Artist-in-Residence Joyce Heuman Leads Sketching Hike on May 19 Joyce Heuman, Artist-in-Residence at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, led interested artists on a hiking and sketching tour on Saturday, May 19.  The Artist-in-Residence program  promotes awareness through art of the exceptional places protected within the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System, and provides opportunities for learning and dialogue about the value of public lands. Heuman, the second of four artists-in-residence scheduled to work in Canyons of the Ancients this summer, will devote herself to art and observation between May 13 and May 19. She is a watercolorist and aficionado of local history, and the only selected artist who lives in the Cortez area. Heuman’s twin passions, for painting and nature, are evident in all her work. She has exhibited art in various galleries and venues throughout the Southwest, and is currently employed by Crow Canyon Archaeological Center near Cortez.   According to Heuman, “A walk through this spectacular landscape is a journey through time, and many places show evidence of early habitation. Our imaginations are activated by intriguing alcoves that shelter the remains of ancient homes. “On our hike we will sketch, walk, and share impressions of our surroundings. Do you see the canyons though the eyes of a biologist, a geologist, or a historian? Join me to explore a unique point of view.” The lower Sand Canyon trailhead is twelve miles east of Highway 461 on County Road “G.” For more information, call the Anasazi Heritage Center at (970) 882-5600. Interested people may also contact Ms. Heuman directly at (970) 533-1223 (cell) or 564-1112 (studio). Pictured: Watercolor by Joyce Heuman

Mythological Landscapes: Artist-in-Residence Kirk Gittings Shares His Vision Kirk Gittings, first Artist-in-Residence at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, will discuss the ideas behind his life work in a theater presentation at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Anasazi Heritage Center at 1 p.m. on Saturday,  April 21. The Albuquerque photographer is one of four professional artists chosen for one-week residencies during the spring and summer at Canyons of the Ancients. His primary tool is a large-format 4x5 inch view camera, which demands a slow and deliberate approach, according to Gittings.   The Artist-in-Residence program promotes awareness through art of the exceptional places protected within the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System and provides an opportunity for learning and dialogue about the value of preserving public lands. Gittings sees the expanse of canyons and mesas as a mythological landscape with aesthetic and historic qualities to inspire both residents and visitors. He will spend a week immersed in the Monument landscapes, learning their inner story and making photographs. “My first mythological landscape was my childhood home west of Albuquerque,” said Gittings. “Surrounded by the volcanos, Sandia Peak, Ladron Peak, and Mount Taylor, my brother and I invented personal mythologies. I learned later that prominent landforms featured in Native American origin myths, and that tourist stops along Route 66 were mythologized versions of cowboy culture and the Old West.” Gittings’ acclaimed book Chaco Body (with poet V.B. Price) became the first part of a long-term project to reimagine the Southwest in mythic terms. Gittings has presented his work previously to the American Institute of Architects and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as at Chaco Canyon and the University of New Mexico. Tower at Painted Hand Pueblo in CANM by Kirk Gittings      Wall and petroglyph at Painted Hand Pueblo in CANM by Kirk Gittings

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The Bureau of Land Management has selected four arts professionals to represent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument near Dolores, Colorado during summer 2012.

Each artist chosen will spend one week absorbing and experiencing the Monument landscape, creating a work of art in response to the experience, then sharing their vision and techniques with the public.

Forty-four artists from across the nation applied for residencies at CANM. Those selected were chosen on the basis of both artistic merit and pubic outreach proposals. This year’s chosen artists are:

• Kirk Gittings of Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Joyce Heuman of Cortez, Colorado
• Carol Chamberland of Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Arthur Short Bull of Estes Park, Colorado
• (alternate) Charles Johnston of Helper, Utah
• (alternate) Lin Hampton of Denton, Texas

 Signed agreements must be completed and scheduling must be confirmed before selections are final. 

(ABOVE) Sand Canyon area in Canyons of the Ancients. Photo by Kim Gerhardt. (RIGHT) Saddlehorn Pueblo, 13th-century archaeological site in CANM. Photo by Eric Muller.

Canyons of the Ancients (CANM) is filled with both scenic beauty and unique human stories. There may be as many as 30,000 archaeological sites within CANM, including 13 Ancestral Puebloan sites currently identified and located for visitors.

The Artist-in-Residence (AiR) Program promotes awareness through art of the exceptional natural and cultural treasures protected by the National Landscape Conservation System. The program provides an opportunity for learning and dialogue about the value of these public lands resources. It will engage and inform an audience through outreach by AiR participants, and provide quality, uninterrupted time for artists to pursue their work.

The chosen artist will experience a stimulating and rugged environment in which to create art and share it with the public. CANM has few roads, little shade, and no visitor amenities except for its off-site headquarters (the Anasazi Heritage Center, about 20 miles east of Monument boundaries). Spring can be snowy and cold; summer can be hot.

Artists will donate a digital copy of at least one original piece of work created during and reflecting their experience in Canyons of the Ancients, which promotes appreciation and conservation of the public lands. The artwork should address content related to natural and/or cultural resources within Canyons of the Ancients.

