Hammock Residency is a care based, disability informed, trauma sensitive, mentorship based online residency, doing what we can, with what we have. Launched in 2006 in a soft studio way, and hard launched Fall 2008, Hammock Residency started out hosting folks in Heidi’s home until Spring 2016. Until 2020, the Hammock lay fallow, and in 2021 resurfaced as an online residency program, based on the same ethos.

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Hammock Residency is a mad- and disability-led artist residency program committed to creating meaningful inclusion and accessibility in art by listening to artists and meeting them on their own terms.It was formed in 2008 when Heidi Nagtegaal noticed that artists that they cared deeply about were dropping out of the art world. One by one these artists were forced out of the arts, many of  whom had disabilities, were shy, queer, POC, or heavily political. Members of this community were not finding visibility, validation, or belonging. Heidi started Hammock Residency because they wanted to share resources with others and work to create a space where their community felt seen and supported, as well as offer folks a leg up as they tried to navigate the mainstream art world.

When we work with artists who belong to communities different than our own, we follow their guidance as to how they can be best supported and respected. This is an ongoing and fluid process that is anchored through mindful mentorship practices. This year, we are bringing in additional mentors as well as a “choose your own mentor” option to better serve the needs of Indigenous and POC artists whom we have recruited to join the residency program.

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In this series of online residencies, Hammock will work to hold a trauma-informed and disability-informed space – creating a supported container where artists can step back and consider the big picture of their practice. Residents will work closely with peer mentors to refine their research questions and engage with their “growth edges”. (Here we define “growth edges” as challenging aspects of their practice, where artists can identify specific questions or issues that they want to work through). To better facilitate this deep, vulnerable, and complex work, we are often working with artists who already have an established baseline of trust and connection with the Hammock Residency collective. 

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you can find a history of the collective here.