Loghaven’s Graduate Student Internship

Loghaven Artist Residency partners with The University of Tennessee’s School of Art to offer one graduate student a paid, live-work internship each year. The intern lives in subsidized campus housing and works at Loghaven and the Aslan Foundation. Below, this year’s Graduate Intern, Saloni Parekh, reflects on her experience at Loghaven during the 2023-2024 school year. We are happy to share that Saloni has accepted a position at Oberlin College where she will be teaching painting and drawing.

By Saloni Parekh

Over the last year, I have been the Loghaven Graduate Intern. I am a multidisciplinary visual artist. My practice spans a range of media, including painting, video, and sound. I explore the intricate aspects of the term ‘god,’ recognizing its historical, mnemonic, and emotional significance, addressing the inconsistencies contributing to societal divisions.

During my third year as an MFA student at the University of Tennessee, I landed a year-long live-work internship at Loghaven. Nestled in the woods, Loghaven provided a serene environment where I could start my mornings with meditation amidst nature. My on-campus house in the woods became a sanctuary, nurturing my creative process and enriching my thesis work throughout the year.

Reflecting on my time at Loghaven, I found it to be one of my most enriching experiences. Collaborating with a team dedicated to supporting artists and their endeavors was uplifting and gave me invaluable learning opportunities. I enjoyed various projects, from learning about the incoming artists to understanding Loghaven’s operations and applications and gaining insights into the review process.

Witnessing Sarah Swinford and Lynne Ghenov’s adept orchestration of the residency operations was profoundly inspiring. The empowerment I gained from observing these two women manage the residency was admirable and motivated me to pursue excellence in my endeavors.

Staying Connected

A composite image of 15 Loghaven Fellow's portraits at Loghaven.

We value the relationships we build with each artist during their residency. Whether they are formed when artists pop their heads into our staff office on the way to pick up lunch, at a studio visit, or around the ever-popular McDonough House espresso machine, we hope each artist feels a sense of care from our staff. When designing Loghaven’s program, one of our goals was to structure a program where the relationships we build with artists don’t end when the residency session comes to a close. We enjoy staying in contact with all our Fellows and provide multiple avenues for Fellows to engage with us.

We offer an annual spring call for Fellows, which includes opportunities to reconnect with residency cohort members, updates about Loghaven programs and facilities, and a career workshop led by an industry professional. We also regularly invite Fellows to be part of our annual application review panel. They work alongside other invited curators, artists, and arts administrators to select future Loghaven residents from our open application cycle.

Starting in 2022, we also implemented a new post-residency survey that all of our Fellows receive one year after their residency concludes. This survey asks Fellows about what the year held for them and how their Loghaven residency impacted their career in the last year. The survey also asks the residents if they would like to share any career news of the past or upcoming year.

We hope the hospitality we extend to artists can be felt upon arrival at the residency and as we continue to be in touch, championing them and their work.

Announcement of 2023 Residency Awardees

Image of a Loghaven cabin and ferns with the white and red Loghaven logo

Loghaven Artist Residency Announces thirty-three Awardees, including Jamel Brinkley, Cathy Linh Che, Nina Cooke John, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Dantiel W. Moniz, Mary Prescott, Andrew Schneider, and Jonathan VanDyke, and Many Others.

Knoxville, TN – November 14, 2023– Loghaven Artist Residency is delighted to announce its residency awardees from the summer 2023 Open Call for Applications. These artists were selected from over a thousand applications by a national panel of artists, writers, curators, performers, and other arts professionals based on the criteria of artistic excellence and creative potential. Artists will work and reside on the Loghaven campus, awarded the 2021 American Institute of Architects (AIA) highest honor for architecture.

