Supporting the work of thinkers and makers who envision and enact new possibilities for our world
Our residency program invites visionaries across creative practices into W.S. Merwin’s home and palm garden. Launched in December 2021, this program nurtures the work of artists, writers, scientists, and thinkers who make us think anew about our world.
Currently, there is no open call for applications. Our residents are recommended by a nominating committee.
We are grateful to William True for full and generous support of our residency program.
2024 Residents
The Merwin Conservancy will welcome composer and sound artist Leilehua Lanzilotti (b. 1983) for a two-week residency this April. Lanzilotti will be joined by the core creative team of Liliʻu, a new opera celebrating the legacy of the last Queen of Hawaiʻi.
About Leilehua Lanzilotti
Leilehua Lanzilotti (b. 1983) is a Kanaka Maoli composer / sound artist. A “leading composer-performer” (New York Times), Lanzilotti’s work is characterized by expansive explorations of timbre. Lanzilotti’s practice explores radical indigenous contemporaneity, integrating community engagement into the heart of projects. By world-building through multimedia installation works and nontraditional concert experiences/musical interventions, Lanzilotti’s works activate imagination around new paths forward in language sovereignty, water sovereignty, land stewardship, and respect. Uplifting others by crafting projects that support both local communities and economy, the work inspires hope to continue. Lanzilotti was a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Music and is a 2023 SHIFT – Transformative Change and Indigenous Arts Awardee.
Learn more about our past residents:
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