News Release

National Park Service Invites Eight Artists for Residencies at Acadia National Park

Writer-in-Residence Kim O’Connell leads a guided writing workshop in October 2018 outside the Sieur de Monts Springs Nature Center in Acadia National Park.

NPS Photo by Jay Elhard

News Release Date: July 7, 2020

Contact: Christie Anastasia, 207 288-8806

BAR HARBOR, MAINE — Early this winter, the National Park Service (NPS) chose eight artists to participate in the Artist-in-Residence program at Acadia National Park in 2020. Most have elected to defer their visits until 2021 due to uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next open call for applications to the program will occur in summer of 2021 for residency opportunities in 2022.

The eight artists include –

• Imma Barrera, a landscape and nature photographer based in Metuchen, NJ
• Brad Bennett, a haiku poet from Arlington, MA
• Jill Haley, a composer, oboist, and English horn player from Reading, PA
• Kevin Mack, a painter from Pittsburg, PA
• Sarah McCartt-Jackson, a poet, oral historian, and folklorist from Louisville, KY
• Justin Sherburn, a composer, producer, and musical director for the group Montopolis based in Austin, TX
• Rachel Suzanne Smith, a metalsmith from Strongsville, OH
• Sara Tabbert, a printmaker and mixed media artist from Fairbanks, AK

Last fall, 150 people from 33 states and five countries applied to three categories: Visual Art, Writing, and At-Large, which includes music composition, dance, indigenous arts, and emerging technologies, among other disciplines. Three separate panels with 17 total jurors reviewed the applications over a two-month period on behalf of the park superintendent.

Nationwide, more than 50 NPS sites host artist residency programs. The program at Acadia began in October 1993. Virtually all of its operational costs currently are sustained by donations and a $25 fee required of each applicant.

In exchange for 14 nights of park-provided housing, each invited artist typically leads one public outreach activity, and eventually donates one finished work of art that offers visitors a fresh and innovative way to experience Acadia. The nature of public outreach activities, often hosted in collaboration with local arts groups and community organizations, is expected to change because of COVID-19.

Learn more at go.nps.gov/AcadiaArt