A Studio in the Woods, located on the banks of the Mississippi River within the city limits of New Orleans, is situated in a bottomland hardwood forest that was clear-cut in the late 1700s to make way for a sugar cane plantation. Fallow since the 1920’s, it is now managed by our Environmental Curator and is one of the few remaining tracts of forest in the area. Learn more about the land here.

Currently, the facility can accommodate three resident artists at a time. Living quarters are located in two separate buildings, the Main House and the Writer’s Cabin. Each artist is assigned a private bedroom, bathroom and studio space. Residents share a common living space and kitchen where they prepare their own meals. The Main House in a unique building lovingly constructed from salvaged lumber by our founders in the 1970s. It has been updated throughout the years and is now fully air-conditioned, but has its own quirks. The newest addition to our campus, the Writer’s Cabin, was constructed in 2019. WiFi is available throughout the compound but we are in a rural area and sometimes experience intermittent outages. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate anyone under 18 overnight, including children of residents.

There are multiple workspaces and staff will assess the needs of each resident to assign a studio before their arrival. There is a Yamaha keyboard as well as a number of basic tools available. Any additional equipment needed is the sole responsibility of the artist although the supply stipend may be applied to the purchase of needed materials. There is a meadow, pond, and wooded land on the campus available for temporary outdoor installations, performances, or workspace. Nearby there are also many miles of land on the Mississippi River levee and batture.

A Studio in the Woods is located in a semi-tropical environment. Early fall tends to be quite hot and humid, up to the 90’s through October. While the winters are fairly mild, temperatures can fluctuate drastically between 25 – 75 degrees every few days. Spring temperatures range from 59 – 89 degrees with humidity levels upwards of 75%.

There is no public transportation to A Studio in the Woods. It is strongly suggested that residents have access to a vehicle while in residence as we are nine miles from the nearest grocery/pharmacy. If that is not possible staff is glad to help facilitate a grocery run once a week and travel to/from the airport, but can not guarantee other transportation to and from the city. Ride-sharing services do operate in the area but are not always available.

We are committed to accessibility and have hosted both program attendees and artist residents with disabilities and have made the necessary modifications to our existing facilities to accommodate them. Please contact us at [email protected] or 504 392-4460 if you have questions about accessibility.