About the Ossabaw Island Residency
Beginning in October, 2026 artists will be invited to spend focused time on Ossabaw, Georgia’s third-largest barrier island. Just south of Savannah, Georgia, and accessible only by boat, Ossabaw features 26,000 acres of undeveloped maritime forest, tidal wetlands, and Atlantic shoreline. It is protected by the State of Georgia as a heritage preserve to be used for natural, scientific, and cultural study. The Ossabaw Island Residency both advances ARTS Southeast’s commitment to deep creative inquiry by providing artists time and space on Ossabaw and continues the island’s tradition of multidisciplinary study rooted in nature, culture, and reflection first established in 1961 by Eleanor Torrey West and Clifford B. West.
The Ossabaw Island Residency is intended for artists’ ideas to emerge and take shape, free from urban distractions. It is open to emerging, mid-career, and established artists across disciplines who are encouraged to pursue self-directed work shaped by solitude, a sense of place, and the pace of natural rhythms. There are no thematic requirements or expected deliverables. This is a fully-funded residency, with housing, meals, stipend, and full logistical support provided.
The residency includes:
• Private housing on Ossabaw Island
• All meals during the residency period
• Transportation from Savannah to and from the island
• 2026 residents receive complimentary accommodations before and after the residency at The Ann Savannah
• Travel stipend
• On-island logistical support provided by ARTS Southeast and The Ossabaw Island Foundation
At this time, the Ossabaw Island Residency is invitational.
Ossabaw island residency fellowships
The Suzanne Fitzallen Jackson Foundation Fellowship
Our 2026 Suzanne Fitzallen Jackson Foundation Fellow is Atlanta-based artist Michi Meko.
The SFJF will provide ongoing support to the Ossabaw Island Residency Program, with a dedicated Suzanne Fitzallen Jackson Foundation artist in each cohort, and additional SFJF travel stipends for the artists.
“After taking several one-day trips to Ossabaw, I was finally able to visit the Island on a ten day retreat, with rotating sessions of artists. We walked jagged paths. We were guided to interior forests, aged tabby houses and waterway edges. We indulged our pleasures by painting, drawing, writing, music, photography and day dreaming together – sometimes in solitude.
Magic Ossabaw island is a raw untamed mystical memory-embedded history. It holds low country marsh secrets in the trees, in ancient moss, the birds , the donkeys, the deer, the hogs, all gloriously being everything of a natural place.
Suzanne Fitzallen Jackson Foundation is supporting other artists by sharing the awe inspiring experience in the beauty of this special Georgia island.”
– Suzanne Jackson
Betsy Cain, photo by Jacob Edenfield
The Betsy Cain Artist Fellowship
Our 2026 Betsy Cain Fellow is Savannah-based artist Blanche Nettles Powers. This fellowship is made possible with generous support from an anonymous donor.
Blanche Nettles Powers, photo by Emma Hopson
“Over the many years that I have been coming to Ossabaw, I have done small drawings sitting out in the maritime forest, on the side of the dirt roads, on causeways and by the ocean, preferably on the edge of transition zones. I was lucky enough to be a guest of Sandy West, spending hours exploring and sitting in that wild place with my dog Jasper, who was good company.
It takes a dedicated effort to shake off the incessant demands of our lives… and just sit and observe and ingest what is seen and heard. All senses are alert and alive when you position yourself in wildness. Sandy understood this power and how it changes you.”
– Betsy Cain, December 2024
Sandy and Mrs. Muldoon, 1974. Photo by Helen Hamada
The Sandy West Emerging Artist Fellowship
We are honored to announce the creation of this fellowship in honor of Eleanor “Sandy” Torrey West, sponsored by Helen Hamada. Our 2026 Sandy West Fellow is Savannah-based artist Dana Richardson.
The Ossabaw Island Residency is made possible with generous support from
Interested in supporting the Ossabaw Island Residency?
Please reach out to Executive Director Emily Earl with any questions at info@artssoutheast.org
