ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM SITES
2023 Artist-in-Residence Program Opportunities
The list of sites with open opportunities below is updated regularly. If you are interested in a BLM-managed area that’s not listed, consider reaching out directly to the site or field office to ask if they have an Artist-in-Residence program or may be planning to start one. A directory of BLM offices is available here.
Alaska
Contact: Tyra Olstad, tolstad@blm.gov
Application Deadline: Application period closed on March 24, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted.
More Info: https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence/air-sites/dalton-highway
This year, the BLM Alaska and Toolik Field Station are offering a collaborative Dalton Highway Artist-in-Residence opportunity. It will run for five to seven days between June and September 2023, with exact dates at the discretion of the artist. During the residency, the artist will have the opportunity to travel much of the Dalton Highway, speak with land managers and scientific researchers, and pursue their artistic discipline amid Alaska’s inspiring landscapes.
California
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area
Contact: Ginger Wojciechowski, gwojciechowski@blm.gov
Application Deadline: Application period closed on April 30, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted.
More Info:
- https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence/air-sites/alabama-hills-national-scenic-area
- https://www.blm.gov/visit/alabama-hills-national-scenic-area
The BLM Bishop Field Office is accepting applications for artists to be inspired by the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area. Residency will be 7 days between October 1st and November 11th 2023. Exact dates are based on the availability of the artist and Bishop Field Office. There is a possibility for housing during residency, details will be provided if the option is present. Artists will have the opportunity to speak with Park Rangers and explore the many scenic areas within the Alabama Hills, located amongst the Sierra Nevada skyline.
King Range National Conservation Area
Contact: Sandy Miles, smiles@blm.gov
Application Deadlines:
- Spring 2023 residency: Application period closed on April 5, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted.
- Fall 2023 residency: Application period closes September 1, 2023 for the Fall 2023 residency
More Info: https://www.sheltercoveartsrecreation.com/2023-artist-in-residence-info.html
The BLM and the Shelter Cove Arts and Recreation Foundation (SCARF) are pleased to announce the 2023 sessions of the King Range National Conservation Area Artist in Residence program. The residency will offer an inspirational and unique 4-weeks on California’s remote Lost Coast for painters, photographers, printmakers, and graphic artists. The 2023 residencies will each run for a period of four weeks. These are the sessions currently planned for 2023, however dates are subject to change:
- Session #1: 5/15/23 - 6/12/23
- Session #2: 9/25/23 - 10/23/23
Nevada
Black Rock Desert National Conservation Area
Contact: Kathy Torrence, ktorrence@blm.gov
Application Deadline: Application period closed on April 21, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted.
More Info: https://blackrockdesert.org/artist-residence-program-2023/
Friends of Black Rock – High Rock, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, is launching two artist residencies for a two-week duration in Summer 2023. Applications will be accepted over six-weeks, from February 21, 2023 until the deadline of April 21, 2023.The artist selected for this opportunity will engage with a small community audience and experience the vast landscapes available in our National Conservation Lands. Public programs and community outreach projects, and an exhibition of the artists work will be hosted in Reno, Gerlach and other rural communities in Nevada. Resident artists will be ambassadors of the Black Rock Desert NCA, working to promote awareness of the need for conservation and stewardship of this and other National Conservation Lands in the United States.
Oregon
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Contact: John Duwe, jduwe@blm.gov
Application Deadline: Application period closed on April 23, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted.
More info: https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence/air-sites/cascade-siskiyou
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument's 2023 Artist-in-Residence program is accepting applications and the deadline has been extended to April 23, 2023! The BLM will select two artists in 2023. Each will choose a 1-2 week stay in June or July in a 16' Casita camper at Hyatt Lake's Wildcat Campground. Artists are required to donate finished art to the BLM and provide a formal presentation to the public during their residencies. Inspiration abounds at the monument and we need your help in protecting its spectacular biodiversity through creative expression. Apply before April 23!
