Elaina Richardson Looks Back at 26 Years as President of Yaddo
After stabilizing, modernizing, and diversifying the century-old artist retreat, Richardson says she's ready for a new chapter.
After 26 years at the helm of Yaddo, the storied artist retreat currently celebrating its 100th anniversary, Elaina Richardson is moving on. She will be succeeded by Cyra Levenson, deputy director of Learning and Engagement at the Guggenheim Museum, as announced last week.
James Baldwin, Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, Leonard Bernstein, Jacob Lawrence, and Philip Guston are just a few of the alumni of the prestigious art residency in Saratoga Springs, New York. Sprawling over the 400-acre estate purchased in 1881 by financier Spencer Trask and writer Katrina Trask, the coveted residency's artists, writers, and composers boast 90 Pulitzer Prizes, 36 MacArthur Fellowships, 73 National Book Awards, and a Nobel Prize in Literature, among other accolades.
A journalist by trade, Richardson came to Yaddo after seven years at the fashion magazine Elle, culminating in the role of editor-in-chief. During her tenure, she navigated the residency out of a financial crisis, increasing its endowment from $8 million to about $40 million. She has also diversified the pool of residents, opened the organization to the world, upgraded its facilities, and steered it out of the troubled waters of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Born to a working-class family in Glasgow, Scotland, Richardson is a bit of an outlier in the professional worlds she’s inhabited over the past quarter century. Despite presiding over one of the most esteemed art institutions in the United States, she keeps humble, straightforward, and BS-free. You won’t hear a word of artspeak from Richardson. No condescension, no fake flattery, and no beating around the bush. On top of that, she’s got a good sense of humor.
I met Richardson at her Manhattan apartment for a conversation about her time at Yaddo, the changing nature of art residencies, and what it takes to support artists today. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Hyperallergic: Let’s start at the end. Why are you leaving?
Elaina Richardson: Mainly because it feels healthy to do it. And it feels safe to do it, or at least felt so when I announced the decision. "Safe" meaning for Yaddo as a place. There have been times before when I thought this would be the natural moment to leave. For example, when my daughter was going to college, I thought this would be a good moment to sort of think about, you know, what else is out there. But then the stock market crashed, and everything kind of fell.
