The Deer Songs Residency Program
Located at The MERC in Huston, ID, The Deer Songs Residency is focused on making space and time for creative engagement and chronicling of the seasons. Artists and creators will be invited to stay at The MERC for a period of time for research, making, and presentation. They will be awarded a stipend for their time. Residents might make things like songs, tools, dances, sculptures, instruments, recipes, stories, weavings, books, or maps to crystallize their experiences. At the end, each resident will share what they’ve made, inviting others to learn, join in, and help the work grow. In 2026, the residency will begin a grounding year, where residents will be specifically invited to participate. Following this, anyone interested will be invited to apply.
Even as we are figuring things out, we’d love to hear from you and dream together!
Email us at community(at)polumbolum.org
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The Deer Flat Mercantile is located in the town of Huston, in the Sunny Slope region of Southwestern Idaho. Built in 1908, the Mercantile served the bustling farming community until it closed in 2005. With over a century of history in its walls, this building has been present during much of the growth and development of the Treasure Valley. As a hub for commerce, the Merc has been a place where people could purchase goods without having to make a long trip to one of the larger towns in the area. We wonder about how the community in Huston and the agricultural region beyond remembers The MERC, and would love to connect with folks who have memories, memorabilia, photos, stories, etc!
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Our purpose is to create potent seeds for an earthbound human culture. By initiating an eco-cultural creative residency program amid both eco and social emergencies, we mean to encourage creative connection that leads back to our essential relations with the land.
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The Deer Songs Residency Program is in its nascent phase, so much of our approach right now is in building an understanding of what work there is to do. In our first year of operating a residency program, we will invite artists to take up research strands that will ultimately build on themselves, over time.
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If you’re interested in visiting The MERC, please get in touch! To set up a tour, email us at community(at)polumbolum.org
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