Rich's Artist-In-Residence at North Cascades Complex

The US National Park Service has an "Artist-In-Residence" program at some National Parks. The program recognizes the role that art has played in the establishment of the National Park system. Seeing the work of photographers such as Ansel Adams and many others, Americans recognized the value of protecting special sites and areas for recreation. Approximately 18 parks have the residency programs. Many accomodate just about any type of art, including performance art, music, writing, and of course painting, sketching and photography. To access information on the Artist-In-Residence Program go to http://www.nps.gov/ (the National Park Service) and enter "Artist-In-Residence" in the search block. Can also go to an older list, that may not be current but will list most programs at http://www.nps.gov/archive/volunteer/air.html .

I am a nature photographer. This will be my second Residency, the first being at Acadia National Park. The residency provides living quarters for anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks. The artist is responsible for travel and food and any other expenses. The Artist is expected to provide one or several (depending on the length of the residency) classes, lectures, or interactive experiences, and to provide a piece of art, e.g., in my case a framed photograph for the Park.

This blog is going to serve as my public journal for this adventure, but my hope is that it will also serve as a resource for those who might wish to consider a National Park Service Artist Residency, and will provide some understanding of what to expect specifically at Stehekin.