Artist-In-Residence Program

 

Painting titled "El Amanecer"

Courtesy Hunter Goan, 2025 Artist-in-Residence

Rocky Mountain National Park and Rocky Mountain Conservancy are pleased to announce that the following artists have been selected to serve in a two-week residency at Rocky Mountain National Park during the park's 2025 AIR Program.

Rocky Mountain National Park's 2025 Artists-in-Residence are:

• Pierre Jalbert
• Hunter Goan
• Jillian Roper
• Ben Banet
• Kite Davenport
• Deborah Jojola
• Jennifer Ball

 

Artist-in-Residence program at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center

NPS Photo

During their residency, each artist will host two public programs

• Each artist will present one 60-to 90-minute-long lecture-based program. These presentations will take place at 1 p.m. in the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center Auditorium and will be similar to the presentations featured during the 2025 Winter Speaker Series.

• Resident artists will also facilitate a drop-in style interactive program during a four-hour time slot, where visitors can drop in, visit with the artist, and participate in a hands-on activity. These programs will take place at Fall River Visitor Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Expect to spend approximately 15-30 minutes at these programs. All drop-in programs will be family friendly and designed for visitors of all ages. Art supplies will be provided and participants will not need any previous knowledge or skills to participate.

 

Ben Banet, 2025 Artist-in-Residence

Courtesy Ben Banet, 2025 Artist-in-Residence

Meet Rocky's Next Artist-in-Residence, Ben Banet

Benjamin Banet is a photographer and geospatial analyst with a deep love for mountainous landscapes sculpted by ice such as the Sierra Nevada and the mountains of Colorado. A December honeymoon to the Southern Patagonia Icefield inspired him to seek out the remaining glaciers of Colorado, his home state, bringing attention to their beauty and impermanence.

During his residency at Rocky Mountain National Park, Ben will focus on capturing photographs of the eight remaining glaciers in Rocky Mountain National Park and sharing their story to deepen visitors’ connection to the park’s glacial past and evolving present.

 

Schedule for Rocky's Summer 2025 Artist-in-Residence Programs

Program Title	Program Description	Artist	Date	Time & Location
Rocky Mountain Speaks: Art in the Park	Ben's residency will focus on photographing the eight remaining glaciers inside Rocky Mountain National Park today and capturing the landscape that their historic counterparts shaped. He will hike over 80 miles in his residency to see them all, but come to Beaver Meadows for a virtual tour from the comfort of the auditorium! This presentation will discuss the history of glaciation in the park, iconic features that have been shaped by glaciers in the park, and the eight current glaciers in the park today. Historic photos and maps will help add context to the presentation and some photos from Ben's 2025 visits to the glaciers will be shown. Audience Q&A to follow.	Ben Banet	Sunday, July 27	1 p.m. at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center Auditorium
Art Unleashed: Interactive Art Experience	Come to play a glacial geology game by picking your favorite photos from a set of images from around the park and Ben will tell you how the ancient rivers of ice shaped those features. There will also be historic photos of glaciers available and you can try to guess the year when the image was taken. Ben will have photos of nearly all the glaciers in the park by this point and will have a slideshow running with both historic and modern photos of the glaciers. Feel free to ask about visiting any of them! There will be some postcards of glaciers as well for the first 50 visitors.	Ben Banet	Saturday, August 2	11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Fall River Visitor Center
Rocky Mountain Speaks: Art in the Park	TBD: This is a lecture-based program that will be 1 hour to 1 hour, 30 minutes in duration. This program is free and open to the public. Visitors of all ages are welcome.	Kite Davenport	Sunday, August 17	1 p.m. at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center Auditorium
Art Unleashed: Interactive Art Experience	TBD: This is an interactive, drop in program. Participants are invited to stay as long as they like. It is recommended to stay 15 to 30 minutes for an interactive activity. This program is free and open to all ages. All art supplies are provided and no prior knowledge or experience is needed to participate.	Kite Davenport	Saturday, August 23	11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Fall River Visitor Center
Rocky Mountain Speaks: Art in the Park	TBD: This is a lecture-based program that will be 1 hour to 1 hour, 30 minutes in duration. This program is free and open to the public. Visitors of all ages are welcome.	Deborah Jojola	Sunday, September 7	1 p.m. at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center Auditorium
Art Unleashed: Interactive Art Experience	TBD: This is an interactive, drop in program. Participants are invited to stay as long as they like. It is recommended to stay 15 to 30 minutes for an interactive activity. This program is free and open to all ages. All art supplies are provided and no prior knowledge or experience is needed to participate.	Deborah Jojola	Saturday, September 13	11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Fall River Visitor Center
Rocky Mountain Speaks: Art in the Park	TBD: This is a lecture-based program that will be 1 hour to 1 hour, 30 minutes in duration. This program is free and open to the public. Visitors of all ages are welcome.	Jennifer Ball	Sunday, September 28	1 p.m. at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center Auditorium
Art Unleashed: Interactive Art Experience	TBD: This is an interactive, drop in program. Participants are invited to stay as long as they like. It is recommended to stay 15 to 30 minutes for an interactive activity. This program is free and open to all ages. All art supplies are provided and no prior knowledge or experience is needed to participate.	Jennifer Ball	Saturday, October 4	11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Fall River Visitor Center

 

"Art In Motion" sheet music by Pierre Jalbert, 2025 Artist-in-Residence

Courtesy Pierre Jalbert

Additional Program Details:

At the completion of their residency, each artist will donate a fully furnished piece of work representative of their stay in Rocky Mountain National Park to the park’s unofficial collection managed by the Rocky Mountain Conservancy.

Rocky Mountain Conservancy will hold the rights to each piece of work and the National Park Service will have the rights to share the donated works with the public.

 

NPS Photo

Brief History of the Relationship Between Arts and National Parks

Since the late 1800s, there has been a special connection between our national parks and the arts. Artists like George Catlin, Thomas Cole, Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, and more played a key role in helping to draw attention to the beauty and wonders found in many national parks.

Recognizing the important role that art has played in the history of our national parks, Rocky Mountain National Park was among the first national parks to offer an Artist-In-Residence Program. Since 1984, Rocky Mountain National Park has hosted over 200 artists through this program. They have included authors, composers, jewelry makers, musicians, painters, photographers, poets, quilters, sculptors, textile artists, and more.

This impactful program is generously supported by the Rocky Mountain Conservancy.

Rocky Mountain National Park, in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, is one of over 50 NPS sites that currently host an Artist-In-Residence program. The AIR program looks different at each participating/hosting park, so be sure to check the park's official website for specific program details.

 

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  Apply for the RMNP AIR Program

  Interested in being an Artist-in-Residence? Click here for application details.

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  Rocky's Artist-in-Residence Program

  Did you know Rocky has one of the oldest Artist-in-Residence programs in the NPS? Learn about the park's program!

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  History of Artist-in-Residence Program

  Learn about the history of RMNP's Artist-in-Residence Program

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  See Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

  Have questions about the Artist-in-Residency program? Explore the frequently asked questions and answers.