Studio in the Woods
A Studio in the Woods is a Tulane University-affiliated nonprofit in New Orleans operating free artist and scholar residencies on 7.66 acres of protected bottomland hardwood forest, serving visual, literary, and interdisciplinary artists plus Tulane, Xavier, and Dillard faculty via three core programs and the annual FORESTival.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1969
- HeadquartersNew Orleans, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Studio in the Woods does
A Studio in the Woods is a nonprofit artist and scholar residency program operated by Tulane University, located on 7.66 acres of protected bottomland hardwood forest at 13401 Patterson Road in New Orleans, Louisiana, adjacent to approximately 1,000 acres of government-owned forest on the Mississippi River bank. Founded in 1969 by Lucianne and Joe Carmichael and donated to Tulane in 2004, the organization offers three core residency tracks: Artistic Residencies for visual, performing, literary, and interdisciplinary artists focused on environmental themes; Scholarly Retreats co-hosted with the Tulane ByWater Institute, Tulane School of Liberal Arts, and Xavier University; and Special Collaborations with partners including Prospect New Orleans, NOMA, and Dillard University. On-site infrastructure includes the Main House (built from salvaged lumber in the 1970s), the 2019 Writer's Cabin, and a Lower Coast Field Station supporting academic research on hurricane response, climate change, and forest transition, with an Environmental Curator managing invasive species eradication and long-term plot monitoring since 2004.
The organization supplements residencies with ancillary programs including the annual FORESTival public event (in its 16th year), Kids in the Woods Summer Camp (currently on hiatus through 2026), and facility rentals. Residency participation is free to residents and funded through a mix of grants (including a $30,000 NEA grant in 2024), individual donations, the Canopy Circle recurring giving program, the Watershed Society legacy giving tier, and Tulane institutional support. The alumni network exceeds 100 artists and scholars since 2001, and a workforce of 1–10 staff operates the site, which is functionally capped at three simultaneous residents across two buildings.
Studio in the Woods firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Studio in the Woods
- Website
- https://astudiointhewoods.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1969
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- A Studio in the Woods is a Tulane University-affiliated nonprofit in New Orleans operating free artist and scholar residencies on 7.66 acres of protected bottomland hardwood forest, serving visual, literary, and interdisciplinary artists plus Tulane, Xavier, and Dillard faculty via three core programs and the annual FORESTival.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Studio in the Woods industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artist Residencies & Cultural Programming
- NAICS
- Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Forestry (800), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Conservation & Research Lodges (Citizen Science, Field Stations with Guests) (THAAAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- National Park & Conservancy Lodges (THAGAIAI), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)
Keywords
Where Studio in the Woods is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Orleans
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Studio in the Woods business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: The studio operates primarily through charitable donations and fundraising events. The Canopy Circle is a recurring giving program where donors become sustaining members. The organization also hosts fundraising events and maintains relationships with institutional funders.
- Facility Rentals: The studio generates revenue through renting facilities for events and gatherings. The rentals page is accessible via the About section.
- Program Revenue: FORESTival ticket sales, youth camp fees, and other program-related revenue support operations. The 16th Annual FORESTival features ticket purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Canopy Circle Recurring Giving Program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Studio in the Woods product offering
Product offeringCore offering
A Studio in the Woods operates an artist and scholar residency program on 7.66 acres of protected bottomland hardwood forest in New Orleans. It provides protected time, living accommodations, studio space, and community support for artists of all disciplines and academic faculty to create new works focused on environmental themes and the relationship between humans and nature. The organization also operates the Lower Coast Field Station for scientific research, an annual public celebration called FORESTival, and youth environmental arts camps.
Product overview
A Studio in the Woods is a residency-based arts and environmental organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs. The core offerings include Artistic Residencies (for visual, performing, literary, and interdisciplinary artists), Scholarly Retreats (for academic faculty and researchers), Special Collaborations (partner-led residencies), and the Living Experience (on-site accommodation for up to three residents). Ancillary public programs include FORESTival (annual celebration event) and Kids in the Woods Summer Camp (youth arts-science education, currently on hiatus). The Lower Coast Field Station supports scientific research initiatives. Together, these programs provide protected time, space, and support for artists and scholars to manifest new works focused on environmental challenges and human-environment relationships.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Artistic Residencies Residencies for visual, musical, performance, literary, new media, and interdisciplinary artists focusing on environmental engagement and the relationship between humans and the environment. Residents receive protected time, living accommodations, and studio space.