Artists Participating in Loghaven Residencies from February 2024 – January 2025:

Performance
_Dave Cerf
_Catherine Galasso
_Alexander Gedeon
_DaEun Jung
_Adrienne Mackey
_Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez
_Jasmine Orpilla
_Karla Quintero
_Andrew Schneider

Writing
_S. Erin Batiste
_Jamel Brinkley
_Cathy Linh Che
_Jennifer Hope Choi
_Mita Mahato
_Dantiel W. Moniz
_Shruti Swamy

Architecture
_Nina Cooke John
_Tsz Yan Ng
_SILO AR+D

Music Composition
_Lisa Bielawa
_Isabel Crespo Pardo
_Rudresh Mahanthappa
_Alexander Noice
_Mary Prescott
_Dorian Wood

Visual Arts
_Amy Boone-McCreesh
_Mahwish Chishty
_Cameron Patricia Downey
_Mark Steven Greenfield
_Jennifer Wen Ma
_Gabriel Martinez
_Jonathan VanDyke

About Loghaven’s Fellows

Loghaven residency artists become Fellows after finishing their residency. Loghaven Fellows include Ann Carlson, Elgin Cleckley, Annie Gosfield, Anthony R. Green, Tsering Yangzom Lama, Aaron Landsman, NIC Kay, Angélica Negrón, Alethea Pace, Jessica Pavone, Michelle Peñaloza, Rone Shavers, and Hrag Vartanian.

To see a complete list of Loghaven Fellows, please go to the Artist page of the Loghaven website.

“I have so much gratitude for this experience and the incredible artists I got to spend time with.” – Jenny Xie

This is the best residency I have attended. I will be recommending this residency to all of my artist friends/community. I would describe this residency as a peaceful, calm, and well-organized residency. The stipend helps tremendously… Loghaven is a residency where you are taken care of, fed and nurtured. It’s a space where you can reflect and deepen your craft…” – Amir Rabiyah

“I would recommend Loghaven wholeheartedly. My time here was productive, restorative, and inspiring (the latter in terms of location and the work of and conversations with other residents).” – Nicholas Boggs

Lighting Additions Across Loghaven’s Award-Winning Campus

This March, we made one of the most significant investments in Loghaven since the residency launched in 2020. We worked with L+ARC Lighting Design to design and install additional outdoor lighting across campus along Loghaven Drive, and down the winding trail to the Visual Arts and Performing Arts Studios.

This change came directly from the feedback we received from residents in their Final Evaluation. We take responses on our evaluation seriously with the goal of ever-improving the experience for future residents. From making minor adjustments like changing the grocery delivery day to more significant additions to lighting on campus, we value the feedback.

Please enjoy the brief tour of the campus in the video below to get a sense of both the functional and atmospheric lighting additions on campus.

Loghaven’s Garden

This summer, Loghaven’s communal garden has offered a bounty for residents to enjoy. The garden has existed on the property for decades, well before our artist residency opened in 2020. Long a shared plot tended to by those renting the cabins, it is part of the history of the property and a tradition we are keeping alive.

Two women stand in a fenced garden with tomatoes, green beans, and squash plants.

Kayla and Bekki in Loghaven’s garden.

The garden is planted annually and tended by our property team and any interested residents. This year, Tiffany, Bekki, and Kayla from the team tilled the soil and selected tomatoes, peppers, basil, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, okra, onions, and cilantro for planting. Using the permaculture method of “chop and drop,” they remove and mulch weeds to use as ground cover. This method both boosts the nitrogen in the existing soil and cumulatively adds to the soil content as a whole over time.

Residents can expect to see fresh garden items at their provided weeknight dinners and are certainly welcome to use them in their own cooking too.

Loghaven Residents Tour Ijams Nature Center

Residents at Meads Quarry, Ijams Nature PreserveOn Friday afternoons during residency sessions, we offer residents optional curated off-site trips around Knoxville and the surrounding area. It’s an invitation to get off campus and learn more about our city. In the past, tours have included the Knoxville Museum of Art, the Beck Cultural Center, and the Civilian Conservation Corps-built Norris Dam. One reoccurring tour location is Ijams Nature Preserve’s Meads Quarry and Keyhole rock structure, located just ten minutes from Loghaven’s campus. Ijams is one of our favorite stops because of its unique ability to speak to both the region’s history and its future.

