Grand Canyon Artist in Residence Program

Grand Canyon National Park

2008 – 2009 Seasons

Artist in Residence Program

The broad vistas and awesome landscapes of the American West have inspired generations of artists. Their idyllic paintings, rough-and-tumble novels, sepia prints, and soaring musical scores prompted Congress to establish the national parks as an enduring heritage. The nation and the national park system are changing. New challenges of preservation and wise use arise daily.

A new generation of artists has emerged with contemporary techniques and bold new media. These new artists help to frame our invaluable heritage in enduring words and images for those who visit now, those who will come later, and those who will know the parks only through this artistic legacy.

Few places have inspired as much wonder as the Grand Canyon, a world-renowned symbol of the American dreams of exploration and endless possibilities. The unique chance to live and work in this unparalleled setting benefits both the selected professional artist and those who will enjoy their works.

Living in the Park

The Artist in Residence program at Grand Canyon National Park offers professional artists (writers, composers, visual and performing artists) the opportunity to spend three weeks in housing provided by the National Park Service either the North or South Rim of Grand Canyon.

The North Rim of Grand Canyon, much of it true wilderness, offers unparalleled inspiration and unspoiled solitude for artists. The artist resides on the rim for a three-week period in summer and early fall.

Fall and winter on the South Rim feature fewer visitors, changing seasons, abundant wildlife, and a landscape accented with snow.

In exchange for the adventure of living and working in a national park, the resident artist has the opportunity to create works that generate understanding and dialogue about the need to preserve this national treasure—one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

The Artist in Residence Program aims to share the beauty and spirit of Grand Canyon National Park with other visitors. The park themes attempt to capture the elements that make the park meaningful:

    +The immense and colorful landscape, enhanced by a near-pristine setting, offers enriching opportunities to explore and experience its wild beauty in both vast and intimate spaces.

     +Grand Canyon, a homeland and sacred place to many native cultures, offers visitors a chance to reflect on the powerful spiritual ties between people and place.

     +Water is the lifeblood of Grand Canyon— a force of erosion, a sustainer of scarce riparian habitat, a spiritual element for native peoples, a provider of recreation, and a key factor in exploration, development, and politics of the West.

     +Grand Canyon is one of the world’s greatest examples of arid land erosion which presents a dramatic sequence of rock layers that serve as windows into time.

     +Grand Canyon has played a pivotal role in precedent-setting conservation issues. As a World Heritage Site, it reminds us of our need to conserve both the local and global environments.

     +A remarkable range of biotic communities exists within this relatively undisturbed ecosystem that allows natural processes to continue and provides a sanctuary for present and future life.

How to Apply

Submit a completed entry form with all the materials requested on the checklist. Any application with incomplete or excessive materials will not be considered. Mail submission to:

North Rim

Artist in Residence Program

North Rim Coordinator

NPS Administration Building

North Rim, AZ 86052

South Rim

Artist in Residence Program,

South Rim Coordinator

P.O. Box 129

Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

Calendar

Applications postmarked before or after these dates will not be considered.

North Rim: 2009 season

Entries will be accepted with postmarks dated February 1 through April 1, 2008. Selectees will be notified by June 15, 2008.

South Rim: 2008 – 2009 season

Entries will be accepted with postmarks dated July 1 through September 15, 2008. The artist selected will be notified by October 15, 2008.

Selection Process

Selection is based on artistic merit as demonstrated by the examples submitted, the ideas expressed in the statement of purpose, and the willingness to accept the conditions of the national park residency opportunity. A panel of National Park Service and Grand Canyon Association representatives chooses the artists and alternates.

For Information on the Tusayan Ruins at the Grand Canyon Click Here

For Information on Watching Sunrises and Sunsets at the Grand Canyon Click Here

For Information on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon Click Here

For General Statistics on the Grand Canyon Click Here