- Scholarly Retreats Academic residencies providing creative respite for faculty, graduate students, and postdocs from partner universities including Tulane, Xavier, and Dillard. Supports scholarly publications, creative projects, and cross-disciplinary environmental research.
- Special Collaborations Project-focused residencies co-conceived with partner institutions such as Prospect New Orleans, Dillard University's Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center, and Alternate ROOTS.
- Living Experience On-site accommodation on 7.66 acres of protected bottomland hardwood forest accommodating up to three resident artists at a time in the Main House and Writer's Cabin, with private bedrooms, bathrooms, studio spaces, and shared common areas.
- FORESTival Annual public ticketed celebration of arts and nature featuring live music, artist presentations, guided nature walks, hands-on art and science activities, local food vendors, and a silent auction.
- Kids in the Woods Summer Camp Summer day camp for youth ages 7-11 that interweaves arts with environmental sciences through hands-on activities including collecting insects, ornithological games, tree identification, nature walks, creative writing, puppet-making, clay sculpting, and science activities.
- Lower Coast Field Station Scientific research field station program of the Tulane ByWater Institute encompassing the Carmichael and Hebert forests with lab spaces, supporting multidisciplinary partnerships, outreach, and research on the Lower Coast Forest ecosystem.
- Facility Rentals Daytime retreat and workshop rental space available for events, meetings, and gatherings on the protected forest campus.
Companies that use Studio in the Woods
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Studio in the Woods technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Studio in the Woods partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.
- Tulane ByWater InstitutecorePartnership to enhance and support scholarship, creativity and cross-disciplinary activity of Tulane faculty and trainees using any field or discipline to examine environmental challenges. The ByWater Institute and A Studio in the Woods co-host Scholarly Retreats for Tulane faculty and trainees.
- Tulane School of Liberal ArtscoreTulane School of Liberal Arts funds 4 one-week residencies per academic year for Liberal Arts faculty to write scholarly publications, work on creative projects, or begin new projects.
- Xavier UniversitycorePartnership with Xavier University of Louisiana's Office of Academic Affairs to host two Faculty Writing Retreat Fellowships each academic year.
- Dillard University's Minority Health and Health Disparities Research CentercoreOngoing Inspiring Health Justice Residency program supporting research and collaboration between artists and health disparities researchers.
- Prospect New OrleansflagshipMultiple special collaborations including Tiona Nekkia McClodden for P.5, Jeff Whetstone for P.4, and Deborah Jack for Prospect 6. Deep arts partnership supporting New Orleans' artistic ecosystem.
- New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA)majorCollaboration with Regina Agu for Passage installation in NOMA's Great Hall, exhibited in conjunction with Inventing Acadia: Painting and Place in Louisiana.
- New Orleans Center for the Gulf SouthcoreCo-hosting Gulf South Writer in the Woods residency program. Partnership with Tulane's center supporting scholarship about the Gulf South region.
- Alternate ROOTSmajorPartners for Change Residencies in 2021-2022 with this organization supporting artists and communities.
- Plaquemines Parish GovernmentmajorCollaboration with Brandon Ballengée for Searching for Ghosts of the Gulf community-based residency with at-risk coastal communities (2021-2023).
- New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park (NPS)majorPartnership with Sidiki Conde & Wowo Souakoli for cultural exchange residency exploring music, nature, and climate change (2023).
- McKnight Artist Residency Consortium / Artist Communities Alliancemajor2021-2022 membership in consortium supporting artist residencies and professional development.
- University of Minnesota Itasca Biological Station and Weisman Art MuseummajorBig River Continuum upriver/downriver exchange residency with artists Karen Goulet and Monique Verdin (2019-2021).
- Mondo Bizarro ProductionsmajorCollaboration on Ezell: Ballad of a Land Man with Clear Creek Creative (2021).
- Pelican BombmajorPartnership with Fallen Fruit for artistic projects including New Orleans fruit mapping and community engagement (2017-2018).
- Newcomb Art MuseummajorCollaboration with Fallen Fruit and Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development, and New Orleans Parks and Parkways.
- Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain and SPAIN-USA FoundationmajorSpanish Heritage Exchange Residency with artists Monique Verdin and Julio Blancas (2018).
- Minnesota Marine Art MuseumflagshipA Nation Takes Place exhibition and residency collaboration with Shana M. Griffin and Tia-Simone Gardner (2024-2025), featuring Juan Carlos Quintana and former resident artists.