In the early 1900s, Knoxville was home to a thriving limestone mining industry. Known as Tennessee Pink Marble, the rock mined in the area was a type of limestone desirable for its pink hue. The stone was used across the country, including at the National Monument, the National Gallery of Art, and Grand Central Station.

Residents at the Keyhole

With the mining companies that operated in Knox County long since shuttered, a few of the quarries they left behind have been re-opened as public parks in Knoxville’s thriving Urban Wilderness. With over 50 miles of trails and 1,000 acres of natural area, the Urban Wilderness showcases the city as a vibrant hub for outdoor activities located an hour’s drive from the Great Smoky Mountains to the East and the Cumberland Mountains to the West.

Loghaven residents have greatly enjoyed hiking in the verdant reclaimed forest, taking a dip in the quarries now used for swimming and kayaking, and visiting the man-made rock formations that make this natural area so unique. Ijams and Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness are just two of the many delights Knoxville offers, that we hope leave residents with a sense of how special our area of East Tennessee is.

Residents Share Their Knowledge and Experience at the University of Tennessee School of Music

Paula Matthusen teaches a masterclass to UTK students

Loghaven Fellow Paula Matthusen

Since our first residency in 2020, artist residents have used their time at Loghaven not only to realize their next creative project but also to share their work in the community. 

One such community interaction has been with the University of Tennessee’s School of Music. Working with School of Music Director and Loghaven Host Committee Member Jeffrey Pappas and faculty members Andrew Sigler and Andrew Bliss, Loghaven has arranged for resident artists to visit School of Music classes. 

Daniel Corral teaches a masterclass at the UT School of Music

Loghaven Fellow Daniel Corral

Residents Paula Matthusen, Wang Jie, and Daniel Corral have each met with students to discuss their work and career and answer questions from students about their lives as working artists. The residents have greatly enjoyed meeting with students to discuss their work, and students have continually impressed residents with their engagement and thoughtful questions.

We look forward to more opportunities for students and the broader community to engage with our residents in the future.

Announcement of 2022 Residency Awardees

Loghaven Artist Residency Announces Thirty-One Awardees, including Elgin Cleckley, Stacey Steers, Jen Shyu, Rone Shavers, Francesca Remigi, Robert Hutchison, John Jesurun, and Many Others.

Artists Will Work and Reside on the Loghaven Campus, Awarded the 2021 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Highest Honor for Architecture. 

Knoxville, TN – November 17, 2022– Loghaven Artist Residency, a residency for emerging and established artists in the fields of visual art, dance, music, architecture, writing, theater, and interdisciplinary work, announces its residency awardees from the June 2022 Open Call for Applications.

Artists Participating in Loghaven Residencies from February 2023 – January 2024:

These artists were selected from the applications received in Loghaven’s Open Call for Applications by a national panel of artists, curators, performers, and other arts professionals based on the criteria of artistic excellence and creative potential.

Performance

_Isabella Dawis
_Rebecca Hill
_John Jesurun
_Alethea Pace
_Tidtaya Sinutoke
_Yuliya Tsukerman

Writing

_Nicholas Boggs
_Beth Ann Fennelly
_Erika Meitner
_Michelle Peñaloza
_Amir Rabiyah
_Rone Shavers
_Tsering Yangzom Lama

Architecture

_Elgin Cleckley
_Robert Hutchison
_Outpost Office
_Humbi Song
_Quynh Vantu

Music Composition

_Nava Dunkelman
_Frewuhn
_Jessica Pavone
_Francesca Remigi
_Jen Shyu
_Camilla Sims

Visual Arts

_Mandy Cano Villalobos
_Daniela Rivera
_Stacey Steers
_Natalia Villanueva Linares
_Allison Wade
_Antoine Williams

Artists from the first years of the residency had the following words to say about the experience. 

