Do you feel like you need a new direction in life?
Okay, what if you moved to a ghost town in Utah for a month to make art?!
Yes, that’s a real possibility.
The town of Cisco has been uninhabited for decades except for one resident: Eileen Muza. A visual artist, she’s lived in the town alone since 2015. Now, with the help of her sisters Renée and Margaret, Eileen is starting a residency for artists. Her goal is to preserve the character of Cisco while also bringing more creative people to the area.
“I find this to be a good spot for an artist residency is because it is so unique,” Eileen told Atlas Obscura. “All eras of history are represented here in different states of decay. Many people might come through and just see a garbage dump, but I see layers and layers of human life.”
Photo Credit: YouTube
Home of the Brave is a three- to five-week nonprofit residency. Only one artist will attend at a time, twice a year. The workspace is at least an hour away from any other towns.
“It’s a really good place for solitude,” Eileen said. “It would provide a unique opportunity for someone who is not used to rural living.”
Photo Credit: YouTube
As a ghost town, Cisco is a truly special place. There are approximately 100 abandoned buildings, only seven of which are fully intact. One of them is Eileen’s log cabin.
“When I first came through Cisco I could not believe all the things left behind and even had trouble believing it was a ghost town at all,” Eileen said.
Artist residents will live in a rehabilitated Winnebago Brave camper at the heart of Cisco. The isolation of the workspace does have some downsides — for example, there’s no running water in the town, so artists will have to drive 40 minutes away to shower at the community center (or maybe there’s a well you can pump from?). There is, however, electricity and Wi-Fi provided.
On the plus side, you can enjoy complete solitude in the high desert of Utah. Surely, there’s no place like it!
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