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37-550: 42°53′24″N 71°57′18″W  /  42.89000°N 71.95500°W  / 42.89000; -71.95500 MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire . The program was founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell . Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell Colony or "The Colony", but its board of directors shortened

74-866: A Worcester railway lunch car in the center of the village square, attracts many presidential hopefuls every four years. Peterborough hosts the Snow Ball in January, Children and the Arts Day in May, Thing in the Spring music festival in June, and Greenerborough, a summer festival promoting the town's sustainability. The Moses Cheney house in Peterborough served as a stop on the Underground Railroad in

111-460: A collection of marionettes and puppets. The town's outdoor amenities include hiking trails, wild flowers, cross-country skiing, kayaking, cycling and small lakes for swimming, sailing, fishing and ice-skating. It is a popular bird-watching area, one of two sites of the NH Audubon autumn migratory raptor count. The public schools are part of Contoocook Valley school district (SAU 1) which has

148-552: A nurturing landscape, by creating an institutionalized residential art colony in the area. In 1904, Edward MacDowell began to show signs of an illness that ended his composing and teaching career. He died in 1908. In 1907, Marian MacDowell deeded their farm to the Edward MacDowell Association and founded the MacDowell Colony. The first guests arrived that year: sisters Helen Farnsworth Mears ,

185-477: A prosperous mill town . In 1810, the first cotton factory was established. By 1859, when the population was 2,222, there were four more cotton factories and a woolen mill. Other industries included two paper mills , an iron foundry , a machine shop , a carriage factory, a basket -maker, a maker of trusses and supporters, a boot and shoe factory, seven sawmills , and three gristmills . The Reverend Abiel Abbot , after being charged with heresy by

222-747: A ruling that was upheld by the New Hampshire Supreme Court in a subsequent appeal. The appeal court found that "Contrary to the Town's assertions, MacDowell's articles of incorporation oblige it to use its property for its stated charitable purpose." In 1962, the site and buildings were designated a National Historic Landmark District. In 1997, MacDowell Colony was awarded the National Medal of Arts . Notable works written, in whole or in part, by their authors at MacDowell include: Peterborough, New Hampshire Peterborough

259-514: A sculptor, and Mary Mears , a writer. Mears wrote about her time on site for The Craftsman in July 1909. MacDowell began by inviting applicants personally, but by the 1920s had consigned the admission process to a committee. Marian and friends raised funds and found support from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie , former U.S. President Grover Cleveland , financier J. P. Morgan , other prominent people, as well as many others across

296-514: A studio at MacDowell in memory of her teacher Regina Watson . It was renovated in 1993 and became McDowell's first barrier-free studio that was accessible to everyone. By 1918, 31 of Isabelle Sprague Smith 's students funded the creation of the Isabelle D. Sprague Smith studio. Through the years more separate studios were built. The program continues in 32 studios scattered over 450 acres (1.8 km) of land. On March 13, 2020, MacDowell shut in

333-708: A third of Peterborough workers are home-based entrepreneurs or remote workers . Like the rest of New Hampshire and the Monadnock region , Peterborough's third largest industry is tourism . Its cultural attractions include the Monadnock Center for History and Culture, the exhibition gallery and craft gallery of the Sharon Arts Center, the Peterborough Players theatre, Peterborough Community Theater cinema, Monadnock Music concerts,

370-615: A total of 11 schools and one applied technology center. The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript is published twice-weekly. The town wants to achieve 100 percent reliance on sustainable energy, and built the largest solar facility in New Hampshire, next to its wastewater treatment plant. The town was a model for the play Our Town , written by Thornton Wilder while in residence at the MacDowell Colony. His fictional town of Grover's Corners appears to have been named for Peterborough's Grove Street. The film The Sensation of Sight

407-601: Is a town in Hillsborough County , New Hampshire , United States. The population was 6,418 at the 2020 census . The main village, with 3,090 people at the 2020 census, is a census-designated place (CDP) and lies along the Contoocook River at the junction of U.S. Route 202 and New Hampshire Route 101 . Peterborough is 38 miles (61 km) west of Manchester and 72 miles (116 km) northwest of Boston . Granted by Massachusetts in 1737, it

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444-588: Is crossed by U.S. Route 202 and Route 101 . As of the 2010 United States census , there were 6,284 people, 2,713 households, and 1,629 families residing in the town. The population density was 167.0 inhabitants per square mile (64.5/km ). There were 2,956 housing units at an average density of 78.4 per square mile (30.3/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 96.1% White , 1.8% Asian , 0.7% Black or African American , 0.2% Native American , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.4% some other race , and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of