It has been so hugely uplifting and meaningful to feel cared for as a writer and to have my work supported. I always feel that it is on me to support my writing – at home, there are always so many other duties and responsibilities calling me. Here, my only duty was to write, and the entire structure supported that. Outrageous! I am very grateful. – Michelle Tea

If you want time and space and support for your practice, projects, ideas, commissions in a beautiful forested and built environment, then apply to Loghaven. It’s truly divine; the residency is generous, quiet, ample in every direction…I found the manner in which Loghaven residency is set up to be so liberating. Truly artist / human-centric. – Loghaven Fellow

Everything is in place there for an artist to do her best work. Whether it’s working through chosen projects, or thinking through new ideas, the atmosphere at Loghaven is tuned to your needs. For artists accustomed to a dedicated studio space with lots of privacy and quiet it is ideal. The history and environment surrounding your cabin and studio is rich in inspiration. This is an opportunity that few get in their lifetime. – Mary O’Brien

Loghaven artists become Fellows after finishing their residency. Current Loghaven Fellows include Ann Carlson, NIC Kay, Angélica Negrón, Paula Matthusen, Mark Steven Greenfield, Aaron Landsman, and Hrag Vartanian. To see a complete list of Loghaven Fellows, please go to the Artist page of the Loghaven website.

What Makes Loghaven Special

Loghaven Artist Residency provides artists with vital financial resources, an inspiring environment, professionally designed facilities, dedicated staff, and the time and space to create new work.

Loghaven features an AIA award-winning campus including historic, rehabilitated log cabins, a Performing Arts Studio, a Visual Arts Studio, and the 3,900-square-foot McDonough House with additional studio space and facilities for artists—all located on 90 acres of woodland, minutes from downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. 

All Loghaven residency artists receive a weekly stipend grant for art supplies and other expenses associated with completing the residency. In addition to the living stipend, residents also receive travel and freight reimbursement. These support mechanisms advance Loghaven’s commitment to removing financial barriers for artists, allowing the broadest possible participation in the residency.

Architecture: Loghaven’s Newest Supported Discipline

The McDonough House pictured at night. A patio is to the right, and the exterior is a combination of wood panel and floor to ceiling windows. The pitched metal roof is gray, and two large chimneys can be seen.

Loghaven is elated to announce the addition of architecture as our newest supported discipline. Beginning with the 2022 application cycle, we invite architects from across the country to apply for residencies in 2023 and beyond.

The interest in including this field as a supported discipline arose from the vital role architecture and design have played across Loghaven’s campus. Both Aslan Foundation Board Member and architect Jim McDonough and Sanders Pace Architecture have had a profound effect on the vision and creation of the buildings at Loghaven and the role they play to inspire resident artists. In 2021, Loghaven and Sanders Pace Architecture were honored to receive the American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Award, the profession’s highest national recognition. 

We look forward to welcoming architects to campus for supported residencies, where they will have the time and space to delve into new projects and take inspiration from the natural and built environments at Loghaven. To learn more about the design process of rehabilitating the existing cabins and constructing the new buildings on campus, see this 2021 article from Dezeen. For more details about the inclusion of architecture as a discipline, please see the Apply and FAQs pages of our website. Applicants in architecture must hold either a degree in architecture or be actively practicing in the field to apply.

The campus in its entirety is immensely enjoyable. Experiencing the seamless combination of historic preservation of the land and cabins in relation to the newly built structures leaves a lasting impression.
– Petra Bachmaier, Loghaven Fellow

Announcement of 2021 Residency Awardees

Loghaven Artist Residency Announces Awardees including Anthony Green, DaEun Jung, Luftwerk Studio, Aaron Landsman,  Michelle Tea, and Many Others.

Artists Will Work and Reside on the Loghaven Campus, Recently Awarded the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Highest Honor for Architecture. 

