An Artist Residency Inspired by Nature: LEÑA Residency

This month, we talked to Dayna Szyndrowski about her Artist Residency Inspired by Nature, LEÑA Residency. Dayna is a wearer of many hats…she is a tap and flamenco dancer, a dance educator, a photographer, an accountant, and the creator of LEÑA Artist Research and Residency Centre. Located on Galiano Island in British Columbia, LEÑA Residency is a gathering place for artists of any discipline to work in a self-directed way on their own projects. Artists are able to create during their distraction-free and nature-inspired time on this stunning eight-acre property. Dayna shares what artist residencies can offer to emerging creatives, as well as what motivated her to create the initiative that is now LEÑA. Read her insightful words below.

LEÑA Amphitheatre - Photo by Dayna Szyndrowski

Why do artists usually go to residencies? What is the process to apply to an artist residency like?

LEÑA artist residency is an artist-run, multi-disciplinary gathering place for practicing creatives. Artists who are in search of self-directed workweeks often come to residencies to explore, research, or process. LEÑA lies within the shared, asserted, and unceded traditional territories of the Lamalcha, Penelakut, and Hwlitsum First Nations in addition to others with rights and responsibilities on and around what is now called Galiano Island, the closest Southern Gulf Island to Vancouver. The island also lies within the shared, asserted, and ceded territories of the Tsawwassen First Nation.

There are many reasons artists may be looking for a dedicated workspace and time to create. LEÑA has hosted artists in residence who are creating all kinds of work. Some artists may come to meet teach themselves new skills, tight timelines within a larger project, or reflect on their recent work. We have also hosted those who are writing and compiling their pieces into collections, planning for a future project, writing entire albums of new music, or exploring their own practice without a task to complete...you name it. 

Artists can incorporate residencies into their artistic practice in a number of ways. It’s important to understand how the word “residency” is defined in various contexts. Each residency has its own offerings and therefore allows artists to make different choices. In LEÑA's case, the facilities are here to act as an easy access point for self-directed work of any artistic practice. The application process is light in effort, there is a small weekly fee for the accommodations while staying on the property, and calls for applications typically occur quarterly (prior to the pandemic, anyway). There is no pressure on the work done while here—no final product needs to be shared before you go. The artist's time is theirs to fill. Quietude and stillness are at hand and conversations with the other artists in residence are available.

What inspired you to create LEÑA Residency?

LEÑA exists to offer a place for creative work without barriers. Getting this work funded, heard, programmed, or seen requires a different kind of effort and skill that has the ability to pull the artist away from the art itself. Sometimes, it is nice to be able to simply access deep creation and thinking without justification, display, or pressure. I really wanted there to be a place in British Columbia where it was possible to carve out creative time without the need for extensive resources and without a commitment to a pre-determined product.

LEÑA's inspiration also comes from the desire to create a space for emerging artists who are just beginning their journey into a professional art-making career. Often, access to support and resources feels daunting. It is usually best-served by some preparation and exploration before the application or the presentation. In my own experience at least, I noticed a quiet undercurrent that told me that I was already supposed to know things, things that I really didn’t know as an independent artist. I want to be here for emerging artists who are figuring out their process of allowing good creative work to develop in a robust way. 

The connection to Galiano Island is central to LEÑA Residency. What is special about having an artist residency that is surrounded by nature?

When we can fully depart from our typical environment and typical routine, we have the opportunity to be removed from our distractions and usual thinking patterns. I've found I have a way of interrupting my own flow when in familiar spaces with other tasks demanding part of my attention. Stepping out of a fast-paced routine while trading concrete for trees allows for days to be longer, distractions to be quieter, and thinking to be deeper.

The eight-acre property has a few different buildings located on it. The main house has three bedrooms with two bathrooms, a large shared kitchen and dining area, a space for lounging, a desk area, and a reading nook. The barn-style studio building includes a sprung maple dance floor, a seating loft, in-wall work desks, and a quality sound system. On the front meadow of the property stands a small cedar amphitheatre. The final building on site is a small work shed nestled in the forest for solo, isolated work needs. The property backs onto Galiano’s Bluffs Park and makes for effortless hikes through the forest to stunning Gulf Island views. The view from the front deck starts with decades-old trees, crosses the Salish Sea, and lands on Mount Baker. I still don't think I fully appreciate the impact of my eyes' ability to focus over vast distances at any point in the day.

What residencies are you inspired by?

LEÑA is a direct result of my time and experience as an artist in residence at Joya in Spain (check out their Instagram). I went there to work on my own artistic practice and left wanting to offer my friends, colleagues, and network in BC the same kindness, space, and care that Simon and Donna (the owners of Joya) offered me. It is one of the places that I am most excited to return to when international travel becomes a possibility again. Please look them up!

Check out LEÑA Artist Research and Residency Centre through their website and Instagram (@lenaresidency). For more from Dayna, find her on Instagram (@dayna_foto).