairie would be transitioning from Summer to Fall and the colors would be vibrant. I also figured the weather would be mild with (hopefully) little rain.
But where to stay?
I learned about Volland, just outside Alma, KS, when I painted there with other artists during a workshop last year. What was once a general store at a train stop through the Flint Hills, is now a beautiful gallery and event space. Patty Reece, who leads the Volland Foundation, rescued this two story brick building from ruins – literally. In addition, she is creating places for artists to stay. Currently, artists can book ‘The Loft’ in the gallery or “The Little House” a bungalow just up the road from the gallery. Volland is back “on the map” and as an artist I couldn’t be more excited.
The Volland Store
The Little House at Volland
I was thrilled when I learned ‘The Little House’ was available for my selected dates, but had no idea what a treat I was in for.
You’ve heard about the homebuilding kits from the Sears Roebuck catalogue. Well this 1930’s house was ordered out of a similar catalogue from the Gordon Van Tine company. As I drove up, it looked like a simple white bungalow where families have raised their children the past 80+ years. Walking in, I was in awe of the transformation inside. It’s like an urban loft and a tiny Kansas farmhouse had a baby.
A K-State architectural class assisted in the plan and renovation of this historic house. I could see and feel the thought that went into each design decision. It was actually a blessing that I had no cell service and no TV (although I did have WIFI). I was able to relax and take in the simplicity and the slower pace of life. And best of all, I could focus on painting.
Time to Paint
I couldn’t have picked a better time to go. The weather was mild and sunny with a day of rain in the middle that ushered in the cloud formations made famous in many Flint Hills paintings.
I scouted places to paint along the roads that wind through the rolling hills and prairie. My first painting location was first spotted in my rearview mirror. It was easy to pull off the side of the road since I didn’t have to worry about traffic. As a matter of fact, some days I painted all day without a single person driving by. Here I am set up along Drovers Trail Road. One of my favorite paintings from the trip.
Along Drovers Trail Road 16 x 20 Oil
I loved painting on Volland Road a few miles East of the store. It sat high on a hill and the road was pretty much untraveled so it was all mine. The cows were not too crazy about me being up there but once they realized I wasn’t going to feed them…or bother them…they went on their merry way. Being so high on a hill, the wind was relentless and rendered my plein air umbrella useless lest I find it in the next county. So I used the hatchback on my SUV as a giant umbrella to shield me, my palette and my painting from the sun.
Along Volland Road 9 x 12 Oil
One nice thing about painting out here in the Flint Hills is that you can just turn 180 degrees and there’s another painting.
Volland Road Going East 6 x 12 Oil
A Successful Week
I began the week with one simple goal. Get away for a bit and paint. I ended the week having experienced so much more than I expected. Everyone I met was friendly, welcoming and wanted to make sure I had everything I needed. They were super supportive and curious about my art. And they are proud to call the Flint Hills home. I totally understand why. It’s strikingly beautiful and unique.
I was grateful to have this time to do something I love. I realized how much I missed painting outdoors. I have always said my best art teacher has been painting from life.
I went there with no expectations and considered my painting time as ‘practice’. Some were definitely practice – and will never see the light of day – ha! But I learned something on each painting – those that worked out and those that did not. The fact that I came home with a few small paintings I was happy with, was a bonus.
This was the perfect prescription for the ‘everything-is-cancelled’ blues. I would recommend it to everyone and encourage you to go for it. Find a spot you’ve always wanted to paint and set aside some ‘me’ time to go there. It is good for the soul!
Thank you so much for following me on this journey.
The Volland Store 8 x 10 Oil
10/8/2020 9:32:37 PM by Elaine ‘Laney’ Haake
©2017-2020 Elaine Haake Fine Art All Rights Reserved
Reprinted with permission
