ARTIST RESIDENCY & RETREAT • CHICAGO • KOBE
Chicago
House
Kobe
神戸の家
A Chicago–Kobe artist residency creating space for rest, reflection, and long-term creative exchange
Chicago
•
Kobe
•
Rest
•
Reflection
•
Exchange
•
Links Hall
•
Dance Box
•
Presence
•
Slowness
•
Refuge
•
Chicago • Kobe • Rest • Reflection • Exchange • Links Hall • Dance Box • Presence • Slowness • Refuge •
INTRODUCTION
A permanent home for Chicago artists in Kobe, Japan.
I am developing a long-term artist residency and retreat in Kobe, Japan, in partnership with Mario LaMothe. Together, we are raising funds to purchase a house that will serve as a permanent home for Chicago artists—a place to rest, reflect, and practice with care.
Origins
From a short-term exchange to a lasting relationship.
The project grew out of an early artistic cultural exchange between Links Hall in Chicago and Dance Box in Kobe, supported by the National Performance Network's U.S./Japan Connection grant.
As part of one of the first exchanges, I traveled to Japan alongside Darrell Jones, Damon Green, and Justin Mitchell to work in process and community with Koari Seki and her collaborators.
What began as a short-term exchange became the foundation for a long-standing relationship. Since that first visit, I have returned to Kobe nearly every year, building sustained artistic, cultural, and personal ties with the city and its communities.
The Vision
A space for presence, slowness, and shared attention.
I envision the house in Kobe not as a traditional residency center, but as a lived space—one that values presence, slowness, and shared attention. Artists would arrive without the pressure to produce.
By purchasing a house, we hope to create a durable refuge for artists: a place where they can step away from urgency, listen deeply, and return to their work with renewed clarity.
Arrive without obligation to produce. Space to simply be.
Time and space for experimentation and sustained practice.
Built on relationships, not programs. A house, not an institution.
Step away from urgency. Listen deeply. Return to the work.
LEGACY
Carrying Forward the Spirit of Links Hall.
This project also carries forward part of the legacy of Links Hall, which recently closed after decades of supporting experimental and artist-centered work in Chicago.
The residency continues the spirit of that exchange, extending Links Hall's commitment to artist-led inquiry, intimacy of scale, and international collaboration between Chicago and Kobe.
CAMPAIGN VIDEO
Hear the story in our own words.
CHICAGO HOUSE KOBE — ARTIST RESIDENCY & RETREAT
A short film about the exchange, the city, and why this house matters.
Support
the
project
サポートしてください
Help us purchase a permanent home for Chicago artists in Kobe, Japan—a space for rest, reflection, and lasting creative exchange. Every contribution brings us closer to making this house a reality.
In partnership with Mario LaMothe
Links Hall · Dance Box
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