Comments on: The MacDowell Colony

The MacDowell Colony

matteo — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 10:44:34 -0800

"The spiritual, physical, intellectual, social or economic well-being of the general public".
Within the MacDowell Colony's rustic stone and clapboard cottages, Thornton Wilder wrote Our Town, Aaron Copland composed Appalachian Spring and Dubose and Dorothy Heyward wrote Porgy and Bess. Jonathan Franzen finished writing The Corrections and Alice Sebold worked on The Lovely Bones. For decades, the town considered the colony a tax-exempt charitable organization. Not anymore.

By: matteo

matteo — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 10:45:44 -0800

For decades, the town considered the colony a tax-exempt charitable organization. But after reviewing similar groups from the hospital to the historical society, the Board of Selectmen decided the colony no longer is eligible for the exemption. State law defines a charitable organization as one that advances "the spiritual, physical, intellectual, social or economic well-being of the general public or a substantial and indefinite segment of the general public that includes residents of the state of New Hampshire." The MacDowell Colony certainly benefits its artists-in-residence, but "that doesn't strike us as being the general public," said Bob Derosier, one of the town's lawyers.

By: matteo

matteo — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 10:47:17 -0800

Artists index, 1907-2004

By: jonmc

jonmc — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 10:48:12 -0800

And Richard Price wrote The Breaks there. (although that book contains a darkly hilarious anecdote about an artists colony, so one can't help but wonder how it worked out for him).

By: Quinbus Flestrin

Quinbus Flestrin — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 11:33:02 -0800

The benefits go to society in general, which gains from the creation of art, and of course the artists who get paid for their creations. All wonderful, but it doesn't explain why their immediate neighbors are expected to be the only ones to pay for the colony's services. The good is general, the burden is local. In effect the colony is expecting enforced contributions from its neighbors to save it from having to do more general fundraising.

By: muckster

muckster — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 13:21:54 -0800

My girl Marcy, who went to MacDowell before writing Twins, says that the artists do a lot of local work for the community. The article mentions this, too: "the colony already provides programs worth more than what the town asked for, including workshops in the schools and monthly discussions led by the artists-in-residence." In short: this sucks.

By: cleverusername

cleverusername — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 13:40:06 -0800

Both sides have good arguments, but since our country is capitalistic, you have to pay for everything. It won't stop or shut down the colony, the organization will just have to work a little harder or expect their clients to donate a little more.

By: Kirth Gerson

Kirth Gerson — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 15:21:11 -0800

Ah, tax-free New Hampster! When the only place you can get any revenue (besides an 8% meals tax and tolls from folks driving to Maine) is property taxes, this kind of thing happens.

By: es_de_bah

es_de_bah — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 20:10:45 -0800

random: matteo, you don't happen to live near lowell, do you? (good post)

By: matteo

matteo — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 06:38:07 -0800

no, unfortunately I don't, I just visited once a few years ago. and, thanks.