Retreats + residencies for design professionals.

Anker offers on-site creative collaboration opportunities for design professionals.

Charlie Kang

Unlike most “artist residencies,” the Anker Residency invites individual professionals and teams across a wide array of design areas to collaborate on problem-solving projects specifically related to the property or programming.

In 2025, a design team led by Esther Mun of Little Fury was assembled to “re-cast” Kingston House to Anker. More than a re-brand, the team’s task was to design for a new identity. The team also produced a video, directed by James H. Martin, highlighting the Residency program.

2025 Residency

In July 2024, over a tiny table of Romanian tapas in the Lower East Side, Anker founder/caretaker Matt Kelley asked Esther Mun of Little Fury, if she would lead a “re-casting” effort for the place formerly known as Kingston House.

Several meetings and months later, in late January 2025, four U.S. and U.K. creatives from the fields of graphic design (Esther Mun), photography (Charlie Kang), filmmaking (James H. Martin) and strategy (Melinda Livsey) converged in Kingston for a 19-day design sprint.

Most days began with morning meditations and delicious meals crafted by Charlie. Lengthy creative sessions were occasionally interrupted by field trips to local highlights (Bay Hay & Feed + Indianola Dock) or dips in the hot tub during the winter’s only significant snowfall. Despite the ambitious goals, built into the schedule was time for rest, reflection or other work.

At the end of the Residency, the team had finalized a logo mark, a tagline, a design framework for the website, the magazine and gallery placards, a “featurette” video about the Residency (watch below) and a significant catalog of photographs of the House and Park.

James. H. Martin

Residents

Esther Mun

GRAPHIC DESIGNER + TEAM LEAD

Esther Mun’s love of typography led her to the School of Visual Arts in NYC. She first practiced design at Pentagram and Duffy + Partners design team. In 2006, she co-founded Little Fury Design, an independent studio with an initial product line of linkable notebooks and a specialization in branding and packaging. In 2022, she launched Call to Gather, dedicated to developing the creative community and spreading the importance of reigniting childlike wonder of making by turning every table into a playground for adults.

Charlie Kang

PHOTOGRAPHER

Charlie (Kyung Chul) Kang is a photographer in pursuit of beauty in every moment, seeking to uncover the sacred within the ordinary. A facilitator of creativity and community, he explores moments, rhythms and spaces; capturing both the seen and unseen. His work reflects the light and shadow of life, embracing both with kingness and care. Rooted in rhythms of prayer, Charlie’s photography is an extension of his desire to become a beautiful human and to see the world through an honest yet hopeful lens. Charlie is also a Call to Gather artist, facilitating Modern Kintsugi experience.

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Melinda Livsey

STRATEGIST

Melinda Livsey is a strategist who helps people see the gold in themselves—their value, potential, and next steps. She loves breaking things down, refining processes, and guiding creatives through roadblocks. By drawing out what makes people and businesses unique, she helps build brands that are both meaningful and lasting.

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James H. Martin

FILMMAKER

James Martin is a New York-based cinematographer. He has a BA in Photojournalism from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has shot films and commercials around the world—Hong Kong, Germany, Bolivia, Honduras and across the United States. He values hiring underrepresented crew and telling underrepresented stories via narrative and commercial imagemaking.