Macon Arts Alliance is pleased to announce that two artists were selected for the first round of the Mill Hill Visiting Social Practice Artist Residency Program. Samantha Hill and Ed Woodham will be the first Mill Hill Visiting Artists living and working in East Macon's Fort Hawkins neighborhood from July to October 2016.
 
The Mill Hill Visiting Artist Program is part of a two-year project that places artists and residents, as collaborators, at the center of a neighborhood cultural planning process. Selected artists are provided with a stipend and housing allowance to live in a renovated mill cottage within the Mill Hill: East Macon Arts Village, a once thriving "mill village" in east Macon. While in Macon, they will work with local residents, local artists, and key stakeholders to develop programming that engages residents, families, and youth living in the area. Residencies culminate in the public presentation of one or more arts-based, community building projects.
 
"Ed and Samantha were selected for the inaugural year of the visiting artist program because of their experience creating socially engaged art on a neighborhood scale in communities throughout the U.S. and the world," said Jonathan Harwell-Dye, director of creative placemaking at Macon Arts Alliance.
 
"One of my goals as an artist is to develop engaging projects with communities about regional histories and culture," explained Hill. "The Mill Hill Visiting Artist Program will allow me the opportunity to collaborate with Macon artists and residents to develop projects which reflect the cultural aspirations for the Fort Hawkins neighborhood."
 
"I'm thrilled and excited to return to my Georgia homeland for an extended stay," said Woodham. "I look forward to getting to know the residents of Fort Hawkins and the Macon arts community."
 
NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, "The arts are part of our everyday lives - no matter who you are or where you live - they have the power to transform individuals, spark economic vibrancy in communities, and transcend the boundaries across diverse sectors of society. Supporting projects like the one from Macon Arts Alliance offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day."
 
"Through the program, these new artists will help to bring a new perspective to community-building in Macon, allowing residents to play a bigger part in transforming their neighborhood and investing in its future," said Beverly Blake, program director for Macon at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which supports the Mill Hill Visiting Artist Program.

"The Community Foundation is excited to see Mill Hill come to life," said Kathryn Dennis, president of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. "The current residents and the visiting artists will increase the vibrancy as they live, work and play together."