2021 Eco Residency

Tony Foley is a writer, organizer, archivist, and amateur naturalist building a platform and course of study titled Midwest Pro-Future, which will begin this summer as a series of readings, photo logs, essays, lectures, conversations, journals and artworks investigating the history and everyday magic of the Midwest within the context of and held in communion with, the ecological reality of climate collapse: and through honest conversation and communal action, explore our shared grief— and in doing so, traverse newfound paths of living courageously, consciously, and with gratitude within the precarious natural wonder of the Midwest.

During the summer residency, Tony will hold two weekly practices and routines. On Wednesday nights at 7pm, Tony will host a Deep Study Hall, where the Compound Yellow upstairs studio will be used as a quiet reading space, with publicly accessible research materials from the residency. On Saturday mornings and afternoons, Tony will rotate from Compound Yellow to an ecological site within the Midwest, exploring, documenting and sharing the experience.

To widen the lens, Tony will host a research and discussion groups covering forays into Midwestern ecology, history, identity, and the current environmental conditions and threats facing our region. The event will consist of a video presentation and following discussion, hosted in person at the CY studio and accessible via Zoom. The event is free and open to anyone who is interested in sharing their love and concern for the history and future of our shared Midwestern community and climate at large. This is a generative brainstorming event, meant to explore, collaborate and openly share ideas, concerns, and perspectives that may help ourselves and others navigate the near future under climate change with awareness and gratitude. For any questions or to RSVP, please email midwesternprofuture@gmail.com.