About us:

The Millay Colony for the Arts offers comprehensive residencies to visual artists, writers and composers at Steepletop, the hilltop property in Austerlitz, NY where the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) lived and wrote for 25 years. A not-for-profit organization, the Millay Colony was founded in 1973 by the poet's sister Norma Millay Ellis, whose goal was to honor Millay's life and work and to enable other artists to be inspired by Steepletop's natural beauty.

History of The Colony:

In 1951, the poet's sister, Norma Millay Ellis and her husband, the painter Charles Ellis, came to live at Steepletop, where they continued Millay's legacy of artistic pursuit and unconventional living.

In 1973, Norma founded The Millay Colony for the Arts as a residency center for visual artists, writers and composers. The first artists arrived in 1974 and resided in an apartment that included a large studio over a garage. In 1976, Norma deeded the barn her sister had built from a Sears & Roebuck kit to the Colony. It was renovated to accommodate four additional artists, and is known as the Steepletop Barn. Norma Millay Ellis died in 1986 at the age of 92. The Millay home, a National Historic Landmark, is owned and maintained by the Edna St. Vincent Millay Society.