Cascade Canyon Artist in Residence Program:
at O'Hanlon Center for the Arts
APPLICATION INFORMATION
DATES:
Application Deadline: April 30, 2025
2025 Residency: July 1-31
We are only accepting 1 artist this year.
LOCATION:
O’Hanlon Center for the Arts
616 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley CA 94941
The residency will conclude with a day or evening open studio event.
ABOUT:
Located in a spectacular, peaceful setting at the base of Mount Tamalpais and surrounded by redwood and oak trees, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts (OHCA) is a well-established creative haven for artists and writers, having a 50+ year history in Marin County. Just across the Golden Gate Bridge, OHCA occupies 3 acres in a quiet neighborhood in Mill Valley one mile to downtown with easy access to many of the world-renowned hiking and mountain biking trails on Mount Tam.
Our location provides artists of all disciplines to explore, create and reflect on your creative process away from the hectic demands and constraints of daily life while still being able to take advantage of the conveniences a vibrant town that hosts three other exceptional art galleries and three live performance and theater venues. Being able to work in a private, natural setting provides artists an unparalleled opportunity to step away from distractions and focus on their work. If more stimulation is desired, we are just a 20-minute drive to San Francisco and Oakland.
As the residency is intended to be a working retreat, partners/spouses, family and pets are not permitted.
Our residency supports and encourages a collaborative atmosphere among fellow Artists in residence as well as with the membership of O’Hanlon Center for the Arts. We welcome a broad range of creative endeavors. For 2025 we are focusing on the written word.
OHCA has evening gatherings, discussions, and exchanges with various Bay Area artists at the Center and online. The residency will conclude with a day or evening open studio event. This event will be open to all OHCA members and the wider Bay Area community.
Number of artists in program for 2025: ONE ARTIST
Provided:
• $500 stipend for living expenses if artist selected live outside Marin County, CA.
• Individual writing studio
• Opportunity for an informal critique by local editors/writers
• Optional reading event open to the public
• Access to upper Loft with extensive art library and kitchen
Artist’s Responsibilities:
• Personal expenses
• Place to live
• Meals
• Supplies & Materials
• Transportation
• Attendance at AIR Donor Circle dinner.
Application Requirements:
• Artist Statement 1 page or 500 words or less. Describe your work process and conceptual development.
• Resume: Max 3 pages.
• Three References with email, phone, relationship to you & years known.
• Images of 3 written works created within the last 3 years.
CONTACT the OHCA Office with questions.
The Loft building – exterior
O’Hanlon walkway and deck
Deck between Loft and Gallery
Loft upstairs – lounge seating
Art book library in Loft
O’Hanlon Gallery – Black & White show
O’Hanlon Gallery upstairs
Writers Studio
“The opportunity to work at O’Hanlon Center for the arts has been an instrumental launching point for my career. I took a leap of faith in quitting my biotech career to be an artist this summer, and my residence at the center has reinforced my confidence in this decision. As an emerging artist, I am extremely grateful to have had access to this beautiful, luminous studio in the woods. Surrounded by wildlife and immersed in the trees, this space fueled my passion to create and experiment with new, exciting media. O’Hanlon has opened the door to meet and learn from many new artists and gallerists, and it was incredible to have the support of the other artists which share the space. It has facilitated my ability to make strong new connections and I eagerly look forward to the next steps on my creative journey.”
Cascade Canyon Artist in Residence Program
at O'Hanlon Center for the Arts
Thanks to all who applied for the Summer 2024 Residency!
The Artist-in-Residence application opens early in the year for the following Summer. For updates, subscribe to our Newsletter, or follow OHCA on Facebook or Instagram.
PRIOR YEARS
Artists in Residence at O'Hanlon Center for the Arts
2024
Zoe Caron
Zoe Caron
Artist and Biologist
Zoe will work at the Center for the month of August!
She will be at the Aug 10 Member Social to meet and greet the members.
“My artwork is a celebration of all things living. Growing up in a home with my biologist parents provided the fertile ground in which to cultivate my curiosity and appreciation for the beauty, uniqueness, and diversity of life on earth. Working primarily with pen and ink, pencil, watercolor, and digital media, I illustrate highly detailed organisms. Crisp lines, natural patterns and shapes, overlaid on backdrops of intense abstractions, express the flow and energy of our natural environment. I hope that viewers of my work will experience some of the same childlike sense of wonder for nature that inspires me.”
2023
Luba Zygarewicz & Ben Allanoff
Luba Zygarewicz
“Thanks for the support and for hosting me last summer! With gratitude for the time to experiment and explore!”
– Luba Zygarewicz
Ben Allanoff
“I want to thank you and the rest of OHCA for..
– great dinner/evening/studio visit:
– inviting me here and taking great care of me;
– good humor, artistic connection, friendship.
Of course Marin is amazing – being able to connect with the place and make art here, from my temporary home at O’Hanlon, is the greatest gift. I feel like we are all doing the same thing, each in our own unique way. Very special – your (our) particular approach to creativity.“
– Ben Allanoff
2022
Allison Spreadborough & Jacqueline Mallengi
Jacqueline Mallengi
I began making Asian style paper with kozo fiber in 1987. My journey with paper and sculpture has been varied from light fixtures to stone carving to ethereal mixed media sculpture. The thread of my creative process always begins with papermaking. I’m excited about the new Chrysalis series that feels like a merging of many techniques developed over the years bringing various voices together. I refer to as contemplative sculpture.
Jacqueline is a member of IAPMA, International Association of Papermakers and Paper Artists, NM State Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and Surface Design. She is an exhibiting artist and teaches papermaking and fiber art workshops in various locations, and from her Santa Fe studio via Zoom.
Allison Spreadborough
My name is Allison Spreadborough. I’m a watercolor artist and Sacramento native. Plein air painting is my passion as is painting intuitively from a nature-inspired prompt. I mainly create landscapes to express my fascination with the ability of nature to quiet the mind and invoke a sense of wonder. I love painting scenes depicting deep space and I appreciate places unspoiled by modern influences.
I typically paint in a style which I call Dreamy Expressionism meets California Regionalism. The Dreamy Expressionism description showcases a soft wistfulness and wonder depicting my inner awareness. California Regionalism celebrates a loose and abstracted blend of East and West influences such as brush calligraphy, simplicity, bold color and symbolism. Later, in the studio, I problem-solve the painting in an overhead mirror to critique any issues. Although this watercolor technique is unpredictable, the creative process feels freeing.