News Release

Artist in Residence Program is Back at Agate with a Public Program on Saturday, February 24th!

Magan Ruthke chosen as February’s Artist in Residence at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.

Magan Ruthke

News Release Date: February 15, 2024

Contact: Tera Lynn Gray, 308-436-9768

Art in the park is back! The Artist in Residence Program welcomes artist Magan Ruthke to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument for the last two weeks of February. Ruthke will host a free special event, “Patterns, Place, and the Natural World: Observe and Interact with Agate’s Artist in Residence” on Saturday, February 24^th from 10-12pm.

The upstairs walls of the Agate visitor center have featured works by artists from around the country since 2018. However, the nationwide program paused since 2020 due to COVID-19. “We get inquiries at least once a month from professional artists around the country wanting to come to Agate as our Artist in Residence,” said Tera Lynn Gray, Lead Interpretive Ranger. “It felt great to finally say the program was back and send out applications!”

Ms. Ruthke’s portfolio was chosen by a panel of ranger staff, park volunteers, and local Sioux County residents. “I love the quality of her work,” said Arthur Stiles, one of the panelists.

A painter at her core, Ruthke has diverse interests spanning from natural materials work, to wearable art, to digital design. She grew up in Harford County, Maryland and was a long time resident of Baltimore City, where she spent 15 years with the Children’s Museum in Baltimore as an educator, artist, manager, and director. She since became a Master Naturalist and full-time artist/maker.  Her travels, studies as a naturalist, and love of the outdoors inform her work. Ruthke now volunteers as the site manager of the Remington Village Green Community Garden.

Ruthke holds a M.S. and B.S. from Towson University where she studied Human Resource Development and Theatre Arts. She was an emerging artist with the American Craft Council Marketplace in 2024 and a 2022 Visual Arts Fellow at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Her work has been featured at the Chesapeake Arts Center, Brooklyn Park, MD, Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD, the Circle Gallery in Annapolis, MD, the Palos Verdes Art Center, Palos Verdes, CA, the Studios of Key West, FL, the John James Audubon Center in Audubon, PA, the Annapolis Maritime Museum in Annapolis, MD, Atomic Books in Baltimore, MD, the Lemonade Stand Gallery, in Key West, FL, the Saville Gallery in Cumberland, MD, in private homes across the U.S., and on the cover of the Baltimore Review.

Ruthke will live at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument for two weeks to fully immerse herself in the park and local community experience. In return, she will donate one art piece completed during her experience. This artwork will be on permanent display at Agate and on our website. During Saturday’s event, she will talk about her work as she creates an oil painting. She will also have extra oil paints on hand for visitors to express their own creativity. Weather will determine whether this will be an indoors or “plein air” (outdoors) demonstration.

The event is free and open to all ages and abilities. Audio description and ASL interpretation can be provided. Please contact us if these or other needs are requested. [phone]

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is located 34 miles north of Mitchell, NE or 22 miles south of Harrison, NE on Highway 29 and 3 miles east on River Rd. The Visitor Center summer hours are 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and the trails are open from dawn until dusk. Visit us at www.nps.gov/agfo and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.