Four Artists, One Studio—Collaborating at the Artists Residency
Some of the most memorable moments of the Artists Residency happen between the scheduled events.
On the third day of last year’s Residency, four artists from the cohort—choreographer Thayer Jonutz, visual artists Zinta Jaunitis and Jackie Leishman, and composer David Jones—gathered in Thayer’s dance studio for an impromptu collaboration. Thayer danced sections of his new work Scorched while David improvised on the French horn. At the back of the studio, Zinta and Jackie responded by sketching the movement as it unfolded.
“It was very of the moment,” Zinta said—a chance to connect and “respond creatively… more about the experience and the experiment of making together.”
Hours passed “in an instant,” Jackie recalled. She has since said that some of the drawings still hang in her studio as a reminder of “how much I love this life I have created and that I get to be with people who love to create in all the forms.”
Music composer and french hornist David Jones improvised through part of the rehearsal, adding a layer of musical interpretation to Thayer’s movements.
And for Thayer, the session opened new possibilities for the work itself, sparking ideas about how interdisciplinary influences might shape its future. “It was a really expansive session that opened up a lot of thoughts about what this work can become.”
Moments like this are at the heart of the Residency: artists from different disciplines coming together in New York to explore, experiment, and inspire one another. Applications for the 2026 Artists Residency are open now through March 15—making this the FINAL WEEK to submit your application.
If you’re in Utah, you can experience Thayer’s finished dance work Scorched—developed in part during that week at the Residency—March 20–21 at the Rose Wagner Theater in Salt Lake City in partnership with Repertory Dance Theater.