- ByWater InstitutecoreTulane ByWater Institute sponsors the scholarly retreats program and the Lower Coast Field Station. Joint hosting of FORESTival and collaborative residency programming.
- Audubon Species Survival CenterminorNeighbor organization in the Lower Coast Algiers area.
- River Queen GreensminorNeighbor organization in the Lower Coast Algiers area - local sustainable farm.
- Tulane UniversitycoreParent institution since 2004 when founders Joe and Lucianne Carmichael donated the property. Tulane provides staffing, housekeeping, facilities support, and programmatic partnerships through various departments.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Studio in the Woods competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Yaddo: Historic artist residency in Saratoga Springs, NY hosting ~200 residents annually across disciplines. Directly comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit residency program offering protected time, studio space, and living accommodations to artists and scholars, though with much larger scale than ASITW.
- Djerassi Resident Artists Program: Residency program in Woodside, CA on a 580-acre ranch with science-based programming and 100+ residents annually. Closely comparable in integrating scientific research infrastructure with artist residencies on ecologically significant land, similar to ASITW's Lower Coast Field Station model.
- MacDowell: Artist residency in Peterborough, NH on a 450-acre estate, providing individual studios and living accommodations to ~300 artists and composers annually. Closest direct peer in terms of nonprofit residency model, alumni prestige, and emphasis on protected creative time in a natural setting.
- Joan Mitchell Center: New Orleans-based artist residency and arts hub supporting local, national, and international artists with studio space and programming. Most comparable on geography and cultural mission; both serve the New Orleans arts ecosystem with residency-based models.
- Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: Artist-in-residence program in Omaha, NE providing studios, living space, and stipends to artists. Comparable nonprofit residency model with multi-disciplinary artist support and partnership-driven programming, though located in an urban rather than natural setting.
- Vermont Studio Center: Residency program in Johnson, VT serving 50+ visual artists and writers monthly with studios and living space. Comparable nonprofit model focused on providing residencies with protected creative time in a rural, nature-immersive setting.
- Ragdale Foundation: Artist colony in Lake Forest, IL on the historic Howard Van Doren Shaw estate, supporting 200+ artists annually. Comparable nonprofit residency with focus on architectural/heritage buildings and protected creative time for working artists.
- Headlands Center for the Arts: Artist residency in Marin County, CA housed in former military buildings within a national park landscape, supporting artists across disciplines. Comparable in blending natural-setting residencies with environmental/cultural programming and partnership-driven special projects.
- Ucross Foundation: Artist residency in northeast Wyoming serving ~100 residents annually across disciplines including visual arts, literature, and music. Comparable as a remote-setting nonprofit residency that provides individual studios, living accommodations, and protected creative time.
Others
- Tulane ByWater Institute: Partner institution embedded in Tulane's School of Liberal Arts focused on Gulf Coast environmental scholarship. Not a direct competitor; ASITW is a program partner site and the Field Station is co-operated, making it the closest ecosystem enabler.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Studio in the Woods social profiles
Digital presenceStudio in the Woods financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Studio in the Woods leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Studio in the Woods funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Studio in the Woods M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Studio in the Woods
What does Studio in the Woods do?
A Studio in the Woods operates an artist and scholar residency program on 7.66 acres of protected bottomland hardwood forest in New Orleans. It provides protected time, living accommodations, studio space, and community support for artists of all disciplines and academic faculty to create new works focused on environmental themes and the relationship between humans and nature. The organization also operates the Lower Coast Field Station for scientific research, an annual public celebration called FORESTival, and youth environmental arts camps.
Is Studio in the Woods a public or private company?
Studio in the Woods is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Studio in the Woods founded?
Studio in the Woods was founded in 1969. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Studio in the Woods based?
Studio in the Woods is headquartered in New Orleans, United States, in the North America region.
How does Studio in the Woods make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are facility Rentals and program Revenue.
Who are Studio in the Woods's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Yaddo, Djerassi Resident Artists Program, MacDowell, Joan Mitchell Center, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Vermont Studio Center, Ragdale Foundation, Headlands Center for the Arts and Ucross Foundation. Tulane ByWater Institute is listed as an others.
Does Studio in the Woods have an API?
No public API is recorded for Studio in the Woods.
What industry is Studio in the Woods in?
Studio in the Woods's product category is Artist Residencies & Cultural Programming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAHAJ, Conservation & Research Lodges (Citizen Science, Field Stations with Guests), with a secondary code of THAGAIAI, National Park & Conservancy Lodges. Its NAICS code is 71219 and its SIC code is 7000.