Selections Made for 2016-2017 Joshua Tree National Park Artist-in-Residence Program

Date: August 3, 2016
Contact: Caryn Davidson, 760-367-3012

Joshua Tree National Park and Joshua Tree National Park Association (JTNPA) are pleased to announce the selections for the 2016-­2017 Artist-­in­-Residence (AIR) Program. One writer and five visual artists have been invited to participate in the program's tenth year of hosting artists from around the country.

The selectees are: Maria Anderson (Laramie, WY - ­writer) ; Sarah Grew (Eugene, OR - multimedia) ; Kristin Link (Glennallen, AK - illustrator) ; Ben Matthews (Munhall, PA - pen &ink) ; Sara Parent-Ramos (San Diego, CA - ceramist); and Koichi Yamamoto (Knoxville, TN - printmaker).

Each artist will be provided accommodations inside the park for a three­-week period to work on a project proposed through the application process. The residencies will take place during the fall of 2016 and the spring of 2017. Artists will produce a program or presentation to engage members of the community during the residency, or at some point afterward.

The jury comprised four local artists and a park staff member who made their selections from a pool of nearly 100 applicants. Twelve alternates were also selected. David Smith, Superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park, said, "Although art is important to all parks, I think it is especially relevant to the communities surrounding Joshua Tree National Park. If you visit their galleries, the park is a predominant feature in many of the works on display. The AIR program is our opportunity to connect to people from outside the Morongo Basin and the Coachella Valley and give them a chance to connect with this resource. Art becomes an ambassador for the California Desert, sharing the beauty of our parks and public lands. Seeing world-class artists in the park capture the beauty of Joshua Tree, and then sharing it with our visitors, is one of the true gifts of the AIR program. We are honored to support it."

For more information about the AIR program, please contact Caryn Davidson at 760­-367­-3012, or Meg Foley, Executive Director of JTNPA, at 760-367­-5530.