The
Library
The Library is our platform to perform with the past and give a glimpse into the future. It works as an active platform in which we commission texts, organize conversations, and register ideas, expanding what’s rehearsed and questioned at the School every summer. At the same time, it is a window into Skowhegan’s legacy through a selection of media that feed from our archives including lectures, oral histories, and other textual and visual documents. The Library is polyvocal; a chorus of voices, collectively tempered, as if through a long conversation between many artists over the years.
The Editorial Content grows over time as we process our archives and produce new knowledge and ways to tell our stories.
The Lecture Archive is a discrete collection so large it requires its own index.
The sources of some of the materials in the Library are at Skowhegan NYC where we have books, photographs, videos, and ephemera related to the history of the School. While our full archives are not yet publicly accessible, we do our best to support specific research requests related to the School and artists who have attended or taught there. Such inquiries may be directed to: Lynn Perry, Archives Assistant, at: archive@skowheganart.org. Additionally, we are usually able to provide audio files and transcripts for lectures that are not yet uploaded to our website. These requests may also be sent to Lynn. You can find more information about how to access our space in NYC here.
Essay
2026
Fresco Recipe: Mariel Capanna
Essay
2026
Essay
2026
Site: Katie Sonnenborn
Essay
2026
Essay
Murmurs
2026
some poems by a past human resident, moths, and a pair of parakeets: lele dai
Essay
2026
Conversation,
Essay
Opinions
2026
Split Attention: Makayla Bailey
Conversation,
Essay
2026
Essay
Murmurs
2026
Let me hold you high: Helen Wilson
Essay
2026
The Lecture Archive is one of our most important sources of inspiration and research. It is a living archive connecting past and present through a wide array of artistic forms and practices by the many artists who were faculty at Skowhegan.
Our Lecture Archive began in 1952 and includes nearly 800 lectures mostly by visual artists, but also from poets, architects, philosophers and journalists. The lectures at Skowhegan weave our collective and expanded history by connecting the artistic imagination to a flow of ideas and political and social contexts. They reflect on the scope and depth of post-war art within the framework of our non-traditional school. The lectures also provide insight into the creative processes, as well as the challenges and aspirations of contemporary artists. This collection of lectures are an act of empathy and togetherness transmitting artist’s knowledge to following generations.
The Lecture Archive can be accessed by Skowhegan’s alums, faculty, researchers, and any art enthusiast interested in exploring our collections. Here you can find the index with all lectures and brief descriptions.
We are in the process of uploading all our lectures to the website, and you can already find many of them here. However, if you don’t find the full recording yet, please email Lynn Perry, Archives Assistant, at archive@skowheganart.org and we will provide you with access. If you have a JSTOR account, you can also access our Lecture Archive through their database.