Grand Canyon Artist in Residence 2009-2011
Q: What is the timeline for applying for a North Rim residency?
A: Applications are submitted a full year prior to the residency date. Selections already have been made for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. If you will be submitting an application in 2010, it must be postmarked between February 1 and April 1. The residency will be for the following May – October, 2011.
Q: What is the timeline for applying for a South Rim residency?
A: Applications are submitted in the summer and artists will be selected for the following October through September. If you are submitting a current application, it must be postmarked between June 10 and July 31, 2009. Residencies will be for October 2009 through September 2010.
Q: Can you explain the environmental focus that your program promotes?
A: Artists have played a huge role in advocacy for the parks. If not for Thomas Moran and W.H. Jackson, Congress would not have had a clear vision of the fantastic landscapes of the Yellowstone caldera and ecosystem. Their images persuaded our government to develop the National Park Service system and set these lands aside for future generations.
Our artist-in-residence program seeks to not only enrich the park visitors’ and visiting artists’ experience, but also hopes to provide a platform in support of our broader goal of land and cultural preservation. The arts do not exist in a vacuum and it is impossible for an artist (or any citizen) to live in this world and not have concerns about the environment, indigenous people’s rights, and any number of other contemporary issues that intersect with the national parks. Artists who are applying for an Artist-in-Residence opportunity here at the Grand Canyon should consult with the park interpretative themes, consider how these themes overlap with their own work, and create a proposal that speaks to the necessity of preserving our public lands along with cultural and natural history.
Our program welcomes artists who challenge the visitor to connect with our extraordinary landscape on a thought-provoking level. We will still be very interested in the traditional arts, in the vein of Thomas Moran or Ansel Adams, but we also hope to host artists whose work supports our very immediate need to preserve our lands along with emerging concerns about environmental and cultural degradation. Grand Canyon AiR program welcomes artists who will contribute to this national dialogue and challenge the public towards a broad environmental stewardship.
Q: Will I be a part of the National Park Service staff while in-residence?
A: The artist-in-residence is classified as a Volunteer under the Volunteers in the Parks (VIP) program. Your role with the National Park Service will be limited to the time you are working in your outreach program, during which you will serve as an emissary for the National Park Service and as an arts advocate.
No training is necessary! Your enthusiasm, commitment to your art form, willingness to communicate your program to the intended audience, and interest in Grand Canyon will shape your contacts with park visitors, locals, and your outreach program participants. VIP enrollment forms will be sent to artists who are selected and agree to participate in the program.
Q: What if I am accepted to the program, but my availability changes?
A: We will do our best to accommodate artist’s schedule changes (for instance, if you can only be here for two weeks rather than three), but all residencies will be assigned immediately after jurying has taken place. If you should find yourself unavailable for your awarded residency, we will replace you with an alternate. You are welcome to apply again for another opportunity in subsequent years.
Q: Can I reapply if I have already experienced a residency at Grand Canyon?
A: We are interested in all applications, so you are welcome to reapply after doing a residency with us. New artists may be given placement priority in the interest of providing diverse perspectives to the program. Occasionally, artists may be invited back to work on special projects.
Q: How will the $35.00 non-refundable entry fee be used?
A: Funds collected during the application process go to support the program. Funds collected will purchase household supplies, studio furniture, and kitchen gear for the artist accommodations; underwrite the cost of supplies that artists want for their outreach activities; and for general support of the Grand Canyon Artist-in-Residence programs.
Q: Where can I get art supplies locally?
A: Flagstaff Arizona, 80 miles from the South Rim, has stores offering good art supply selections. Phoenix (approximately 200 miles from the South Rim) is a good bet for specialized materials or supplies.
The North Rim is much more isolated. St. George Utah is a 3 hours drive and has limited art supply stores. Las Vegas, the closest large city, is a five hour drive but has good art and equipment supply and hardware stores.
It is best for each artist to bring with them everything that they can anticipate needing while in-residence. AiR can ship equipment, tools, and supplies in advance of their residency. Please talk with program coordinators for specific information on shipping methods and carriers.
Q: Do you only accept artists who are creating art that is representational or traditional?
A: The National Park Service welcomes the opportunity to host artists in all genre and disciplines—traditional, folk, and contemporary. Your work and outreach proposal should be written and designed keeping in mind that we are a national park with many and varied visitors of diverse cultures. We ask that your proposal be appropriate to an all-ages audience and that political work focuses on issues relevant to the parks (such as the environment or preservation).
A successful application will be sensitive to the park’s interpretive themes, but that does not mean that it can’t be challenging and exciting. If you are unsure whether your art or proposal will be considered appropriate, please contact the program coordinators and we will be glad to provide feed-back.
Q: Why is there no stipend or traveling fund for the artist-in-residence?
A: The limited funding received by the National Park Service can not be stretched to provide a stipend. We know that this might be a burden for applicants and ask that you seriously consider whether you can afford this experience at this time.
