News Release

Shenandoah National Park Selects Artists Harlan Butt and Paul Chojnowski for the September Artist-in-Residence Program

Date: September 10, 2020
Contact: Jessica Kusky, 540-999-3500 ext. 3181

Luray, Virginia: Shenandoah National Park is pleased to announce the selection of two artists during September for the Artist-in-Residence program. Harlan Butt is a metalsmith and Paul Chojnowski creates fire drawings.  

Harlan Butt is considered one of the world’s premier contemporary enamelists. Over the span of his forty-year career, he has appeared in dozens of exhibitions and his work is included in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London; the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, the Shippo Art Museum in Ama-City, Japan; and the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. As an enamelist who melds time-honored techniques, Harlan has transformed expectations of the medium. 

Paul Chojnowski began burning and scorching wood and paper to create his images in the early 1990’s. Since then, his fire drawings have been shown in group and solo exhibitions in art centers, museums and galleries nationally. His current work evolved as a result of his conscious effort to embrace art historical traditions while rejecting the traditional processes. 

Both residencies will run through September 28, 2020. Paul will be hosting a watch party on Facebook during his residency. Please follow Shenandoah National Park on Facebook for more details at: https://www.facebook.com/shenandoahnps/  

Shenandoah National Park is a jewel among National Park Service sites and offers a distinctive array of natural, cultural, and recreational opportunities for visitors.  The Artist-in-Residence program is established in numerous National Park Service sites to inspire artists to create and share art that not only motivates and encourages millions of people to visit and explore, but also helps build awareness and develop stewardship of these beautiful public lands.  

Acting Superintendent Lewis Rogers stated “We are pleased to select two artists with unique talents for the September Artist-in Residence Program. We look forward to the exceptional works they will create that are inspired by the surrounding beauty of Shenandoah National Park”. 

Shenandoah’s Artist-in-Residence program is supported by a generous donation from the Shenandoah National Park Trust. "Donors to the Shenandoah National Park Trust are proud to fund programs like Artist-in-Residence, which explore new opportunities to connect people with this remarkable landscape," stated Shenandoah National Park Trust Executive Director Susan Sherman. To learn more about the Trust please visit www.snptrust.org. 

More information about the Artist–in-Residence program can be found on the park’s website at: https://www.nps.gov/shen/getinvolved/supportyourpark/artist-in-residence.htm