“What an amazing place to be! I felt so incredibly grateful for the time and space to work, and to be alone working in such a beautiful location. I will remember the tides and the bird calls, the pouring rain, the moon-sets, the wonderful air, the feeling of listening for and making my own rhythm.”
Lia Kohl, Musician/Performer
Vashon Island
Vashon Artist Residency acknowledges that we are on the traditional homeland of the Puyallup, Spuyalpabš or S’Puyalupubsh, a Coast Salish tribe. We are grateful for their continued stewardship of this remarkable place.
The half-acre residency property is situated on the waterfront of Quartermaster Harbor on Vashon Island in Washington State. This serene harbor is teeming with birds, fish, seaweeds, and a myriad of other marine and terrestrial life forms. There is a publicly owned and preserved lagoon a short walk down the beach from the residency where you can observe ducks, starfish and the gentle movement of the tide.
Vashon Island is roughly the length of Manhattan (13.4 miles) with a population of just over 10,000 and is located a short ferry ride from Seattle to the north and Tacoma to the south. Nestled in the heart of Puget Sound, views of water and mountains are observable from almost every corner of the island, and there are countless trails and parks to explore. Vashon has a robust and engaged arts community as well as many thriving nonprofit organizations providing community support and resources.
Though the island has a slower and friendlier pace than many of its surrounding mainland cities, there are still a wealth of local facilities available only a few miles away from the residency, including a public library, a historical museum, grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, coffee shops, a movie theater, arts centers, a post office, bookstore, tool library and hardware stores. Temperatures remain moderate year-round with a significant amount of cloud cover during the fall and winter.