481-769: Is part of the Merrimack River watershed. The highest point in Peterborough as well as in Hillsborough County is the summit of South Pack Monadnock (2,290 feet (698 m) above sea level ), in Miller State Park in the southeast corner of town. Peterborough is also home to Edward MacDowell Dam and Lake recreation area, where visitors can walk across the dam, hike, cross-country ski, swim, boat, picnic, play Frisbee golf, play horseshoes, and take advantage of other recreational opportunities, many of them accessible to people with disabilities. The town

518-949: The Connecticut religious establishment, came to Peterborough as minister to the Peterborough Unitarian Church in 1827. He founded the town's first prep school , the Monadnock Summer Lyceum, and the first free library in the US, all in Peterborough. Peterborough established the first tax-supported free public library in the United States, in 1833. Its success led the New Hampshire State Legislature to pass legislation in 1849 authorizing towns to raise money to establish and maintain their own libraries. The library

555-411: The 1988 awards ceremony. He said that the group of previous winners "represents the brightest constellation of American talent that could be assembled in the latter half of this century", and that "their work has been of supreme value to the world". Composer Stephen Sondheim , who won the award in 2013, was the first winner with a background in musical theater. When California artist Betye Saar won

592-481: The 1990s, when its Earth Day USA office supported the United States Air Force's annual Earth Day events around the world. The town is 38.4 square miles (99.5 km ), of which 38.0 square miles (98.5 km ) are land and 0.42 square miles (1.1 km ) (1.06%) are water. Peterborough is drained by the Contoocook River and its tributaries, Nubanusit Brook and Otter Brook. The entire town

629-823: The 2014 award, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times commented that she was "joining an elite roster of honorees." Jazz composer and musician Gunther Schuller was scheduled to receive the 2015 award on his 90th birthday. However, Schuller died June 21, 2015, before he could receive the award. The Edward MacDowell Medal has been awarded during a free, public ceremony at MacDowell grounds in Peterborough, New Hampshire , to such figures as Aaron Copland (1961), Robert Frost (1962), Georgia O'Keeffe (1972), Leonard Bernstein (1987), Stephen Sondheim (2013), and Betye Saar (2014). The MacDowell chairperson—currently MacDowell fellow and author Nell Irvin Painter —hosts

666-554: The Monadnock Summer Lyceum, MAXT Makerspace and Mariposa Children's Museum. Peterborough's First Saturday contradances are a place for singles and dance enthusiasts to enjoy live music in the spacious Peterborough Town Hall. Many artists' introduction to the town comes as fellows to the MacDowell Colony , a wooded creative retreat that provides grants to about 300 artists per year. The town celebrates First Friday monthly with presentations by MacDowell artists, gallery openings, shopping, live music, and local pubs. The Peterborough Diner,

703-764: The Peterborough Folkway. "Within a few years, it became a 'must play' on the East Coast for folk musicians"; it remained popular for two decades. Regular performers included Tom Paxton , Mary Chapin Carpenter , Shawn Colvin , and Suzanne Vega . In the 1980s, thanks to publisher Wayne Green , "Peterborough was clearly the per capita magazine production capital of the world." Over 100 magazines, mostly about computers and technology, were published there; these included Byte and MacComputing . Peterborough's leadership in environmental protection began in

740-411: The award in 1984, The New York Times sent culture reporter Samuel G. Freedman to interview McCarthy and cover the ceremony. McCarthy commented that if she knew that her nemesis, writer Lillian Hellman had won the award in 1976, she would have "probably not" accepted it. McCarthy conceded that the fact that her former husband, writer Edmund Wilson , had received the award in 1964 lent credibility to

777-471: The country. MacDowell said the most consistent support came from women's clubs and professional music sororities (see, for example, the MacDowell Club of New York). At the age of 50, MacDowell began lecturing to women's groups to raise funds, resumed her performing career, and became a noted interpreter of her husband's work. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge organized an effort in 1916 to build and name

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814-575: The estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $ 66,026, and the median income for a family was $ 89,401. Male full-time workers had a median income of $ 66,314 versus $ 34,707 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 40,385. Peterborough is a global village and entrepreneurial seedbed. Start-ups based in Peterborough include New Hampshire Ball Bearing, Microspec, Pure Flow, Peterboro Basket Company, Borrego Solar, MobileRobots Inc., Toadstool Bookstores, Froling Energy, Brookstone , SoClean and Hyndsight Vision Systems. Approximately

851-597: The face of the COVID-19 outbreak and sent artists and fellows home. It was the first time the site had shut since the 1938 New England hurricane . MacDowell reopened its doors in October of 2020. Every year, MacDowell presents the Edward MacDowell Medal to an artist who has made a significant cultural contribution. Residency at MacDowell is not a requirement. Medal Day is one of the rare occasions when

