Photo Credit: Beside the Beach Club by Michael J. Paddon

residency
noun
1. the fact of living in a place.
2. a residential post held by a writer, musician or artist typically for teaching purposes

This winter I am embarking on something that although somewhat terrifying and definitely counter-intuitive to owning a retail store, I will be closing up shop (for January and February to start) to venture out into the wild to source new art, experiences and inspiration. It has been a long time coming to shake up my business format and a I owe a very big thank you to all of you that have been so responsive to my travel tales, patrons of the work created from adventures near and far and the feedback I have received from being a bit vulnerable and opening up about what is really going on behind the retail counter at the shop. A friend recently referred to this as "Behind the bullshit with Kristen Coates," and although provocative, I have decided to go with the name Residency. It conveys a sense of living the experience and absorbing the local color. When I was a child I used to answer the (land line!) phone "Coates Residence". I thought this was the epitome of a chic and sophisticated greeting of an American family. But alas, we were not residing in a Downton Abbey-esque summer home, but an apartment in downtown Newport. My mother would tell me this behavior was absurd (while donning a turban and burning palo santo and singing to the family dog), but I loved the word Residence - it felt bold! And here I am a few decades later still trying to coin the experience of living, a Coates Residency.

In January I will head to Miami Beach for the warm colors, contemporary art and cultural influences only found in this corner of the country. My intention with this program is to learn as well as educate through art, community and travel and perhaps more importantly, to form relationships with those participating and with whom I engage in this month-long stint. I hope to share my experiences through social media channels and newsletters and bring a new collection of work derived from my experiences, but also artwork and objects sourced from my destined locale. With any luck I will pull this off with some grace and new cities and destinations will be added to my calendar. In the meantime I hope you will continue to shop online in support, follow along and share tips and recommendations for your favorite places, things to do and artists I should meet by using the hashtag #coatesinresidence - It would be a dream to have this become an interactive project, but for now I am heavily relying on some good old fashioned intuition and that thing I rely on most, a bit of vision. I cannot wait to share it all with you. 
XO Kristen  

Check out my blog The Coates Residency: 70+ Hours of Audio Entertainment