<p>Gathered for the evening meal, pictured clockwise from left: Cyndy Hayward, Becky Alprin, Kevin Mendoza, Nina Macheel, Adrienne Celt and Katie Twiss. In the background, chef Darice Grass practices her own form of art in the kitchen at Willapa Bay AiR.</p>

The ancient Greeks considered it purely feminine, and also divine: a fleeting gift from the gods; for the Romans, it was summoned at will through the flickering light of a candle. The great poets Shelley and Keats believed it billowed in on mystical winds which is hard to imagine, since Friedrich von Schiller had it locked away in his writing desk, cloaked in the scent of half-rotting apples.

Beethoven looked for it each morning in a cup of coffee brewed from precisely 60 beans; Francis Bacon found it most amiable when he painted with a hangover; and Maya Angelou once claimed that it only shows up when she works in a tiny, mean hotel. Since humankind first scribbled in the firelight on the walls of caves, the creatively-minded have been trying to conjure it, cajole it and capture it for good. But artists of the world, take note: On 16 quiet acres in coastal southwest Washington, the elusive Muse has finally arrived. And judging from the looks of things, shes here to stay.

Decades of forethought and hard work came to fruition last month when Willapa Bay AiR opened its doors in Oysterville, Wash., officially launching what is sure to be one of the most sought-after artist-in-residence programs in the nation. Each year from March through September, select emerging and established artists from a variety of disciplines writers, poets, painters, sculptors, scholars and musical composers will all be invited, five at a time, for fully funded month-long stays in a place where they can be singularly devoted to their creative efforts. On a patch of ground that mixes the wild and woolly with the highly refined, no stone has been left unturned.

We wanted to be certain that all final details were in place, right down to the lightbulbs, says Cyndy Hayward, the facilitys founder, who acknowledges that setting up house for inspiration is no easy feat. Right now though, Im feeling confident that, by and large, everything is just as weve worked so hard to make it be.

Based on early reviews, Haywards positive intuition seems spot on: Its simply perfect, says novelist Adrienne Celt, who arrived from Tucson, Ariz., to spend a string of recent days at work on-site. Every aspect shows insight into what an artist needs; they got it just exactly right.

Our goal is to provide them with unfettered time, says executive director Nina Macheel, time and space to explore and evolve and feel supported in their work. Whatever it is that is creatively revolutionary, whatever it is that allows for a shift or a movement in the work of an artist a kind of opening thats what were hoping to create. All weve done is set the stage, but its entirely their platform. What they do on that stage is up to them.

Within this theater for imagination, amid a forest of native spruce and hemlock, ribbons of curving pathways connect tiers of gracefully carved meadows dotted with a periphery of buildings all architecturally designed to meet a specific need. Five finely-furnished cabins, replete with workspace niches, shelter individual artists. Each structure is situated to capture light and natural views, but is also turned precisely to avoid external distractions. Expansive visual art studios brim over with a flood of diffuse northern light, so sacred to painters and sculptors, while blank walls and tables lie in wait to be of service. There are trails for walking and bikes for riding the splendid Willapa Bay estuary, the charming village of Oysterville, and the shores of the Pacific all within easy reach. And solidly at the center of things, the main lodge offers accommodations for gathering, relaxing and, of course, dining.

While breakfast at Willapa Bay AiR is a continental affair, upon the noon hour each day, lunch is prepared by the facilitys chef, Darice Grass, and delivered to each artist while they work, furthering that steady stream of unobstructed time. Dinner, on the other hand, is a feast of communal deliciousness, bringing everyone together to share in an evening meal the programs only real requirement and one the artists seem happy to oblige.

Its such an interesting idea, says Celt, reflecting on the dinner design. Being in the company of artists from different disciplines turns out to be so healthy for the mind, because youre not all drawing from the same well of influence and material. The kinds of things that a visual artist or a composer will notice, for instance, are, by nature, different kinds of things than what I might be attuned to. What I lack in my daily life is not intelligent people I have plenty of intelligent feedback. What I dont have is artistic feedback, and finding that each night at the dinner table is invaluable.

We believe so strongly in that interplay that the balance of solitude and community, of ideas and exchange is a significant part of the dynamic here, says Macheel, elucidating the heart of the program, which holds that some of each component is necessary, if creativity is to thrive. Its a simple model, well-thought-out, and so far, the creative cocktail seems to be working. So well in fact that in some cases its even clocking a little overtime.

Communicating by email, six months after participating in a trial residency last September that sought to test and inform the programs goals, singer/songwriter James Hurley writes, The residency had a very significant and unanticipated effect; spending an undistracted month in the creative mindset that has been at the very center of everything Ive ever written was a revelation. I became aware of the vast gulf that has developed over the years between that place where creativity lives, and the life I lead in an effort to make a living with my music. My approach to my career has since undergone a complete paradigm shift; it was the opportunity of a lifetime, and I treasure the memories and the lessons.

Standing on the grounds of the AiR, at the near completion of this years first month-long residency, Haywards smile reflects her satisfaction. To see all the years of effort all the time, money and thought that has gone into this project to see it all finally come together, has me very pleased, she says. At the core of my vision is the belief that art is necessary to our culture and vital to our humanity. And to have these artists here doing their work and feeling supported in it, basically having my exact mission echoed back in their productivity and their collaborative experiences honestly, my heart is simply soaring.

Of course, its not exactly flying solo.

When someone is going to this level, to bolster you and give you a good experience so that your practice can be at the center of focus, its really moving and splendid and also humbling in the very best way, says G.C. Waldrep, a poet on sabbatical from professorship at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn. Theres utter magic in it.

Setting up something new that is this rich and this giving and this caring to working artists this absolutely nourishing is something Im so grateful for, adds Celt. Its transformative, really, and I want to be a part of this, this strange beautiful family, forever.