Many parks offer Artist-in-Residence programs for pursuing various creative endeavors including visual arts, performing arts, writing and music. While details vary, most include lodging for 2-4 weeks and in a few occasions a stipend while offering the opportunity to create while immersed in nature. In return, the artist will volunteer time in the park’s public programs. It’s a win-win-win situation as the artist gets a free stay in an inspiring environment, while supporting community arts interest and drawing visitors to our country’s beautiful natural treasures.

Yellowstone River

NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM

View the many opportunities, by state, here: www.nps.gov

Featured National Park Opportunities:

CARL SANDBURG HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
Office: 81 Carl Sandburg Lane, Flat Rock, NC 28731 • (828) 693-4178
Park: 1900 Little River Road, Flat Rock, NC 28731
• Visit Website
Dedicated to preserving the legacy of Carl Sandburg and communicating the stories of his works, life, and significance as an American poet, writer, historian, biographer of Abraham Lincoln, and social activist. Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site preserves and interprets the farm, Connemara, where Sandburg and his family lived for the last 22 years of his life (1945-1967). This 267-acre park contains forests and woodlands, rock outcrops and cove forests, fields and ponds.
Carl Sandburg Home Writer-in-Residence Program: This 3-week residency during March/April offers a historic cottage near the Sandburg Home and was created for early-career writers.
Residents receive: stipend, lodging, utilities, bookstore discount
Residents contribute: up to 10 hours per week in community outreach
To apply: visit www.nps.gov

BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT
Office: 15 Entrance Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544 • (505) 672-3861 x517
• Visit Website
In north-central New Mexico, ten miles from Los Alamos and an hour’s drive from Santa Fe, Bandelier National Monument occupies more than 32,817 acres on the southern section of the Pajarito Plateau, a gently sloping highland east of the Jemez Mountains. It features archeological sites dating from 1150 to 1550 CE, including large pueblos and cave dwellings once occupied by ancestral Pueblo people. Hikers will enjoy canyons with elevations ranging from 5,300 feet at the Rio Grande River to 10,199 at the summit of Cerro Grande.
Bandelier National Monument Artist-in-Residence Program: Selected artists stay in a historic, Pueblo-style residence for 2-4 weeks in September-December based on what they can offer park visitors featuring the park’s heritage.
Residents receive: Lodging (No stipend)
Residents contribute: workshops, demonstrations, or performances based on their talents.
To apply: visit www.nps.gov

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
Old Faithful Area
P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190-0168 • (307) 344-7381
• Visit Website
Art played a major role in creating the first national park—Yellowstone. Paintings and drawings by Thomas Moran and photographs by William Henry Jackson were instrumental in convincing Congress in 1872 that the area was both beautiful and valuable. Yellowstone National Park is a nearly 3,500-sq.-mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. Mostly in Wyoming, the park spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho too. Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. It’s also home to hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk, and antelope.
Yellowstone Art & Photography Center: Artists-in-Residence live and work in Yellowstone National Park and engage with park visitors and gateway communities as they creatively explore one of America’s most awe-inspiring landscapes. Artists of all disciplines and experience levels are encouraged to apply. One artist will be selected for each 2-week period from June-September each year.
Residents receive: stipend (to help offset food expense), lodging in the Old Faithful area of the park with heating/air conditioning, studio space in the art center, 30% discount in park stores and gift shops.
Resident contributes: 6 hours per week volunteering in public programs
To apply: email art@yellowstone.org or visit www.yellowstone.org/experience/artist-in-residence/air-application-requirements

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Combine your passion for creativity and the outdoors in the Bureau of Land Management’s Artist-in-Residence Program. Whether you paint, shoot photographs, sculpt, create pottery, or create other types of art, you can be inspired by the beauty of the public lands and your work can inspire others. View the many opportunities here: www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
National Office: 1849 C Street NW, Room 5665, Washington, DC 20240
BLM AIR Contact: (202) 912-7583
Current Opportunities: www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence/air-sites
Residents receive: 6-to-8 week residencies in several western states in housing and studio space within or adjacent to the participating BLM site. Participants are encouraged to use their observational skills in portraying the variety of cultural and natural resources on BLM lands such as historic structures, artifacts, cultural landscapes, geologic features, and plant and animal life.
Resident contributes: a creative project that promotes public appreciation of the landscape, raises awareness of the environment and inspires visitors to preserve these resources. Artists are volunteer spokespeople representing their host site.  They may be requested to lead a class or workshop, provide an onsite public presentation and/or share their work at a local exhibit. The artists translate their experience into images, objects, or performances that create a deeper understanding of public lands.
To apply: www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence/air-sites (select site from list)

STATE PARKS

Alaska State Parks Artist-in-Residence Program
550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1380, Anchorage, AK 99501 • (907) 269-8738
• Visit Website
Residents receive: Selected artists will spend up to two weeks at the historic Ernest Gruening Cabin outside of Juneau, between May and September each year. The cabin was the territorial governor’s summer retreat and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Resident contributes: Each artist-in-resident will donate a minimum of one piece of artwork, photo or written piece inspired by their time in the park and will offer a community outreach activity for the public during or following their residency.
To apply: dnr.alaska.gov/parks

South Carolina State Parks Artist-In-Residence Program
Contact: (803) 734-0156
• Visit Website
Open to all artists whose work can portray the natural and cultural resources found at state parks. The program is open to South Carolina and non-South Carolina residents.
Residents receive: the use of a cabin for a 1-week period.
Resident contributes: participating artists will donate an original work representative of their stay at their selected park within 90 days of their residency. The original work will be displayed in the cabins and other facilities throughout the park. The finished artwork should reflect a part of the artist’s residing park for present and future generations.
To apply: southcarolinaparks.com/park-news/artist-in-residence-program

USDA / FOREST SERVICE

The Voices of the Wilderness Artist Residency
United States Department of Agriculture – Alaska Regional Office
P.O. Box 21628, Juneau, AK 99802-1628 • (907) 586-8806
The idea is to give artists a sense of the stewardship behind America’s public lands, fostering an artistic exploration of these natural and cultural treasures. The hoped-for result is artwork that communicates something of the meaning of these lands. Recognizing that today’s artists continue to link people to the land, the US Forest Service, National Park Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service are sponsoring Voices of the Wilderness, artist-in-residence opportunities hosted in some of Alaska’s wildest and most scenic areas.
Residents receive: lodging in tents or historic cabins during the summer (usually 1-3 weeks) with time to experience the solitude of the wilderness. Primitive or backcountry camping experience helpful, as many opportunities involve flying or boating into remote areas. Safety training and field transportation provided.
Resident contributes: Travel alongside a ranger, assisting with some basic ranger duties or rehabilitation projects, or visitor interaction. Experience the wilderness and use your creative energy to bring its voice back to the community. Artists are responsible for their personal gear, including art supplies and travel expenses to Alaska.
To apply: www.fs.usda.gov

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