| Contacts: | Michael Williams, (970) 882-5600 |
Bureau of Land Management Names 2012 Artists-in-Residence Winners (03-22-12)
DOLORES, Colo. - The Bureau of Land Management selected four professional artists as the winners of the inaugural Artist-in-Residence program at the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. Each artist will spend a week absorbing and experiencing the monument’s landscape, creating a work of art in response to the experience and then sharing their vision and techniques with the public during summer 2012.
Forty-four artists from across the nation applied for residencies, and the following artists were chosen on the basis of artistic merit and public outreach proposals: Joyce Heuman of Cortez, Colo.; Arthur Short Bull of Estes Park, Colo.; Kirk Gittings of Albuquerque, N.M; and Carol Chamberland of Albuquerque, N.M.
“Artists will have the time and solitude to pursue creative work before leading a public program of their own design,” said Marietta Eaton, Anasazi Heritage Center/Canyons of the Ancients National Monument manager. “The program will provide an opportunity for learning and dialogue about the value of preserving public lands. As we share the artist’s work, we hope to promote an appreciation of our local landscapes while raising awareness of its unique and fragile nature that requires preservation for future generations.”
The winning artists receive housing and studio space, and each artist is required to donate at least one digital image of completed artwork to the BLM.
The Artist-in-Residence Program promotes awareness of the exceptional places protected within the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System, which includes some National Monuments, National Wild and Scenic Rivers, designated wilderness and wilderness study areas. The Monument encompasses thousands of archaeological sites including 13 Ancestral Puebloan settlements identified for visitors and is believed to have the highest number and density of archaeological sites of any landscape in the United States.
For more information about Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, go to www.co.blm.gov/canm.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
29211 Highway 184 Dolores, CO 81323