Knoxville, TN – November 17, 2021– Loghaven Artist Residency, a residency for emerging and established artists in the fields of visual art, dance, music, writing, theater, and interdisciplinary work, announces its first residency awardees from the inaugural Open Call for Applications.

Artists Participating in Loghaven Residencies from January 2022 – January 2023:

These artists were selected from over 900 applications received in the Open Call for Applications by a national panel of artists, curators, performers, and other arts professionals based on the chief criteria of artistic excellence and creative potential.

Performance

_Daniel Corral
_David Cote
_Robin Frohardt
_Alexander Gedeon
_Levi Gonzalez
_DaEun Jung
_Aaron David Landsman
_Stephanie Zaletel

Music Composition

_Zach Baltich
_Majel Connery
_Shayna Dunkelman
_Bobby Ge
_Anthony Green
_Dorian Wood

Visual Arts

_Petra Bachmaier
_Sean Fader
_Sean Gallero
_Alena Mehić
_Carlie Trosclair

Writing

_Chanda Feldman
_Shruti Swamy
_Michelle Tea
_Keith Wilson
_Jane Wong
_Jenny Xie

Loghaven Artist Residency launched last year with artists nominated by a prestigious national panel with input from artists, arts leaders, and the Artist Communities Alliance. 

Artists from the first year of the residency had the following words to say about the experience. 

Everything is in place there for an artist to do her best work. Whether it’s working through chosen projects, or thinking through new ideas, the atmosphere at Loghaven is tuned to your needs. For artists accustomed to a dedicated studio space with lots of privacy and quiet it is ideal. The history and environment surrounding your cabin and studio is rich in inspiration. This is an opportunity that few get in their lifetime. – Mary O’Brien

In my usual working environment I have a multitude of distractions and obligations that take me out of my creative zone with annoying regularity. The level of focus I enjoyed during this residency has given me time to strategize on methods of creating a better, more productive work environment. – Mark Steven Greenfield

You can’t access that kind of interdisciplinary conversation just anywhere. I will leave here feeling respected, nurtured, and nourished; body, soul, practice. – Lara Avery 

Loghaven artists become Fellows after finishing their residency. Current Loghaven Fellows include: 

Aldwyth _ Lara Avery _ Lyndon Barrois Jr. _ Calvin Brett
Sandra Brewster _ Ann Carlson _ Lara Downes _ Addoley Dzegede
Sebastián Escalona _ Tia-Simone Gardner _ Jonathan González
Mark Steven Greenfield _ Ida Harris _ NIC Kay _ Amy Lam
Paula Matthusen _ Daniel McCormick _ Angélica Negrón _ Mary O’Brien
Craig Shepard _ Wang Jie _ Rhonda Wheatley _ Philip White

 

What Makes Loghaven Special

Loghaven Artist Residency provides artists with vital financial resources, an inspiring environment, professionally designed facilities, dedicated staff, and the time and space to create new work.

Loghaven Artist Residency features an AIA award-winning campus including historic, rehabilitated log cabins, a Performing Arts Studio, a Visual Arts Studio, and the 3,900-square-foot McDonough House with additional studio space and facilities for artists—all located on 90 acres of woodland, minutes from downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. 

Loghaven Artist Residency offers:

  • Facilities for dancers and theater makers—there are limited residencies that offer dancers and theater makers the facilities that are essential for their work. Loghaven has a professionally designed Performing Arts Studio and a Multidisciplinary Studio to support these practitioners.  
  • Spaces for collaborative artist groups—the number of artists working collaboratively has grown significantly, and few residences are designed to accommodate this type of practice. Loghaven’s studio spaces serve the needs of collaborative teams: all are large enough for group work, and three of the artist cabins are suited for an intensive live/work experience for a collaborative team.  
  • A stipend grantLoghaven provides artists a weekly stipend grant for art supplies and other expenses associated with completing the residency. The stipend grant advances Loghaven’s commitment to removing financial barriers for artists, allowing the broadest possible participation in the residency.
  • Ongoing support for Loghaven Artist Fellows—Loghaven supports artists during and after their residencies—helping to advance recognition of their work and fostering their careers over time. As just one part of this ongoing support, Loghaven Fellows are eligible for the opportunity to return to Loghaven for future sessions, including a two-week, alumni-only residency.
  • Diverse cohorts of artists—Loghaven is dedicated to supporting diverse cohorts of artists. Artist residents include individuals with a range of backgrounds, disciplines, and ages.