The National Park Service is committed to advocacy for the arts and we hope to find artist honorarium for the program in the future. All funding opportunities that become available will be pursued.
Q: I’m an Environmental Earth Works artist. Is my work appropriate for your program?
A: Any medium that involves collection or altering park resources would be in conflict with national park preservation goals and would be deemed inappropriate for a residency. If you are developing a project that will be installed in another location, you are welcome to submit your proposal. Please make it clear in your application that you intend to work only on project development while in-residence at the canyon.
Earthworks projects are very appealing to a broad audience, so consider presenting a lecture on your bigger project during one or more of your outreach program proposals. In that way you can present your in-process project without violating any of the park’s goals.
Q: I’m an arts educator and have limited availability for residencies. Do you have dedicated spots for educators?
A: All applicants are asked to specify their availability on the application forms. The jury panel will carefully read all accompanying materials while reviewing artist’s work samples, so we will be aware that you are an educator with limited availability. We encourage arts educators to apply to the program and when arranging the season’s schedule will do our best to prioritize residency opportunities for selected artists who happen to be teachers or have limited availability for other reasons.
Q: Do you accept foreign artists in your program?
A: Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must be able to obtain the proper visa prior to arrival, if they are selected for the program. All of these arrangements will be made by the individual artist and confirmation that the artist has the proper visa will be required. You will not need a work visa as you are not earning any compensation. Please contact us with any specific questions you have regarding this issue prior to applying to the program.
Q: Will my studio work time be private?
A: Artists are encouraged to take full advantage of the broad audience and wonderful environment of Grand Canyon by being out experiencing the park as much as possible. If you need solitude to be productive, that is okay too. We ask only that you provide the minimum of visitor contact programs as required in our guidelines.
The artist-in-residence program is a great draw for the general public and many visitors will seek you out. Please be willing to share your inspiration and experiences. If you do not require solitude for your discipline, working outside, soaking up the experience and interacting with the public is wonderful for both the park visitor and for your own residency. You will take so much back to your work if you take advantage of this opportunity to communicate and interact with visitors and experience the canyon as much as possible.
Q: Do I need a car?
A: If you are flying to Arizona to participate in our South Rim AiR program, you may want to consider renting a car. Services are limited in our rural community and art supplies and other support materials are only available in Flagstaff (80 miles). Many artists have been content here for three weeks without a vehicle, using the bike provided by the program, riding the free shuttle bus system around the park (South Rim only), and connecting with local residents for shopping trips to town. However, if you prefer being very mobile, it is best to bring your own vehicle.
Groceries and general household supplies are available on either rim, so you will not have to go without if you don’t have a vehicle. Having said that, the stores in Kanab, St. George UT and Page AZ (for North Rim residents) or Flagstaff and Williams AZ (for South Rim residents) will provide a wider availability of goods.
If you’re coming into a South Rim residency, transportation from the Flagstaff airport is easily arranged through René. North Rim residencies are somewhat more isolated and should be discussed with Robin on a case-by-case basis.
Selected artists will receive complete community and travel information well in advance to their residency, so they can plan accordingly.
Once you are in-residence, René and Robin will be happy to connect you with local people who have volunteered to take our artists-in-residence on shopping trips, day hikes, and on other field trips in the area.
Q: Can I bring my family or pet?
A: Family members may visit the artist during the residency for a short period of time as long as the number of occupants does not exceed the occupancy limits of the accommodations. Please discuss accommodation issues and restrictions with program coordinators before you make any plans. Pets are not permitted.
Q: What happens to the art that I donate to the collection?
A: The curators who manage the Grand Canyon collections will store your donated work in a controlled-environment within their archives. The work may be utilized by NPS and Grand Canyon Association staff in support of the interpretative programs, in publications and brochures, and in educational programming.
Currently the AiR program does not ensure that each artist’s work will be continuously exhibited or presented. Possible venues and exhibit opportunities are pursued and coordinators will make every effort to mount exhibits whenever possible. Artists whose work is donated to the collection will be notified if an exhibit is mounted both for your résumé inclusion and so you might possibly attend an opening or visit the exhibit while it is showing. The park will provide a credit to the artist for all works that are utilized.
Q: What is a shared copyright?
A: A shared copyright allows the artist complete control over his or her work outside of the agreement with the National Park Service. The NPS retains reproduction and use rights of your donated work and will retain ownership of the work, but the artist shares those rights. This gives the NPS the ability to include artists’ works in publications or educational programming without requiring a possibly extensive search for individual permission from the artists, while allowing the artist to also use their work for their own purposes.
Q: Will my application materials be returned?
A: If you want your support materials returned, you must include an addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size with your application. We will presume that all applications that do not include SASE do not need to be returned and we will shred all of the written materials and destroy digitized submissions. Applications of selected artists will be kept by the coordinators and selected materials will be retained for our records, as arranged on a case-by-case basis.
