Artist-in-Residence Programs Continue At Rocky Mountain National Park With Writer Ellen Orleans

Date: August 25, 2015
Contact: Kyle Patterson, [phone]

Ellen Orleans, Artist-in-Residence

Courtesy Ellen Orleans

Writer Ellen Orleans from Boulder, Colorado, will continue to highlight this year's Art in the Park Program at Rocky Mountain National Park with presentations held Wednesdays, August 26 and September 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center.

Ms. Orleans has published eight books and numerous short stories, poems and digital plays. Her writing residencies include the Ragdale Writing Residency at Lake Forest, Illinois, the Spring Creek Project with Oregon State University, the Centrum Writing Residency in Port Townsend, Washington and the Norcroft Writing Residency in Lutsen, Minnesota. Ms. Orleans serves as an Environmental Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Boulder's Municipal Government. She is also an Education and Outreach Specialist and Volunteer Naturalist with Boulder County Parks and Open Space. Her residency project will explore how Rocky has changed and changed those who have experienced the park. She plans to write a collection of 10 linked, short stories, each taking place during different decades of Rocky's 100 years. These stories will be connected by featuring a red flannel shirt that gets passed down between characters over time. 

Six artists were selected for the summer 2015 Artist-in-Residence Program at Rocky Mountain National Park. Artists are provided with a creative, contemplative environment in which to generate artistic works and share their works with the public. During their stay at the park, artists share their vision in two public presentations. 

Artistic diversity, new ideas and creative uses of media were encouraged in the application process. Artists are given two-week residencies at the William Allen White cabin from June through September. For a specific schedule and to learn more about these artists go to: 

www.nps.gov/romo/getinvolved/supportyourpark/meet-our-2015-artists-in-residences.htm 

Artists have had a long-standing impact on the formation, expansion and direction of our country's national parks.  Musicians, composers, painters, writers, sculptors and other performing artists also draw upon the multifaceted quality of parks for inspiration. All of these artists translate the national park's purpose, as a place of pleasure and preservation, into images which bring others enjoyment and a deeper understanding of the parks some may never visit. Rocky Mountain National Park's Artist-In-Residence program provides artists the opportunity to become a part of a long established tradition of artists in our national parks. 

For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park please contact the park's Information Office at [phone].