Dedicated to creative intention, iolair offers contemporary artists a serene live-work space in the heart of a vibrant island town, to connect with themselves, their practice, nature, and the local community.

Eastsound, WA

about

A new artist residency, iolair (Gaelic for eagle; eye-oh-LAIR) is unfurling on beautiful Orcas Island, Washington. iolair’s living and studio space will host established and rising artists from around the globe, allowing them to immerse deeply in creative practice. Visiting artists will be selected by invitation, by a nominating committee of contemporary arts professionals.

Designed by award-winning architecture studio GO’C and built by Bluebird Builders, our muse of a structure has opened its doors this year- 2025!

Cozying up the studio living room of our residency space.✨ We are dreaming of bookshelves for our growing stack of contemporary art books, and of opening a mini reading library for select hours between visiting artists. What are your favorite art
Still doing backflips of gratitude! Last month we were blown away to receive this stunning handmade quilt from our talented friends at @go_c_studio, the architects behind iolair. The quilt will soon be tucked away into iolair’s artist residen
Thank for coming out to celebrate iolair’s opening! Just over two years ago, we poured our foundation and planted our roots. Just this year, we hosted pilot artists who helped us refine the final phase of construction and vision. Just yest
Join us at iolair for our opening celebration this Sunday from 2-5p.m.!
December 8, 2-5p.m. Join us for an open house… Music by Gene Nery (3-5p.m.) Treats by Olga Rising Dancing lights thanks to Jared Lovejoy, Jake Perinne and Joseph Gray … as we celebrate iolair’s official opening!
Local wizard @j.lovejoy lighting up the space as we enter into the inspirational dark days of winter. @squirebroel paintings on the wall. With our pilot artist era ending, we now venture toward our official opening. Stay tuned!
“Coming to Iolair I had the idea that I wanted to work mostly on ideas surrounding scale invariant structures: like machines that when you dig down deep into their parts you can’t tell if you’ve just ended up looking at their face a
As our programming has continued to evolve, iolair has moved toward a juried nomination and invitation model, instead of an application process. Our intention is to serve both artist and our local community as thoughtfully as we can. Thank you for
“Big moments, events, experiences create immediate impact. Yet I find that it’s often the little things that cause me to pause and ponder more deeply about meaning, timing, existence. It’s often the little things-over-time that affe
Appreciating the pause between seasons, grateful to our summer pilot artists, as iolair continues to evolve!
Tomorrow, Wednesday, Squire Broel will open iolair’s studio doors from 2-4! Come behold the painting and sculptural creations. We are located at 190 N Beach Rd.
Artist @squirebroel is in the house, his creations interplaying with our backyard meadow! “Squire Broel’s visual language gives shape to his encounters with both the visible world and the invisible world. Nuances, commonly overlooked i
Artist Cathy McClure filled iolair with color and animation these past weeks! Her “mutants” explored the garden and were drawn in giant scale upon the walls. She revealed new forms beneath the fluff and danced around the studio, configuri
American artist and anti-disciplinarian Cathy McClure and her “Mutants” are in the house and will open the studio doors tomorrow, July 14, 2-4p.m! Come visit us at 190 N Beach Rd, Orcas Island.
Open studio featuring Cathy McClure Sunday 14, 2-4p.m. Cathy McClure, American artist and anti-disciplinarian, is in the house! Molded by the South and an enduring connection to nature in all its beauty and devastation (her childhood home demolish
Open studio tomorrow with Eirik Johnson 2-4 p.m.! He has been inhabiting iolair and catching the most beautiful light on camera. Iolair is located at 190 N Beach Rd, Orcas Island. Photos by Eirik Johnson @orcawatch
Open studio this Friday from 2-4p.m.— Please drop by to meet Artist-in-residence Eirik Johnson and to view his work! Photographic artist Eirik Johnson makes conceptually-grounded work examining the intersections of contemporary environmental,

contact

mailing address: PO Box 1119  Eastsound, WA  98245