I have previously completed multiple summers with two residencies when it was logistically and/or financially efficient to do so. Because international airfare represents a significant portion of the overall expense, the timelines lined up, and the locations are reasonably close, I’m pleased to share that I will be doing another two residency summer!
Following my residency this June at Loovlinnak Creative City Artist Residency in Pärnu, Estonia, I will be undertaking a residency in July at Takt in Berlin, Germany. I’ve been working on setting this up for several months, but though it does save on airfare it nevertheless is of course more expensive than doing just one - so part of the organizing included seeking funding. Fortunately, I was just awarded a Morningside University 2026 Ver Steeg Faculty Scholarship Grant that will partially support these projects (it was a very competitive year, so I was fortunate to be funded at all and did not get the total amount I asked for… but I received enough that I’m able to personally afford the rest!).
I am very excited to get to research and document ecosystems in Baltic and Northern Europe for the first time! My interest list includes Matsalu National Park, Soomaa National Park, the Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin, Tegeler Fließ, and Grunewald Forest.
German is an easier language to learn for English speakers than Estonian (German is category II, while Estonian is category III), and there is a Duolingo course for it, so I now plan to memorize a few phrases in Estonian but primarily work on my German!
On a personal note, I’ve been repeatedly told by other travelers that Berlin is one of the top vegetarian and vegan meccas of the world. I’m really looking forward to experiencing that firsthand!