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ELIGIBILITY: 
The CANM Artist-in-Residence program is open to all professional artists over 18 years of age who are United States residents, and who apply within the deadline period. Only artists in two-dimensional visual media will be considered during the pilot year 2012. Painters, photographers, printmakers, illustrators, and other graphic artists will be given consideration. The program may expanded to other media and other BLM sites in 2013 and beyond.

APPLICATION:   
See the application form. Applications were accepted from February 1 through February 29, 2012. Artists are requested to submit: 1) art samples in the format specified; 2) a resume of relevant previous work and achievement, and 3) a Project Proposal.  

Applications may be sent by email  OR physically mailed (on paper and/or CD) but NOT BOTH.

SELECTION CRITERIA: 
Proposals should address content related to natural and/or cultural resources within Canyons of the Ancients. Final selections are based on the proposal’s artistic merit and professionalism, the applicant’s resume, and a creative approach to the fulfillment of program goals, which are to promote:

• appreciation of the cultural and natural resources protected with CANM;
• awareness of the unique and the fragile nature of these resources; and
• visitor ethics and conduct that support resource preservation. 

Selection is solely based on merit, without regard to sex, race, creed, religion, national origin, employer, or physical ability.

APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES: 
Every effort will be made by BLM-CANM staff to accommodate disabled participants. However, accommodation corresponding to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards may be unavailable due to the historic or primitive nature of facilities in field locations.

SELECTION PROCESS: 
A panel of arts professionals, community representatives, BLM personnel, and BLM/CANM site staff will choose AiR participants. Selection and notification will be made by March 15, 2012.

RESIDENCY PERIOD: 
Residencies are scheduled for one week per month during April, May, June, and July of 2012. Preferences for scheduling of AiR residencies will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis.

HOUSING: 
BLM-CANM will provide basic housing, either within the National Monument or nearby. Applicants with vehicles such as campers or RVs are welcome to use them in lieu of the provided housing.

STUDIO SPACE: 
The CANM AiR program will provide basic studio space if available. Every effort will be made to accommodate artist's studio space needs. Studio space at the BLM-CANM site may not be available due to the primitive facilities on-site.

PERSONAL EXPENSES: 
Artists are responsible for personal expenses including travel, meals, transportation, cell phone, internet access, or insurance coverage. Some insurance coverage is provided under the required BLM Volunteer Services Agreement.

 

AGREEMENTS:  
In addition to the terms described on this page, the program participant must agree to sign and abide by the official BLM Volunteer Agreement during the residency period. The participant must abide by the same rules of conduct as any other visitor to CANM. Most of the monument is accessible by foot; vehicle access is more limited.

PRODUCT:  
The resident artist must provide BLM with a high-resolution, reproduction-quality image in digital format of at least one original artwork created during the residency or as a result of it, for possible publication within a poster, poster series, or other format. The digital image is due to BLM within one month (30 days) following the end of the residency period. 

The product must not identify nor communicate the location of archaeological sites that are not otherwise  publicly identified for visitors.

PUBLIC PRESENTATION: 
Dependent on the specific circumstances of each individual residency, the Artist-in-Residence artist is expected to conduct at least one 45-minute public presentation during their one week residency period. Potential public presentation venues include the BLM-CANM artist residence, local public libraries, schools, or cultural/arts centers. The program should be developed using only a few hours of the residency period in total, and tailored to the individual artist's medium, interests, and experience. Programs may include demonstrations, talks, exploratory walks, or hands-on workshops. Artists must provide their own supplies and equipment for these public presentations. Artists are also requested to give public presentations in their home communities about their residency experience after the residency ends.

COPYRIGHT & PUBLICATION: 

• Donated residency artwork will consist of a minimum of one (1) high-resolution digital image of residency artwork which may be reproduced in a BLM promotional poster, poster series, or other print or electronic publication format. The BLM will retain the copyright of this one donated digital image produced as a result of the residency by participating artists.
• For this donated digital imagery, the Bureau of Land Management will grant the artist a royalty-free, nonexclusive use license under copyright. When the artists reproduces this artwork for his/her own purposes, publication information will include the language: "This artwork was produced under the Artist-in-Residence Program of the Bureau of Land Management."
• The artist will agree that digital imagery donated to BLM may be used in exhibits and for educational purposes by the Bureau of Land Management or by its nonprofit cooperating associations.

OTHER PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program participants will abide by all local, state, and federal laws including all BLM rules and regulations appropriate to the BLM-CANM site during their residency. CANM managers, the local site AiR Program coordinator, or the national BLM Artist-in-Residence program office have the right to cancel any artist's residency immediately for inappropriate behavior or serious disregard for safety or BLM regulations. AiR Program participants will be official BLM Volunteers, and are encouraged to promote appropriate site etiquette and landscape conservation in any public contacts while acting as the Artist-in-Residence at Canyons of the Ancients.

Canyons of the Ancients  Artist-in-Residence  Application (PDF)

A completed application may be submitted by e-mail or via physical mail, BUT NOT BOTH.  Applications submitted twice will be excluded from evaluation.

For more information, contact the Canyons of the Ancients AiR program by e-mail or phone (970-882-5600).

 

CANYONS OF THE ANCIENTS NATIONAL MONUMENT
27501 HWY 184, DOLORES, CO 81323
(970) 882-5600