888-433: The first woman to hold the position. In 1896, pianist Marian MacDowell bought Hillcrest Farm in Peterborough, New Hampshire, as a summer residence for herself and her husband, composer Edward MacDowell . She had always been careful to give him a quiet room for his work. They found that the New Hampshire landscape enhanced his work of composing music. The couple formulated a plan to provide an interdisciplinary experience in

925-527: The honor. Composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein won the award in 1987. Bernstein observed that it was the first award he had received solely for musical composition. Bernard Holland , writing in The New York Times , noted that Bernstein had "made full use of the quiet and solitude of this venerable refuge for artists" three times previously, having been a resident there in 1962, 1970 and 1972. Award winner and writer William Styron spoke at

962-506: The imagination. Each year, MacDowell welcomes more than 300 architects, composers, filmmakers, interdisciplinary artists, theatre artists, visual artists, and writers from across the United States and around the globe Established in 1960 with the first award going to Thornton Wilder , the award is given to one artist each year, from among seven artistic disciplines, "architecture, visual art, music composition, theater, writing, filmmaking and interdisciplinary art." Composer Aaron Copland

999-609: The mid-19th century. The Peterborough Players have performed since 1933. New Hampshire's oldest continuously active state militia unit, the Lafayette Artillery Company , was founded in Peterborough in 1804. It is now based in nearby Lyndeborough . Since the early 20th century, Peterborough has been home to the Amoskeag Veterans, founded in Manchester in 1855. The Mariposa Museum houses

1036-468: The name to remove "terminology with oppressive overtones". After Edward MacDowell died in 1908, Marian MacDowell established the artists' residency program through a nonprofit association in honor of her husband, raising funds to transform her farm into a quiet retreat for creative artists to work. She led the organization for almost 25 years. Over the years, an estimated 9,000 artists have been supported in residence with nearly 16,000 fellowships, including

1073-455: The organization for a "payment in lieu of taxes". A lawyer for the town argued that "the Colony certainly benefits its artists-in-residence, but that doesn't strike us as being the general public." The then-Board of Directors paid the bill, then successfully challenged the charge. A 2007 Superior Court opinion found that the MacDowell Colony, by promoting the arts, was a charitable institution,

1110-408: The population. There were 2,713 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were headed by married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. Of all households 33.6% were made up of individuals, and 15.2% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

1147-427: The site is open to the public. The ceremony includes a keynote speech, after which the artists open their studios to visitors. MacDowell, a non-profit organization , enjoys the status of a charity , entitling it to exemption from local property taxes , among other things. However, in 2005, the town of Peterborough's selectmen (local-government executives) decided to challenge MacDowell's charitable status and billed

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1184-446: The winners of at least 102 Pulitzer Prizes , 33 National Book Awards , 31 Tony Awards , 34 MacArthur Fellowships , 18 Grammys , 9 Oscars , 969 Guggenheim Fellowships , and 122 Rome Prizes . The artists' residency program has accepted visual and interdisciplinary artists, architects, filmmakers, composers, playwrights, poets, and writers, both well-known and unknown. Since January 2020, Nell Painter has served as chair of MacDowell,

1221-401: Was 2.24, and the average family size was 2.85. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males. For the period 2009–2013,

1258-513: Was first permanently settled in 1749. The town suffered several attacks during the French and Indian War . Nevertheless, by 1759, there were fifty families settled. Incorporated on January 17, 1760, by Governor Benning Wentworth , it was named after Lieutenant Peter Prescott (1709–1784) of Concord, Massachusetts , a prominent land speculator. The Contoocook River and Nubanusit Brook offered numerous sites for watermills , and Peterborough became

1295-453: Was in the town's general store and post office, and the postmaster served as librarian. The library moved to the town hall in 1873. Other early cultural institutions include Mariarden, a summer theatre, where Paul Robeson played in Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones . Bette Davis performed there in her teens. Performance blossomed again in 1976, when Widdie and Jonathon Hall founded

1332-474: Was shot entirely in Peterborough. Edward MacDowell Medal The award is named for composer Edward MacDowell , who, with pianist Marian MacDowell , his wife, founded the MacDowell artist residency (formerly known as The MacDowell Colony) in 1907. The residency exists to nurture the arts by offering creative individuals of the highest talent an inspiring environment in which to produce enduring works of

1369-515: Was the second recipient of the award in 1961. Copland had been a resident of the artist's residency eight times between 1925 and 1956, and served as MacDowell's president from 1962 to 1968. Painter Georgia O'Keeffe received the award in 1972. O'Keeffe, who was then 84 years old, decided not to attend, and asked art historian Lloyd Goodrich to accept the award on her behalf. Goodrich explained that O'Keeffe believed that her paintings were more important than her words. When writer Mary McCarthy won

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