Artists in Residence

The spring 2025 Artist in Residency, Dr. Stan Rule, carves a shorebird.

NPS Photo/S.Godin

The Cape Lookout National Seashores Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Program aims to be an exemplary volunteer initiative that showcases the unique historical and natural resources of the seashore. The creative arts have played a significant role in the legacy of the National Park Service (NPS), motivating individuals to travel, dream, and explore. Consequently, artists have often been at the forefront of efforts to conserve America's cherished landscapes. This tradition continues today through Artist-in-Residence (AiR) programs, where selected artists are granted a residency in a national park to seek inspiration, create artistic works, and share their vision with the public.

Cape Lookout National Seashore is one of more than 50 National Park Service sites that currently host an Artist in Residence program. Selected artist participate in a two month residency. During the two months, the artist is welcomed to stay for a week in housing within the seashore. Lodging is provided to the artist in exchange for one public art program and one donation of an original piece of art inspired by the residency. Artists are responsible for their own transportation to and from the park, but the National Park Services provides passenger ferry transportation. Artists are responsible for their own meals.

 

To Apply:

1. First, submit an application via Volunteer.gov.
2. After submitting your Volunteer.gov application, interested applicants must send in the following documents to [e-mail]
   • Your Resume (4 pages maximum; do not include personal photographs)
   • Summary of Creative Works (2 pages maximum). Examples include exhibits, galleries, performances, recordings, publications, shows, etc.
   • Statement of Purpose (2 pages maximum). Share why you are interested in serving as an Artist in Residence, what you hope to gain from this experience, how you expect to grow as an artist, how your work contributes to the National Park Service values of stewardship, education, recreation and preservation, and also describe your ability to live in a remote setting within a national park.
   • Public Program Concept (1 page). Selected applicants will be asked to provide at least one public program during their residency. These can be a talks or presentations open to the public and could be 30-60 minutes in length and include a performance, discussion, or demonstration of your works. Please provide a brief concept outline of your public presentation.
   • Submit Samples of Recent Works

Visual, Textile, & Sculpture Artists:

Provide up to 6 images embedded within a Word or PDF document. Clearly label each image with your name and the work's title. Images should focus only on the actual artwork; extraneous backgrounds, mattes, or frames should not be included. For each work, clearly list: name of work, medium, and dimensions.

Language Artists:

Provide up to 6 short works or 1 long work within a Word or PDF document. Clearly label each work with your name and its title. Examples include up to 6 short poems or other short writing samples of artistic merit (1 page each) or one short story, essay, or manuscript excerpt (10 pages max).

Musicians, Composers, Performing Artists, Videographers:

Provide up to 6 short selections (less than 6 minutes total) or 1 long selection (about 10 minutes total). Upload your submission to YouTube/Vimeo or share an existing YouTube/Vimeo link embedded within a Word or PDF document. Uploads may be public or private.

Clearly label each work with your name and its title, please.

Additional Program Details

When the application window closes, a panel of judges will select three artists to participate in the program. Selected artists will have a choice of a April to May, June to July, or August to September.

Selected artists will provide at least one public program. At the completion of their residency, the artists will donate a completed piece of work representative of their stay to the park. Cape Lookout National Seashore will hold the rights to the piece of work and the National Park Service will have the rights to share the donated works with the public.