The Julia and David White Artists' Colony

The Julia and David White Artists' Colony (The White Colony) is a gated community of rental properties located in Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica. The colony was originally founded in 1998 by Bill White, as an artist residency program, to honor the artistic legacy of his two children, Julia and David White, both of whom died young under tragic circumstances.

Following the founder's death in 2005 and a change of directorship in 2007 the residency program was discontinued to initiate a strictly commercial enterprise, as evidenced by a number of significant changes which are easily verified on the company's web site: 1) The original nonprofit, Artistas Siempre, a U.S. 501(c)(3) was disbanded. 2) The standard practice within the artist residency industry of jurying an applicant's work through a committee selection process was stopped. 3) All mention of any kind of organizational structure (such as a board of directors) was removed from the web site which now makes mention only of a sole proprietor 4) The company web site no longer demonstrates any affiliation with recognized art organizations such as The Alliance of Artists. Though the company's web site still caters to artists, renting work and living space on a private 17-acre property, the length of stay is determined only by a person's ability to pay. As all living spaces on the property, varying from studio apartments to larger homes, are rented out year-round to artists and non-artists alike, an artist who goes to the colony expecting to be surrounded by other professional artists is advised to investigate thoroughly beforehand to be sure this will actually be the case when they arrive. Recent complaints have included power outages, water line problems and poor internet connection, as well as constant swimming pool maintenance issues and failure to pay local laborers.

Bill White and the Founding of the Colony

Dr. William L. White (1927-2005), an American pacifist, moved to Costa Rica because of its refusal to maintain a standing army and its peace-loving culture. In 1994, when she was 29 years old, White's daughter Julia committed [...]. She was an astrophysicist, poet, and playwright. Shortly after, in 1996, White's musician-composer son David died tragically at the age of 32. White established the colony in the name of his children in order to honor their artistic spirits and to promote the arts on an international level.

Accommodations

The White Colony is a compound consisting of a variety of living spaces, ranging from studio apartments to two-bedroom, two-bath homes. Communal space consists of a small library and computer, laundry facilities, and a swimming pool.

All accommodations are granted on a first come first serve basis according to availability. Applicants are encouraged to apply via the Colony's web site. Artists are responsible for all other costs of food and transportation to and from the Colony. Past residents from the days when there was an actual residency program, include visual artists Scott Stoll and William Hemmerdinger and writers Michelle Richmond and Mark Conway.

cs:The Julia and David White Artists' Colony