MacDowell drops "Colony" from its name, citing the "occupation and oppression" tied to the term.
The artist’s retreat formerly known as the MacDowell Colony announced today that it would drop the “Colony” from its name going forward and be known simply as MacDowell (which is, I gather, what the cool kids have been calling it for years, anyway).
Nell Painter, MacDowell’s board chair, said the decision was “in keeping with the organization’s longstanding commitment to eliminate financial, geographic, cultural and accessibility barriers to participation.”
Wait, you mean you can change the name of a thing without “erasing history”? Weird!
[via AP News]
Jessie Gaynor
Jessie Gaynor is a senior editor at Lit Hub whose writing has appeared in McSweeney's, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, The Glow was published by Random House in 2023. You can buy it here.
