Storytellers'
Institute
Founded in 2014,
the annual MDOCS Storytellers’ Institute
is a five-week residency hosted at Skidmore College.
For the month of June, the Institute welcomes its Fellows to work on independent projects and engage in a community of thinkers and makers.
The institute brings together professional documentary practitioners (Visiting Fellows), Skidmore College students and faculty/staff members(Skidmore Fellows Fellows), and regional community makers already participating in the MDOCS Co-Creation Initiative (Regional Fellows).
This is a unique opportunity to have a focused period of dedicated time to develop a non-fiction project, with the inspiration of a community who are pursuing similar questions and ideas in the beautiful setting of Saratoga Springs.
All Fellows are competitively selected and work in a range of documentary mediums and practices including performance, video, film, photo, audio, written word, etc.
The institute brings together professional documentary practitioners (Visiting Fellows), Skidmore College students and faculty/staff members(Skidmore Fellows Fellows), and regional community makers already participating in the MDOCS Co-Creation Initiative (Regional Fellows).
This is a unique opportunity to have a focused period of dedicated time to develop a non-fiction project, with the inspiration of a community who are pursuing similar questions and ideas in the beautiful setting of Saratoga Springs.
All Fellows are competitively selected and work in a range of documentary mediums and practices including performance, video, film, photo, audio, written word, etc.
What is offered:
+ Stipend
+ Room & Board (Student and Professionals Only)
+Access to Equipment
+Access to Production Space
+ Travel Stipend (Professionals Only)
+ Time
+ Community
Hover-over to see what is expected!
+ Room & Board (Student and Professionals Only)
+Access to Equipment
+Access to Production Space
+ Travel Stipend (Professionals Only)
+ Time
+ Community
Hover-over to see what is expected!
What is expected:
+ Participation in community events
+ Serious commitment to your practice and moving a project forward
+ Curiosity
+ Generosity
+ Respect of others
+ Serious commitment to your practice and moving a project forward
+ Curiosity
+ Generosity
+ Respect of others
2025
Storytellers' Institute Fellows
Rhea Fitzpatrick, Skidmore Student
Zia Foxhall '25, Skidmore Student
Elise Milner '25, Skidmore Student
Dante Morse, Skidmore Fellow
Maitreya Ravenstar '25, Skidmore Student
Max Restifo-Bernstein, Skidmore Student
Alexei Zwijacz '26, Skidmore Student
Raul Ayala, Visiting Fellow
Fernanda Espinosa, Visiting Fellow
Brendan McInerney, Visiting Fellow
Careina Yard, Visiting Fellow
Murat Yildiz, Skidmore Fellow
Faculty/Staff and Regional Fellows
Regional and Faculty/Staff fellows
are invited to participate by MDOCS staff each year.
If you are a Skidmore Faculty/ Staff member or an MDOCS CCI partner
and are interested in learning more about the Storytellers' Institute,
please
are invited to participate by MDOCS staff each year.
If you are a Skidmore Faculty/ Staff member or an MDOCS CCI partner
and are interested in learning more about the Storytellers' Institute,
please
“Working with the Visiting Fellows was intimidating at first, then we became not only fellow creators, but very good friends.”
--- Sarah Maacha, Student Fellow ’19
“My work has intersected with the work of other fellows in surprising and often beautiful ways. I’ve started thinking about myself and my performance work in a fundamentally different way as a result of this month, and I can’t wait to go even further into these new projects and bring new perspectives to old projects.” --- Micaela Blei, Visiting Fellow ’19