Riddle Brothers Ranch National Historic District on Steens Mountain
Contact: Tara Thissell, tthissell@blm.gov
The Riddle Brothers Ranch National Historic District on Steens Mountain will welcome its first ever artist-in-residence in the summer of 2023. Beginning June 20 for about three weeks, artist Normandy Helmer will be on site to bring her interpretations of ranch life to canvas. Ms. Helmer has been an Oregonian for over 30 years and works primarily in pen and watercolor. She and her husband John spend significant time volunteering in the backcountry, which is where she does her best work. “Plein air encourages me to look closely at the extraordinary scenery of the Great Basin. Doing this kind of artwork requires that you sit still, which also means experiencing the beautiful landscape, hearing the bird song and the insects, feeling the sun and the breeze, often seeing wildflowers and wildlife,” explained Ms. Helmer. “I'm excited to share the beauty of Steens and its ranching history with the public.”
Contact: Anthony Saunders, asaunders@blm.gov
Application Deadline: Application period closed May 26, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted.
More Info: https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/oregon-washington/rogue-wsr/history
The Rogue River Ranch Artist-in-Residence Program is committed to supporting artistic efforts that support the public lands. Artistic expertise, professionalism, and creative uses of artistic media are encouraged. Selected artists receive a one to two-week residency at the Ranch during the summer between June and August. The Ranch has a functioning kitchen featuring a gas stove, refrigerator, and microwave, as well as a full bath. The selected artist will be responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the living space. The nearest town is Glendale Oregon, two hours away by back country roads. Applicants are asked to plan accordingly when applying and be prepared for remote living during their stay. Cell service is sparse to nonexistent, but a landline and is available. The artist will have full access to the historic ranch, the Rogue River Trail, and the surrounding wilderness.
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
Contact: Katherine Fuller, kafuller@blm.gov
Application Deadline: Application period closed April 7, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted.
More Info: https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence/air-sites/yaquina-head
The Bureau of Land Management is pleased to announce the second Artist-in-Residence (AiR) program at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (ONA), sponsored through a partnership between Yaquina Head ONA, the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, and Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses. The Yaquina Head AiR program will again focus on attracting artists with an established connection to “place.” Together, sponsors will select one artist to interpret the distinctive resources found at Yaquina Head through their artistic medium. The Spring season is an ideal time to visit Yaquina Head ONA with a bounty of new life in the form of nesting seabirds, seal pups, and migrating whales.
Utah
Canyon Country District
Contact: Rachel Wootton, rwootton@blm.gov
Application Deadline: Application period closed May 27, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted.
More Info: https://www.blm.gov/get-involved-artist-residence-canyon-county-district
Through an artist’s perspective, the Canyon Country District Artist in Residence Program’s mission is to inspire, educate, and promote stewardship, that will enhance the understanding and need to protect our public land resources for future generations. The Moab and Monticello Field Offices will alternate each year hosting the Artist in Residence program. The 2023 residency will be hosted by the Monticello Field Office and is open to visual and written artists. Work completed during the residency must represent Canyon Country District with a focus on the Monticello Field Office/Bears Ears National Monument.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Contact: Allysia Angus, aangus@blm.gov
Application Deadline: Application period closed on April 10, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is pleased to announce applications are being accepted until midnight on April 10, 2023, for the 2023 Artist-in-Residence program, sponsored through partnership with the Escalante Canyons Art Festival and Glen Canyon Conservancy.
Past Artist-in-Residence Program Sites
The BLM piloted its first Artist-in-Residence Program in 2012 at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in southwest Colorado. The program has since expanded to include other BLM-managed lands, depending on interest, program funding, and available site staff. Below are links to past participants in the BLM Artist-in-Residence Program.
Alaska
Dalton Highway
Fortymile-Eagle Area
Pinnell Mountain National Recreation Trail
White Mountains National Recreation Area
California
King Range National Conservation Area/Shelter Cove Arts & Recreation Foundation
Colorado
Canyon of the Ancients National Monument
Idaho
Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness
Morley Nelson Birds of Prey National Conservation Area
South Fork of Snake River
Nevada
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area
New Mexico
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument
Oregon
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
Utah
Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Wyoming
National Historic Trails Interpretive Center & Casper Field Office