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research dossier

The Swimming Hole Foundation Inc

Bearsville, NY · EIN 863382587 · Form 990EZ · FY2021 · Small ($100K-$1M) · theswimminghole.org
revenue
$193K
expenses
$41K
net assets
$152K
employees
mission · from form 990

Educational Retreats for Collaboration

profile · synthesized from sources

The Swimming Hole Foundation hosts interdisciplinary artist and innovator residencies in the Catskills to foster collaborative, process-driven creative work. The organization brings together diverse groups for short-term retreats focused on experimentation, knowledge sharing, and prototyping at the intersection of art, technology, and nature. Based near Woodstock, NY, it provides facilities, workspace, and a natural environment to support emergent projects and strategic gatherings.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Collaboratory
Residencies for interdisciplinary groups of 6–8 collaborators to co-create experimental work through process-driven exploration in a natural setting
Creative Entrepreneurs Camp
Five-day intensive workshop guiding designers and innovators from idea to market with coaching on manufacturing, budgeting, and go-to-market strategy
Exploratory
Strategic gatherings for emerging projects, board meetings, or organizational retreats at the Swimming Hole facility
Workshop: Analog Collage and Assemblage
Instruction in visual storytelling using found materials, photographs, and mixed media to create individual and collective artworks
Workshop: Natural Pigments
Hands-on workshop teaching techniques for creating and using pigments from natural materials found on-site
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 1 activity
    • Creates and maintains site-specific earthwork and collaborative art installations
      Develops permanent and temporary art installations on its Woodstock, NY property, including the earthwork sculpture La Cicatrice (The Scar), formed during a storm and filled with brick rubble, and other collaborative works such as a migration-themed light and physical artifact installation exhibited during Upstate Arts Weekend.
  • Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
    • Hosts interdisciplinary artist and designer residencies
      Provides short-term residencies ranging from three days to two weeks for collaborative groups of artists, designers, and other creatives, including lodging, meals, and workspace, using a “Collaboratory” model centered on process, curiosity, trust, and conviviality to support knowledge sharing and hands-on prototyping.
  • Professional Conference & Symposium Organization 1 activity
    • Organizes educational and strategic gatherings
      Hosts strategic “exploratories,” board meetings, day gatherings, and workshops for emerging projects and like-minded organizations, including programs such as a Creative Entrepreneurs Camp and an analog collage and assemblage workshop focused on visual storytelling.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Conducts research on collaborative creative processes
      Carries out living experiments on collaboration, resulting in documented insights and a published guidebook on optimal conditions for collaborative work, intended to inform future programming at the Swimming Hole.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2021
revenue
Total revenue$193K
Contributions & grants$193K100%
Program service revenue
Investment income
Other revenue
expenses
Total expenses$41K
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits
Grants paid out
balance sheet
Total assets$152K
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$152K
1 years on record · 2021–2021
relationships · 9

Who they work with

  • Advisory Board members Partner — Described as the heart and soul of the Swimming Hole Foundation, actively involved in its mission and operations.
  • Art Spiel Partner — Featured and covered the Animal Welfare collaborative installation in a published article.
  • Debera Johnson Partner — Collaborated on the creation of the earthwork La Cicatrice.
  • Debera Johnson Partner — Collaborates with participants to develop presentation materials, graphics, and UX/UI strategies for their products.
  • Esopus tribe Government — Recognizes the Esopus, a tribe of the Lenape Native Americans, as the traditional stewards of the land in Ulster County where the foundation operates.
  • IDSA Network — Offers members a 15% discount on participation fees for the Creative Entrepreneurs Camp.
  • Inside + Out Partner — Featured and covered the Animal Welfare collaborative installation in a published article.
  • Peter Ragonetti Partner — Lead instructor and entrepreneurship coach for the Creative Entrepreneurs Camp.
  • Phil Peters Partner — Collaborating artist returning in November to complete a ceramic speaker installation at The Swimming Hole.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Art as Memorial and Ecological Storytelling
    methodology: art-as-memorial
    By using collaborative earthwork art and designed artifacts to memorialize nature and navigate landscapes, the foundation connects personal healing with ecological cycles, because symbolic engagement with land through art creates lasting narratives that critique existing systems and propose regenerative alternatives.
  • Collaborative Creativity Through Nature-Integrated Retreats
    methodology: collaborative_creativity
    By bringing together artists, scientists, and creatives in nature-immersed retreats that emphasize process over outcomes, the foundation fosters emergent innovation and creative healing, because the combination of natural settings, interdisciplinary exchange, and convivial collaboration enables deeper connection and risk-taking that produces both personal and collective transformation.
  • Quilting-Circle Model for Mutual Empowerment
    methodology: quilting-circle model
    By structuring artist residencies around the metaphor of the quilting circle, the foundation enables storytelling, shared knowledge, and mutual empowerment, because this communal framework fosters trust, continuity, and collective meaning-making that supports experimental and socially engaged art practices.