NEW BERLIN - The Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts will host its next Open Studio Day on Thursday, September 17, inviting the public to meet the foundation’s newest artists in residence and explore the spaces where their work is actively unfolding. The event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the foundation’s residency campus, 237 Bell Road, New Berlin, with Artist Talks at 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to all.

“Our artists come from all over the world, bringing with them different perspectives, techniques, and ideas, and this event gives our community the opportunity to engage with that creativity firsthand,” said Emma Golden, Executive Director of the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts. “Visitors will get to see not only individual works in progress, but also the energy and exchange that happens when artists live and work closely together for four weeks.”

The current residents, Sae A Lee, Emmanuel Aboagye, and Loren Erdrich arrived on August 23, each bringing their distinct artistic practice and shared eagerness to experiment with Golden's materials, facilities, and technical expertise. At the time of interview they had just settled into their studios and were beginning to acclimate to the residency structure, and the landscape of New Berlin.

Why they came to New Berlin

Each artist applied to the residency seeking something different, but all three were drawn to the unparalleled access to materials, technical expertise, and space.

Lee, who traveled from South Korea, said she had reached a point of stagnation in her studio practice. She explained that as her paintings became more physically complicated the intuitive practices she'd developed felt limiting.

“I actually came here to unlock something. I felt like I had reached a point of stagnation where my ideas were starting to move faster than my technical and material vocabulary,” Lee said. “Golden felt almost like an answer to a problem I was already facing in the studio.”

Aboagye, originally from Ghana, described his artistic practice as rooted in inquiry, pairing naturally with the explorative nature of Golden's residency.

“My practice as an artist is, in many ways, similar to that of a scientist. I love creative inquiry, experimentation, and the process of making,” he said.

Erdrich, from New York City, works in both painting and ceramic sculpture, explained that she came to deepen her understanding of acrylics.

“I wanted to increase my knowledge and experience, and what better place to do that than at the source?” said Erdrich. “To be at a residency that provides materials, facilitates experimentation and offers opportunities to learn new mediums is amazing,” she added.

Upon arrival in New Berlin they were each struck with a different sense of connection and inspiration. All three artists noted how the rural landscape of New Berlin has shaped their early days in residency.

Erdrich was particularly taken by the natural landscape, expressing, “Walking on the property within hours of arriving. Letting my senses attune to the natural world.” As the days passed she began to appreciate the change in pace from living in NYC. “Being able to see trees and sky from my studio window and to go for a walk in nature when I take a break from the studio is magical,” she said.

Aboagye echoed that sentiment saying the environment itself has been inspirational. “I wake up in the morning staring out at the beautiful greenery surrounding me. The environment is incredibly peaceful and encourages creative thinking,” he said.

Lee mentioned that her studio in Korea is also in a rural area surrounded by mountains and visually similar. She noted that the major difference is social. “My studio in Korea is very solitary. I work alone, and when I leave, I go home. Here, I can be working and just drop by someone else’s studio, talk about something that’s going wrong, see what another artist is experimenting with, have dinner together, and then go back upstairs and pour some paint before bed,” she said.

Material Exploration

A major component of the residency is the artists' opportunity to work closely with material specialists from Golden Artist Colors. They gain access to tools, mediums, and technical knowledge that many have not encountered before. All three residents describe their first week as a period of intense experimentation, testing new materials, reconsidering old ones, and pushing into unfamiliar territory.

“I've been working with colors and mediums I never even knew existed. It's great,” Erdrich said noting that the residency has encouraged her to rethink how paint behaves on canvas and fabric. She said she's been gravitating towards high flow paint with various mediums. “For some reason I never thought to paint with high flow acrylics, I'd only used them for airbrush. So painting with them and even adding more high flow medium has been really nice” said Erdirch. Having worked with dye for years, at residency she's swapping it out for paint to see what is possible. The shift has opened new possibilities for staining, layering, and exploring translucency in her work. She also hopes to experiment with stiffening fabric to make her paintings more sculptural, blending her interests in painting and ceramics.

