BLM, Friends group announce selection of local artist in residence
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument are pleased to announce the selection of Michelle Haberl, a resident of Las Cruces and artist, as this year’s local Artist-in-Residence.
The local Artist in Residence program is a partnership between the Friends and the BLM. The Artist-in-Residence program is managed through the Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, who provide the artist with a stipend during the residency. The BLM provides housing for the artist onsite at the Monument. In return, the artist is responsible for a creative community project, a public event (i.e., tour, demonstration or workshop) and a completed art project to be used to promote the Monument.
From late May to early June, Haberl will be travelling throughout the 497,330-acre Monument, capturing images through her impressions on canvas with earthen ingredients.
"I am excited to be selected as the 2023 local Artist-in-Residence for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument,” Haberl said. “I look forward to representing the Monument’s rich legacy through my paintings and building public awareness for its majestic beauty by exploring all the ‘nooks and crannies’ at the Dripping Springs Natural Area and beyond."
Excited about the Artist-in-Residence selection, BLM Las Cruces acting District Manager Jonathan Beck said, “We look forward to the artwork that Michelle Haberl will capture, and the interaction she’ll have with the public to share the unique characteristics and opportunities the Monument has to offer.”
The Artist-in-Residence Program utilizes the artist’s unique skills to depict features of the Monument, helping to generate a deeper understanding of its significant resource values. Haberl hopes that during this residency to encourage the public, through her approachability of art and the art object across the Monument, by recreating within the shadow of the Organs--rather than to merely appreciate it from a distance.
The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument was established on May 21, 2014, and contains some of the west’s most iconic landscapes in the Organ, Robledo, Sierra de las Uvas, Doña Ana, and Potrillo Mountains. The BLM Las Cruces District manages the Monument to maintain and enhance the resources for current and future generations.
For more information about the Artist-in-Residence Program, please contact the Friends of the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks group at 575-323-1423 or email info@organmtnfriends.org.
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.