Artist-in-Residence, Olivia Parkes Featured in Exhibit at the Joshua Tree Visitor Center

Date: April 1, 2015
Contact: George Land, 760 367-5507

Twentynine Palms, CA Joshua Tree National Park announces the opening on Wednesday, April 1st of an exhibit of new paintings by artist Olivia Parkes, at the Joshua Tree visitor center, 6554 Park Blvd., in Joshua Tree, California. Ms. Parkes was a 2014 participant in the park's Artist-in-Residence Program. The Joshua Tree National Park Artist-in-Residence program is operated in partnership with the Joshua Tree National Park Association. The program encourages artists to explore content related to Joshua Tree National Park and create a body of work that inspires interest in the park and builds better understanding and dialogue about our national parks, natural and cultural resources, the environment, and desert issues.

The story of America's national parks has long been told through the heightened sensibilities of the country's artists. The watercolors of Thomas Moran played an important role in convincing the U.S. Congress to set aside Yellowstone as the nation's first national park in 1872. National parks are now called "America's best idea." Since that time artists continue to be inspired by national park landscapes and cultural and historic themes to create works that share their unique vision with the American public visiting our national parks. 

Olivia Parkes is a British-American artist who currently lives and works in Berlin. She received her B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2011 with Honors in Studio Art and Art History and is now enrolled at the Universität der Künste Berlin. Olivia was AIR March-April 2014 and has close ties to the local area. In spring 2015, Olivia returned to Joshua Tree for a residency at BoxoProjects, where she expanded on some of the themes and imagery she had developed in the park. Joshua Tree visitor center is open every day 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. For more information about the Artist-in-Residence program, please contact Davidson at [e-mail] or www.joshuatree.org/artist-in-residence.