We invite LGBTQIA+ artists, BIPOC creators, and anyone seeking solace in the desert - Wonder Mountain Desert Cabin offers a unique residency program for writers, healers, artists, and musicians. Nestled in the heart of Wonder Valley, California, just a short drive from Joshua Tree National Park, our cabin provides the perfect environment to reflect, reset, nurture your creativity, and reconnect yourself with the cycles of the cosmos.
We encourage artists and writers seeking a quiet and inspiring rural desert environment to consider Wonder Mountain Desert Cabin + Open Source Space as a potential residency location. Please feel free to contact us for further details and to share this opportunity with anyone who might be interested.
Wonder Mountain Open Source Space:
An Artist's Refuge in Southern California
Immerse yourself in the magic of the Mojave Desert.
Unparalleled Stargazing: Witness the breathtaking night sky, bursting with stars and the Milky Way. During the summer months, watch in awe as The Perseids and meteors streak across the canvas of darkness.
Tranquility and Inspiration: Find solace in the desert's embrace. The healing power of silence, the vibrant colors of the landscape, and the vastness of the sky will inspire and rejuvenate you.
Desert Oasis: Wake up to the gentle chatter of quail in the nearby Salt Cedar trees and spend your days surrounded by the desert's unique beauty. You might even spot a blooming cactus, coyote, jackrabbit, or desert tortoise near the property.
Our spacious 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom cabin
Private sanctuary: Each resident gets a comfortable bedroom with a desk for focused work. Fast WiFi.
Collaborate and share ideas in our communal workspace or sunbathe on the 50-foot outdoor patio with a soaking tub, cozy loungers and couches.
Prepare your own meals in our fully-equipped kitchen, stocked with organic cooking oils, spices, coffee, and tea.
Replenish with our healing mineral water, filtered through reverse osmosis for peace of mind.
Unwind in our natural stone soaking tub, filled with mineral-rich spring water from the desert's aquifer.
Unforgettable Evenings: See the stunning mountain views and starlit nights from our outdoor dining patio with a hot tub – the perfect spot to witness the epic Perseid meteor showers.
We at You Joy Life + Wonder Mountain Desert Cabin + Open Source Space acknowledge the Serrano, Cahuilla, Chemehuevi and Mohave (Mojave) indigenous people, the traditional custodians of this land. We recognize the ongoing impact of colonization and displacement on Indigenous communities. We honor their deep connection to this place and their enduring stewardship of the land and waters.
This inclusive residency welcomes LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and neurodivergent creatives of several disciplines:
Writers (poetry, fiction, screenplays, creative nonfiction, more), Photographers, Filmmakers, Healers and wellness practitioners, Movement/Choreographers, Astrologers, Curators, Earth Scientists, Activists, Musicians and composers are highly encouraged to apply.
Apply as an individual, or as a group of up to 8 artists working collaboratively. Note that the sleeping arrangements will change depending on occupancy. Please ask for more information. $1,800 for two weeks - meals not included, full kitchen provided. Our current space does not fully meet accessibility standards for individuals using wheelchairs. We are actively working to improve our accessibility to ensure all qualified applicants, including those with disabilities, have an equal opportunity to participate.
Applications are open year-round and require a portfolio/work sample, project proposal, personal statement, artist statement, references, and a $15 fee. Scholarships are available.
Apply For An Artist’s Residency
Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly-we can't wait to hear from you. If you’re ready to apply now, head to the link here
‘Once out in the desert, under the stars, when I turned into the earth turning on its axis. Sometimes thinking, just thinking things through. But always alone. By myself.’
Ursula K. LeGuin
Forget yourself. Become one with eternity. Become part of your environment.
Yayoi Kusama
‘Horses in my dreams
like waves, like the sea
They pull out of here
they pull, they are free
I rode a horse around the world
along the tracks of a train
broke the record, found the gold
set myself free again
I have pulled myself clear
Horses in my dreams
like waves, like the sea
On the tracks of a train
set myself free again
I have pulled myself clear’
PJ Harvey
‘And I grew braver in the dark, which became somehow more intimate, less lonely.’
Ocean Vuong
‘The sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being‘
Carl Jung
Entries in Octavia E. Butler's journal
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Dream it. Ursula K. LeGuin did.
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Do it. Octavia E. Butler did.
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Explore it. PJ Harvey did.
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Decolonize it. Octavia E. Butler did.
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Wonder it.
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Believe it. James Baldwin did.
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Become Infinite. Yayoi did.
‘When I take you to the Valley, you’ll see the blue hills on the left and the blue hills on the right, the rainbow and the vineyards under the rainbow late in the rainy season, and maybe you’ll say, “There it is, that’s it!” But I’ll say. “A little farther.” We’ll go on, I hope, and you’ll see the roofs of the little towns and the hillsides yellow with wild oats, a buzzard soaring and a woman singing by the shadows of a creek in the dry season, and maybe you’ll say, “Let’s stop here, this is it!” But I’ll say, “A little farther yet.” We’ll go on, and you’ll hear the quail calling on the mountain by the springs of the river, and looking back you’ll see the river running downward through the wild hills behind, below, and you’ll say, “Isn’t that the Valley?” And all I will be able to say is “Drink this water of the spring, rest here awhile, we have a long way yet to go and I can’t go without you.’
Ursula K. LeGuin, Always Coming Home