Skip to content

Wallace Stegner House writer residency starts GoFundMe after recent struggles

The Wallace Stegner House in Eastend, Sask. is in need of financial support to continue offering its writer and artist residency program
Stegner House, Eastend, SK c. Dean Bauche
The Wallace Stegner House, in Eastend, Sask. (photo: Dean Bauche)

The Eastend Arts Council is looking for help from the community to keep the Wallace Stegner House and its residency program afloat after a barrage of struggles this year.

The Stegner House was once the childhood home to Pulitzer-Prize winning author Wallace Stegner, although for the last 30 years the house has hosted over 270 writers and artists through a unique residency program. 

Maintained by volunteers from the community, the Stegner House is one of the first residencies of its kind in Canada and one of only six community-operated artist/writer residencies located in the home of a renowned writer still in use. 

But the Stegner House has reached a critical point, as the hidden jewel is in need of financial support due to a list of reasons. 

Artist or writer residencies are not eligible for operational funding, said the Eastend Arts Council, and the combined problems caused by COVID-19, the cancellation of the non-profit’s annual fundraiser and a necessary roof repair have prompted them to seek help elsewhere.

The Stegner House has launched a GoFundMe campaign, seeking $50,000 to cover the maintenance and administrative costs of the historical residence, subsidize residency fees for artists and writers and complete repairs on the heritage property.

“Wallace Stegner House provides... the quiet community in which to work in solitude and silence and in a landscape of great beauty... [it] provides a service not only to the community, and to the artists, but also to this country for it is artists who define and describe it and thus make it real,” said founder and renowned author Sharon Butala. “Without additional funding, and after 30 very successful years, the House could disappear.”

Wallace Stegner, in 1976.Credit...Baron Wolman_Getty ImagesWriter and environmentalist Wallace Stegner lived in the house for several years during his childhood and accredited much of his inspiration to the experiences he had in southern Saskatchewan. (supplied)

The Stegner House has provided inspiration to many artists over the years, including Stegner himself who wrote his novel Wolf Willow based on his experiences as a child in Eastend.

Stegner was a very well-known writer and environmentalist, who often traced his inspiration as a writer back to the time he spent in southern Saskatchewan. 

Following his passing, artists in the community saw an opportunity to continue his legacy by restoring his childhood home into the creative space it is now.

“Imagine how gratified [Wallace Stegner] was to know that his childhood home in Eastend had become and continues to be three decades later a refuge that might ease some of [the] harsh practicalities for successive generations of artists,” said daughter-in-law Lynn Stegner, shared through the House’s GoFundMe page. “There is no other like the Stegner House Residency program.”

The GoFundMe for the heritage home has reached just over $17,000 at the time of publishing, and organizers are encouraging residents to continue to donate in support of the unique cultural residence and share the details of the House’s need on social media. 

To donate to the Stegner House, visit the “Stegner House Needs Your Help!” campaign page on GoFundMe’s website, or check geographyofhope.ca for more information on the residency program and the house’s history.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks