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Paul Goode Ireland Residency by Barbara Courtney Take an arts lover who happens to have a house on the West Coast of Ireland and a playwright who could use a good solid month in an inspirational place. Put them together, and you come up with a magical artist residency. That’s precisely what’s happening, with a little management on the part of Artist Trust. The arts lover is Paul Goode of Seattle. Paul first fell in love with Ireland when he made several business trips there while working at Microsoft, and then again in 1999 when he took a sabbatical and spent the summer there with his family. Thinking they were together making a long-time commitment to Ireland, Paul and his wife, Laura, purchased a house in the town of Westport. The long-time commitment, however, was an unfulfilled dream because six months after acquiring the Westport house, Laura passed away. Now, when asked about his best memories to-date of the Westport residence, Paul immediately mentions how much Laura loved it. The views from the house are also vividly etched in Paul’s mind, of Clew Bay to the west, and beyond to Croagh Patrick, a spiritual mountain where St. Patrick is said to have climbed to fast and where people from throughout Europe travel to make the trek upward. From his house, Paul can watch the flashlights of people making the nighttime pilgrimmage. Paul had felt good about donating use of his Westport house to charity auctions, but when he heard from Victoria Haven about her rich experience at a residency in Portugal, he began to think about how to allow artists’ use of his house. His photographer friend, Claire McQueen, suggested he contact Artist Trust. When Paul first approached Artist Trust he told us that he liked the idea of simply “tapping someone on the shoulder” with this opportunity without having to have artists apply to be considered. As a result, Paul worked with Artist Trust staff to devise a simple process that dovetailed into the selection of the 2004 Fellowship recipients. In each of the four categories (Dance, Design, Theatre and Visual Art), panelists were asked to select the Fellowship recipients for their respective discipline and then identify two finalists (those who had NOT been awarded Fellowships) to be added to a residency pool. Goode and a friend then came into the Artist Trust office, reviewed work sample materials of the eight finalists, and ranked them according to how the artists’ work attracted their interest AND to how they could imagine the artists benefiting from the residency experience. The playwright chosen from among the residency pool is Amy Wheeler. Since her only visit to Ireland several years ago, Amy has always wanted to return. It is a country of writers, after all, where “people talk in stories” and where Amy can dream of having the time and space to write. So, it was a special day when Amy received a phone call from Artist Trust, informing her that she had been selected to spend a month in a house on the west coast of Ireland, and the invitation came with a stipend to cover travel and living expenses. An amazing experience, in particular, because Amy didn’t recall having applied for any such opportunity. She applies to so many grants and residencies, she says, that after they are sent, she just forgets them. While Paul had originally been interested in considering artists working in all creative fields, the selection process made him realize how perfect this opportunity lent itself to writers. And getting some writing done is precisely what Amy intends to do in Westport, Ireland, next June. She may have a commission she’ll be diving into at that time, but she’s leaving her plans open at this point. She may be launching an entirely new project. Whatever it is, Wheeler says “it’s a good thing to have an angel.” “It’s tough being a working artist when most artists have day jobs. I have a lot of admiration for those that struggle for their art. What’s wrong with giving someone a leg up every now and then?” said Goode. What’s right about Paul’s generosity is that it gives a tremendous boost to playwright Amy Wheeler. If you or someone you know is interested in making their secondary home or vacation residence available to an artist via Artist Trust, please contact Fidelma McGinn at fidelma@artisttrust.org or 206/467-8734 x12. :: |