The mission of the EncaustiCastle Compound (The EC) Endowment is to cultivate a permanent sanctuary for artistic exploration by funding dedicated artist residencies and preserving inspiring creative spaces. Through sustainable financial stewardship and immersive, inspiring environment, we ensure that creators have the time, space, and resources to deeply engage with their craft, anchoring a vibrant, seasonal rhythm of creative production for generations to come.

This initiative is not an experiment; it is the physical evolution of a proven, highly successful international movement.

From 2010 to 2022, Director Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch founded and operated EncaustiCamp, an internationally attended, all-inclusive, week-long immersive retreat that became the global benchmark for encaustic arts education and creative community. Having authored five definitive books on the medium and taught workshops worldwide, Baldwin Seggebruch is recognized as a foundational leader in the field (often referred to as the “queen bee” of this contemporary encaustic movement), having been awarded the prestigious La Vendéenne Award of her lifetime service, in 2023.

While EncaustiCamp successfully concluded its lifecycle in 2022, the core mission remains unchanged. The EC Residency Program and studio allocation is the direct, evolved successor to that decade-long effort. It shifts the model from a temporary annual retreat to a permanent, localized physical anchor—channeling decades of global creative network directly into the cultural fabric of Lexington.

• Cultural/Multi-Arts
• Arts Education/Youth Arts
• Literary Arts
• Visual Arts
• Public Art

EncaustiCastle requests $10,000 to support and expand the EncaustiCastle Residency & Studio Incubator Program, providing fully subsidized, dedicated studio space and immersive residency placements for Lexington artists throughout calendar year 2027.

Located on our 501(c)(3) urban farm and creative sanctuary, the program directly addresses the critical shortage of affordable, specialized space for local working artists. Participating artists are granted year-long or seasonal access to dedicated studio working environments (valued at $5,000/year per studio), fully equipped process areas for multi-media and encaustic production, raw material resources, and specialized mentorship in studio management and sustainable creative practice.

Implementation takes place across our ground-level carriage house and compound studio facilities. Artists-in-residence engage in a dual-focus experience: dedicated studio development balanced with community integration. Residents contribute to open-studio educational workshops, neighborhood public tours, and quarterly community mark-making sessions.

By removing the financial barrier of facility overhead, EncaustiCastle empowers creators—particularly those working in tactile, labor-intensive, or large-scale media—to build sustainable long-term practices right here in Lexington.

The project delivers tangible cultural, spatial, and social benefits to the Lexington community. By absorbing 100% of the facility and utility costs for local resident artists, EncaustiCastle keeps creative talent in Lexington rather than losing artists to larger metropolitan hubs.

Beyond supporting individual creators, the program enriches the surrounding community by transforming an urban farm compound into a living educational sanctuary. Residents lead public workshops, host interactive demonstrations during scheduled Open House tours, and mentor emerging makers. The fusion of an urban farm setting with rigorous visual arts production offers local residents a unique, accessible space to engage with art outside conventional gallery walls, fostering genuine neighborhood connection and creative stewardship.

Promotion utilizes a hybrid digital and grassroots approach. We distribute information through our established monthly visual arts newsletter, website (pbsartist.com), targeted social media channels, and direct mailings. We partner with local arts networks, regional university arts departments, and Lexington cultural calendars to reach emerging and underrepresented artists. Public events, studio tours, and interactive workshops are promoted through LexArts event listings, local media outlets, neighborhood flyers, and collaborative cross-promotions with regional community organizations and local small businesses.

The target audience encompasses three key, interactive groups:

Visual Artists & Emerging Creators: Local Lexington artists, particularly those requiring specialized studio space, tactile material resources, or financial relief from escalating studio rental costs to advance their professional practice.

Lexington Community & Local Neighbors: Area residents, families, and students seeking accessible, non-intimidating arts experiences, hands-on creative workshops, and community-centered urban farm tours.

Practicing Artists Worldwide: Artists receiving residency in May or October for the two week period, creating and sharing their experience and creative development through local community engaging events.

EncaustiCastle is committed to equity by actively lowering systemic financial barriers to creative development. Studio space cost is often the primary obstacle for marginalized, self-taught, or low-income artists. By fully funding studio access ($5,000 value per placement), we create a pathway for diverse voices to thrive. Selection outreach prioritizes underrepresented artists across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, identities, and media disciplines. Furthermore, our facilities and public workshops are designed to be welcoming, inclusive neighborhood spaces where varied cultural perspectives are highlighted and celebrated.

EncaustiCastle maintains dynamic partnerships across local, regional, and national creative networks to maximize project support and community reach:

Local Arts & Cultural Organizations: Collaboration with regional arts networks and LexArts outlets for participant outreach, promotion, and public programming alignment.

Manufacturer & Material Partners: Collaborative support with specialized fine art suppliers (Enkaustikos, Ampersand, Golden) to provide raw pigments, mediums, and safety resources for working residents.

Community & Agricultural Networks: Integration with local urban farming and sustainability initiatives (OAKs and GreenSpace specifically), connecting environmental awareness with creative practice.

Educational & Mentorship Outlets: Partnerships with local educators and working artists who offer workshop instruction, peer critiques, and professional development guidance to incubator participants.

Goal 1: Eliminate financial barriers for local visual artists by providing 100% subsidized studio space and material access ($5,000 annual benchmark value per studio).

Goal 2: Expand community arts engagement in Lexington by hosting free/low-cost public open-studio days, hands-on educational workshops, and quarterly creative tours at EncaustiCastle.

Goal 3: Enrich the work and life of worldwide artists through the opportunity to immersively engage in not only their own work during residency at The EC, but the Lexington community and culture as a whole.

Mission Alignment: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit creative hub, these goals directly fulfill our mission to nurture artistic practice, foster community sanctuary, and integrate sustainable creative education into the local cultural landscape.

Program success will be evaluated through quantitative tracking and qualitative feedback:

Artist Development Metrics: Tracking resident studio usage hours, body of work produced, grant/exhibition milestones achieved during residency, and post-residency career trajectory through entrance and exit surveys.

Community Impact Metrics: Tracking public event attendance, workshop participant numbers, demographic reach, and participant survey feedback measuring engagement quality and educational value.

Documentation: Comprehensive photographic and video documentation of artist workflows, finished works, public open-studio tours, and community workshops. Resident work and program impact will be featured in published digital archiving and dedicated summary reports for stakeholders and LexArts reviewers.