The Badlands are a source of inspiration for artists of all disciplines. Find out more about the program and view artwork submissions.
(Introduction)
With the creation of the Artist in Residence program at Badlands National Park in 1996, artists ranging from photographers to painters to writers have come to interpret this living landscape through their chosen medium and creative vision. Our goal is to provide an avenue for artists to translate preservation of this place into images that evoke responses in those who may never visit Badlands National Park.
(Interview with Julie Johndreau, Education Specialist/Artist in Residence Coordinator)
The Artist in Residence program at Badlands is a wonderful way to involve artists in telling the story about what this place is all about. We offer residencies for all kinds of professional artists: painters, photographers, sculptors, writers, musicians, just any form of art we are open to any artist who can interpret this landscape for our visitors.
(Interview with Painter Charlie Lyon, Fall 2005 Artist in Residence)
As an artist, I had worked outdoors mostly in the Minneapolis area and the landscape work I had done there never had the kind of deep space that you have here, and you have, you know, you can’t get any deeper than the space here. I mean if you, if you have a subject that includes a foreground with interesting grasses and flowers and then middle ground with some of these formations and then the horizon with interesting shapes and then clouds, I mean you have the entire length of pictorial space and so that was what I really learned here is how to develop that kind of spatial depth. And that’s a challenge because color is the key to that, and I needed to work more on my color and how to do that, and this was the perfect place to do that.
(Interview with Photographer Rikk Flohr, Spring 2007, Winter 2008 & 2010 Artist in Residence)
As far as, you know, one thing I’d say about the park is that I was pleasantly surprised to come here in the winter and to find the experience to be so much more rewarding than when I’d been here in the spring. I mean, there are many logistical reasons why that is depending on how thick the animal’s coats are to what kinds of plants are growing or not growing. But I think that when people look for serving residencies at national parks, they look for these optimal conditions; whether it be beautiful falls colors on one of the great lakes or it be the beautiful cool season at Grand Canyon or whatever it happens to be. I think sometimes you have to approach a residency like this for its adversity as well. Because the stark silence that you’ll experience in Badlands, the howling winds, the sideways snow, the frigidly cold mornings, all make images that are incredible that few people ever get. So, if I could give advice to an artist about seasonality in parks, I would say go for the off season go for the tough season because you’re gonna be rewarded with things nobody else has and you’re gonna have experiences that few people get to tell.
(Painter Polly Townsend, Spring 2011 Artist in Residence)
Hi! So hands up if you want to be an artist when you’re big. Oh, lots of people that’s brilliant! Good…
(Interview with Julie Johndreau, Education Specialist/Artist in Residence Coordinator)
Another special part about being an Artist in Residence at Badlands is that the artist goes into a local school and talks with the students and shares their artwork with them. Perhaps does an activity, gets the kids involved with art, talks about color, shading, lighting, all of these things. So it adds a dimension to our program to be able to connect with the community and give back to some of our education outreach.
(Interview with Photographer Jason Jilg, Fall 2010 Artist in Residence)
Well my name is Jason Jilg and I’m a photographer from Nebraska, who knows where Nebraska is? Where’s it at?
For the school program we are going to be working on an exhibition for the school to put on called “Faces of Interior”, and the kids are gonna take pictures of each other and then I’m gonna print them out when I get back to the studio and then mail them to the school and they’ll be able to have like a gallery exhibition of all the kids that live in and around Interior, South Dakota. So, and hopefully have them on display when they have their holiday programs so that their parents and stuff can see them.
Right there, smile! Now look in here do you see her? There you go…
(Interview with Painter Charlie Lyon, Fall 2005 Artist in Residence)
I think we’re so lucky as, well, as citizens of the United States to have programs like this because, you know, I felt like I was, well, a special person here. Because first of all you provided me with housing and contact with any of the rangers, vehicles, etc. You gave me tremendous support as an artist and I got access to places that I would never have had before and, um, I mean that’s just a privilege. And you know this is public land so it’s great to have that as part of my heritage as being an American. And as an artist, you’ve just got an incredible place, you know, you’ve got the goods here, it’s right here.
