Bismarck, ND – The North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department and North Dakota Council on the Arts are accepting applications for the Artist in Residency program. Artists of all disciplines are encouraged to apply.
The Artist in Residency program provides artists the opportunity to stay and work in our state parks, offering unique environments where they’ll draw inspiration, demonstrate their skills, and invite park visitors of all ages to connect art with the outdoors.
Three artists will be invited to stay at either Turtle River State Park (August 12-19, 2024), Fort Stevenson State Park (October 10-20, 2024) or at Cross Ranch State Park (February 10-17, 2025) as a collaborative effort to incorporate arts into the educational programming conducted by the North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department.
“Hosting creative artists that showcase and celebrate our state parks is a privilege for us,” said Cody Schulz, North Dakota Parks & Recreation Director. “These residencies serve as a mutually beneficial opportunity for artists and our park visitors, enriching the cultural experience and appreciation for the arts.”
Artworks generated from this program portray North Dakota’s beauty through the eyes and ears of contributing artists to enrich generations of park visitors. The ND Parks and Recreation Department has highlighted several artists’ work with video interviews which can be viewed at https://www.parkrec.nd.gov/art-parks.
This project is supported in part by a grant from North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
“NDCA has a long-standing relationship with Parks and Recreation that supports artist residencies – time away from one’s home environment in nature,” said Kim Konikow, Executive Director of North Dakota Council on the Arts. “Artmaking is often a solo endeavor, and the Parks provide glorious outdoor spaces to spark the creative imagination. While there, the resident artists will have several opportunities to interact with a public that may not have experiential understanding of the arts.”
Participating artists are required to be North Dakota residents, and provide a minimum of two onsite presentations, one of them being a hands-on workshop providing park visitors of all ages an opportunity to try out the artist’s skills, methods, and/or tools. Artists are also required to donate a piece of art representing their style and reflecting their residency to the park’s collection.
Interested artists can obtain additional information and an application at https://forms.office.com/g/aY22KtfXPf. Applications must be submitted on or before April 1, 2024.
The mission of the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department is to enrich generations through experiences that connect people and places.
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For More Information Contact:
Josh Steffan at josh.steffan@nd.gov