Loghaven Artist Residency is fully funded by the Aslan Foundation.

 

Loghaven’s Early Advisors

Early advisors who have helped provide counsel in the development of Loghaven Artist Residency include artists, performers, writers, curators, scholars, consultants, and arts administrators with decades of experience across multiple arts disciplines and sectors. 

  • Eve BeglarianBeglarian’s chamber, choral, and orchestral music has been commissioned and performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the American Composers Orchestra, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, among many others.
  • Afa DworkinNamed one of Musical America’s Top 30 Influencers in the nation and one of Detroit Crain’s 40 Under 40, Dworkin is a musical thought leader and cross-sector strategist driving national programming that promotes diversity in classical music. 
  • Suzanne FetscherFetscher has 25 years of experience as an executive director of international residency programs. She served as Founding President and CEO of McColl Center for Art + Innovation in Charlotte, North Carolina and is now an independent cultural nonprofit consultant. 
  • Olga Garay-EnglishGaray-English is an arts consultant with projects in California, nationally, and internationally. For the past three years she was the Executive Director of the John Anson Ford Theatres and was previously the Executive Director of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA). She served as Founding Program Director for the Arts for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, one of the largest national arts funders in the United States.
  • Tempestt HazelHazel is a writer, curator, and founder of Sixty Inches From Center, a Chicago-based arts publication and archiving initiative that supports writing and artistic practices across the Midwest. She is also the Arts Program Officer at the Field Foundation of Illinois.
  • Lisa Funderburke HoffmanFunderburke Hoffman is Executive Director of the Alliance of Artists Communities. She works with residencies, foundations, and other non-profits on improving the efficacy of teams and programs. She has held leadership posts at McColl Center for Art + Innovation and the Charlotte Nature Museum, and currently serves on a variety of committees and boards for organizations including Grantmakers in the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and the Performing Arts Alliance.
  • Kiese LaymonLaymon is the Ottilie Schillig Professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Mississippi. He served as the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Nonfiction at the University of Iowa in fall 2017. Laymon is the author of the novel, Long Division; a collection of essays, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America; and Heavy: An American Memoir. 
  • Sharon M. LoudenLouden is an artist, educator, advocate for artists, editor of the Living and Sustaining a Creative Life series of books, and the Artistic Director of the Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution. Louden’s work is held in public and private collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, National Gallery of Art, and Yale University Art Gallery, among others.
  • Susan Moore—Moore is the Director of Programs for writers at Literary Arts. She directs the Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships, oversees the writing classes and Delve seminars, and is the author of That Place Where You Opened Your Hands, the winner of the Juniper Prize in poetry.
  • Ali Rosa-SalasAs Director of Programming at Abrons Arts Center/Henry Street Settlement, Ali Rosa-Salas develops the Center’s live programming, exhibitions, and residencies. As an independent curator, she has produced visual art exhibitions, performances, and public programs with the American Realness Festival, AFROPUNK, Barnard Center for Research on Women, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Danspace Project, DISCWOMAN, Knockdown Center, MoCADA, Weeksville Heritage Center, and more.
  • Mark SloanSloan has been the Director and Chief Curator of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston since 1994. In his 34-year career, he has organized hundreds of exhibitions, ranging from contemporary Japanese installation art to 19th-century Baluchi tribal weavings. 