“I gravitate towards unconventional techniques, combining intentional gestures with accidental marks. Meaning emerges not only through what is depicted but through how the work comes into being - through process, materiality, and emotional tenor,” Erdrich said.

Aboagye noted that the residency is hist first opportunity to work in a large studio with almost every tool and material available. “That kind of access creates a sense of freedom to experiment,” he said. “I enjoy being exposed to different materials and understanding what each individual material brings to the creative process.” Aboagye has begun exploring fluid mediums for image transfers, Satin Glazing Liquid for glazing, and wet sanding, techniques that support what he describes as the “evolving language” of his work. What he wants to explore most at the residency are mediums and techniques that can create exciting surfaces. He recalled a session with Mark Golden which sparked new ideas, as they were introduced to different decorative techniques and possibilities with materials. “I truly appreciate the support I have received in general,” Aboagye said.

Lee's material exploration has been equally expansive. She has been experimenting with different grounds, acrylic skins, flexible materials, and Pan Pastel a medium she discovered for the first time at Golden. She also began reconsidering watercolor, a material she had avoided since childhood due to a very rigid and discouraging early experience. “I had this mental block around the material. The material sessions here at Golden made me reconsider; that I could see myself actively utilizing and bring into my own language and practice,” Lee said. She expressed interest in exploring translucency, luminosity, and the behavior of acrylic systems under stress. “If I understand what a material can tolerate, I can take much more interesting risks with it,” she said. “Letting the material resist, sag, or misbehave, and allowing those behaviors to become part of the painting itself,” she's exploring control over materials to find ways of creating texture and structure in her work. “ I also brought hanji, traditional Korean paper. I came across master craftsman who wanted me to explore and unlock the full potential of the material,” Lee said.

In the hills of New Berlin these three artists studios are quickly filling with tests, samples, and early works in progress. Visitors to open studio day will be able to see these material investigations firsthand.

Looking Ahead

Each artist expressed excitement for what they will experience during their time in New Berlin and for how it will shape their work long after they leave.

Lee said she did not come to Golden with the pressure of producing a single polished project. Instead, she views the residency as a chance to grow her knowledge, skills, and abilities in her practice. “experimenting, learning, making things that might fail, and hopefully leaving with possibilities I couldn’t have imagined before I came here. I’m much more interested in what this month can unlock in the next several years of my work than in producing something perfectly finished in four weeks,” she said.

Erdrich noted that she has a show of paintings and sculptures opening October 30 at SHRINE in New York City, and that “If you're downstate I'd love to have you by.”

Aboagye said, “I am interested in encouraging new ways of seeing and looking, inviting viewers to reconsider how they encounter and engage with images.” He emphasized that the residency's peaceful environment and access to materials have already expanded his thinking.

At the open studio on September 17 visitors should expect an experience different from a traditional gallery. Golden said, “You might see paint-covered tables, brushes soaking in water containers, sketches pinned to the wall, or paintings still drying on the floor. It feels personal — like stepping directly into the space where ideas are actively taking shape. There are three separate studios to explore and three artists to meet.”

The Sam & Adele Golden Foundation For the Arts hosts multiple open studios throughout the year, each featuring a new group of residents. These events offer a rare opportunity to meet the artists mid-process, witness their experiments, and learn how materials shape contemporary artmaking. Following the September date, the next and final open studio in 2026 is on November 12.

They've hosted these open studios since the very first residency at the foundation, taking a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic when they instead creating virtual artists interview series as an alternative way to connect artists to the public. Find the virtual series of past residents at https://www.goldenfoundation.org/residency/past-residents/

The foundation's 18 residents stay on site in small groups of three for a month before the next group takes their place, then the following year at least one piece from each of them will be on display at the annual Made in Paint in exhibit which they are invited to return for.