The nonprofit Hermitage Artist Retreat has received a gift in land and property from the Morrison and Steans family totaling $12 million in value. The property, located on Manasota Key in Florida, will accommodate more than double the Hermitage's capacity for its artist residency program.

Once home to the Vanderbilt family, the property spans more than six acres of land, with five main structures just half a mile from the Hermitage's existing home. The gift honors the parents of the Morrison and Steans families: Harrison I. Steans, Lois M. Steans, Harold M. Morrison, and Adeline S. Morrison. 

“Our parents believed in the mission and values of the Hermitage, and they understood first-hand the inspiration and importance of its Manasota Key home,” said the families in a joint statement. “We donate this property to the Hermitage Artist Retreat filled with hope that it will always remain a place of kindness and tolerance, where invited artists feel welcome; a place for fostering community, collaboration, connectivity, and conversations; a place of inspiration and creation; and a place that stewards the rich ecology and diversity of nature.”

Each year, Florida's Hermitage Artist Retreat welcomes artists referred by the National Curatorial Council across multiple disciplines (theatre, music, visual art, dance, film, literature, and more) for curated residencies. Each artist's journey is different—some come to explore and experiment, some are working on a commission. 

The 850 artists the Hermitage has served thus far include 18 Pulitzer Prize winners, Poets Laureate, Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellows, and multiple Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar winners and nominees. 

This year's theatrical artists include Tony nominee Eden Espinosa, playwrights Larissa FastHorse and Bess Wohl, composer and lyricist Julian Hornik, and more.

For additional information, click here.