 

Loghaven’s Architecture, Buildings, and Natural Environment

Loghaven partnered with Sanders Pace Architecture for the rehabilitation of the historic log cabins on its campus and the design of three contemporary structures: the Visual Arts Studio, the Performing Arts Studio, and the McDonough House, which serves as a central gathering place for resident artists and features additional studio space and facilities. In April of 2021, Loghaven and Sanders Pace Architecture received the national American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architecture Award. This award recognizes Loghaven’s campus in its entirety as an outstanding example of excellence in contemporary architecture, and is the highest honor that AIA bestows on new projects. Past recipients of the award include The Broad Museum (Los Angeles), St. Ann’s Warehouse (New York), and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington D.C)

The team painstakingly worked on the log cabins that gave Loghaven its name, so that they could serve as artist living spaces. The five cabins are on a private, tree-shaded road and each has its original logs, a working fireplace, a porch or balcony, and artist working spaces. Kitchens and bathrooms have been modernized with sensitivity to historic preservation, and all cabins have amenities to ensure a fostering living and working environment. Working alongside Sanders Pace Architecture were three specialty consultants: Acoustic Distinctions (New York, NY), specializing in acoustics and audiovisual design; Sighte Studio (New York, NY), focusing on lighting; and Smith Seckman Reid (Nashville, TN), consulting on sustainability and MEP. 

The 3,900-square-foot McDonough House has a Multidisciplinary Studio, a professionally designed audiovisual and acoustics system, a range of equipment for artists to use in creating new work, and a dining area for communal meals. The two free-standing, cantilevered artist studios are designed to “float” over the ground with eight-foot-tall windows looking out onto the adjacent hillside. The Performing Arts Studio features an 860-square-foot sprung floor, a professionally designed sound system, and an abundance of natural light. The Visual Arts Studio has both natural and directional light, a separate wet area, an enlarged loading door, and equipment for creating a range of different work.

The newly constructed buildings at Loghaven have been designed to enter a dialogue with both the natural environment and the historic cabins. The McDonough House has a similar visual language to the nearby cabins, elevating traditional building materials to create a restrained and harmonious contemporary addition to the campus. The placement of the McDonough House was precisely designed to ensure the root system of adjacent trees would not be disturbed, and the cantilevered artist studios allow surrounding plant life to thrive. All of the contemporary buildings have expansive views of Loghaven’s grounds.

The team has dedicated equal time and care to Loghaven’s natural environment. Over the decades the native flora on the site had been squeezed out by invasive plants that in some places became so dense that walking through parts of the grounds was nearly impossible. Loghaven partnered with a local arborist as part of a decade-long project to restore the surrounding woodlands. Through enormous efforts by the Loghaven property team, the invasive plants around the cabins have been removed, native trees and plants are thriving, and the natural springs on the site have been protected.

 

Loghaven’s History 

While archaeological excavations reveal that humans have inhabited the Loghaven area for 9,000 years, the history of the Loghaven community dates back to 1915, when Knoxville resident Martha (“Myssie”) Thompson acquired her first three acres of land along a ridge in South Knoxville. Although new industries were booming in the city, this high ridge remained isolated and wooded—the perfect spot for Thompson’s innovative idea. 

Thompson hoped to support her family by constructing rental homes. Between 1932 and 1935, during the Great Depression, she labored alongside a local carpenter to design and build log cabins on what she called “the hill.” This cluster of homes became “Log Haven”: a community for Thompson, her family, and many unconventional tenants. Early occupants included Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) workers building the nearby Norris Dam; Alfred Clauss, a TVA exhibit director and architect; radio personality Lowell Blanchard; as well as Knoxville News-Sentinel columnist Bert Vincent, known for his popular column “Strolling.” Later, Loghaven became home to professors and their families, followed by students. As one University of Tennessee student recalls from the 1960s: “Loghaven was a place everyone dreamed of living. I tried to get in and couldn’t.” In 1978 Chris Whittle, along with his partners in the 13-30 Corporation Phillip Moffitt and Edward Smith, formed a partnership called “The Loghaven Community.” From the woods of Loghaven, they built a publishing empire. 13-30 Corporation acquired Esquire magazine in 1979 and had 600 employees by 1986. Many of the early employees lived at Loghaven. One such resident referred to it as a “domicile for various bohemian-outdoorsy types.”

