BLM Artist-in-Residence to share artwork inspired by Idaho wilderness
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BOISE, Idaho – An upcoming art exhibition and presentation sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management will highlight the unique landscape of southwest Idaho Wilderness from the perspective of the 2016 BLM Artist-in-Residence.
Join BLM and Artist-in-Residence Jessica L. Bryant on First Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Bown Crossing Library located at 2153 E Riverwalk Drive in Boise. Meet the artist, hear about her experience and see the watercolor inspired by her exploration of the North Fork and Pole Creek wilderness from 6-7 p.m.
Bryant, along with the BLM’s other 2016 Artist-in-Residence Twin Falls photographer Shari Hart and two experienced BLM river rangers, backpacked through the remote wilderness in October 2016.
The Artist-in-Residence program promotes awareness of the exceptional places found on public lands managed by the BLM. Selected artists spend time absorbing their surroundings, creating art in response to the experience and then sharing their vision and techniques with visitors.
Artists are selected based on artistic merit and public outreach proposals. Their presentations provide opportunities for learning and dialogue about the value of preserving public lands. Participants donate digital copies of completed artwork to the BLM for future use in posters, exhibitions or interpretive programs.
Coeur d’ Alene-based artist Bryant is an award-winning and published watercolor artist, and is passionate about nature, wilderness and our national parks. She has served seven terms as an artist-in-residence for the National Park Service and the BLM. Jessica paints, exhibits and teaches workshops and classes out of Redbrick Art Studio in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Jessica is a signature member of the Northwest Watercolor Society, and her work has been displayed in a number of national and international exhibits and publications.
In the Owyhee Canyonlands, BLM manages more than 43,000 acres of public lands in the North Fork Owyhee Wilderness and more than 12,000 acres of public lands in the Pole Creek Wilderness. The Owyhee Canyonlands is a huge and remote area of eastern Oregon, southwestern Idaho and northern Nevada.
Hidden within this vast high desert plateau are deep canyons carved by the Owyhee, Bruneau and Jarbidge Rivers. The rivers provide visitors with unsurpassed solitude in canyons of unique beauty and form. From placid pools to turbulent whitewater; from vertical cliffs to steep grassy slopes; and from wildlife, such as California bighorn sheep to wildflowers, including the Bruneau River phlox, these rivers and their canyons present visitors with challenging and extraordinary experiences.
Since the program's inception in 2014, BLM-Idaho has hosted five artists in the Owyhee Canyonlands.
To learn more about the Artist-in-Residence program and find out how you can be our next artist, please visit our website: https://www.blm.gov/get-involv
See photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/blmidaho/albums/72157709281022986. Check out the Facebook event and meet the artist.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.