About the Program

The Friends of Newton Cemetery & Arboretum is pleased to announce the launch of the first official Artist in Residence (AiR) program. This residency offers an artist the opportunity to create original work inspired by Newton’s garden cemetery landscape, history, and mission of remembrance and reflection.

The Artist in Residence will have access to the grounds as both studio and subject, engaging with the unique environment of a working cemetery and accredited arboretum. Through their work, the artist will help interpret the Cemetery’s role as a place of beauty, memory, and community.

The residency will culminate in a public program and exhibition, inviting visitors to experience the cemetery through the artist’s perspective. By connecting art and place, this program seeks to foster dialogue, inspire reflection, and deepen appreciation for the Cemetery as both a cultural and natural resource.

Kayla Anne Hardy (1986-2016) was Newton Cemetery’s first artist-in-residence, although there was no formal program at the time. While an intern at Newton Cemetery & Arboretum, Kayla documented, researched, and photographed all the mausolea that were in place at the time and turned that information into a beautiful handbound book of her own design. Kayla was a gifted photographer, graphic designer, and artist who drew energy and inspiration from the landscape at Newton Cemetery & Arboretum.

We look forward to sharing more details about the program, upcoming events, and the application process for next year.

LEARN MORE

Apply for 2026

Meet this year's Artist - Kasey Kaufman

As an award-winning television news anchor and reporter on WBZ-TV in Boston for nearly 25 years, Kasey relied on video and the spoken word to tell the stories of our time. These days, she uses a different kind of toolkit to communicate, tubes of paint, brushes, and canvases. As a journalist accustomed to editing and revising, Kasey approaches making art in a similar way. She applies paint layer upon layer, constantly searching to create an emotional connection with the viewer.

Kasey strives for simplicity in her work- in color, composition and subject matter. She traverses between abstract and realism, still life and landscape. Her paintings are inspired by real and imagined scenes that define who she is and where she came from, growing up in both Vermont and California.

As a mostly self-taught artist, Kasey’s work continues to evolve. She is a believer in the practice of daily painting and sketching. It is meditative and has also trained her to see the world with more clarity, appreciation, and delight.

Kasey is a member of the Copley Society of Art, the oldest artist guild in the United States. A limited series of her paintings are available as fine art prints, online through the Maine Cottage Furniture collection. Kasey’s paintings have also been exhibited at the Art in the Village Gallery in Warren, Vermont, in Massachusetts at Art Nova Gallery in Chatham, Cadeau in Brookline, at Nest in Dedham, and at Elizabeth Home in Chestnut Hill.

In 2025, Kasey returned for a second season as the Artist in Residence at Towles Court Art Center in Sarasota, Florida.

Kasey can be found on Instagram (@365pears), and at www.KaseyKaufmanArt.com