In 2005, a developer purchased the site with the intention of building condominiums. Loghaven residents rallied to save the community from destruction. Forming the Friends of Loghaven, they posted handmade signs reading: “Save Loghaven” and “Greedy Developers Not Welcome Here.” The grassroots movement prompted the city council to table rezoning, which stalled development but left Loghaven with an uncertain future.

In 2007, Jim and Lindsay McDonough, board members of the Aslan Foundation, visited Loghaven and learned of its potential demise. They became dedicated to saving it from destruction. Recognizing the property as an essential part of Knoxville’s cultural heritage, the Aslan Foundation purchased Loghaven in 2008. Since Loghaven’s cabins had long been a retreat for unconventional, creative people, the Aslan Foundation determined that an artist residency was the ideal use for the site.   

 

Loghaven’s Location

Loghaven is minutes from the center of Knoxville, where historic buildings frame a walkable downtown with landmark theaters and newly constructed music venues, a robust culinary scene including a James Beard Award-winning chef, as well as locally owned breweries, shops, and studios lining the streets and extending into nearby neighborhoods. In contrast to many other flourishing cities in the South, Knoxville has grown and evolved while remaining livable and affordable.

3D Tour of Loghaven

3-D scan and rendering of the interior of the McDonough House

In July, Loghaven partnered with Sanders Pace Architecture and the American Institute of Architects Tennessee to create 3D virtual tours of three buildings on campus. These tours will allow us to share spaces with artists in advance of their arrival. To tour each space, please click on the links below.

McDonough House Tour Here

The McDonough House is the central gathering place for residents on campus. This 3,700 square foot structure shares a similar visual language with the surrounding cabins while elevating traditional materials to create a beautifully restrained and contemporary structure. Artists have access to the building 24/7 and enjoy communal weeknight meals around the dining table, a living room that features a large fireplace, and views into the surrounding forest. The building also houses the director’s office, kitchen, and the Multidisciplinary Studio designed to accommodate a variety of artistic disciplines.

900 Cabin Tour Here

Interior of 900 CabinOne of five rehabilitated, Depression-era cabins, the 900 Cabin has an office off the large living room and two bedrooms. Like all of the cabins, the 900 Cabin has a fully modernized kitchen and bathroom in addition to laundry access and porch space.

Visual Arts Studio Tour Here

interior photo of the Visual Arts Studio

The 860-square-foot Visual Arts Studio is one of three dedicated studio spaces on campus. It has both natural and directional light, a scanner, a large-format printer, an iMac, a 60-inch Takach etching press, a separate wet area with an oversized sink and exhaust, and an enlarged loading door.

 

 

 

 

2021 Applications Open for Residencies at Loghaven

Cabin 910 and Loghaven Drive

We are excited to announce that Loghaven’s first open call for applications runs from June 1 through July 15, 2021. Loghaven launched its residency program in 2020 with twenty nominated artists and now invites emerging and established artists in the fields of dance, theater, visual art, writing, music composition, and interdisciplinary work to apply for residencies occurring in 2022 and 2023.

Everything is in place there for an artist to do her best work. Whether it’s working through chosen projects or thinking through new ideas, the atmosphere at Loghaven is tuned to your needs. For artists accustomed to a dedicated studio space with lots of privacy and quiet, it is ideal. The history and environment surrounding your cabin and studio is rich in inspiration.” -Loghaven Fellow

Learn more about the residency and the application process by reviewing Loghaven’s FAQs and the Applications Guidelines.