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The Artist in Residency program is a partnership between the North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department and the North Dakota Council on the Arts, where three artists are chosen to each spend one week in a North Dakota State Park. The Artist in Residency program offers artists the opportunity to stay and work in unique environments where they’ll draw inspiration from a North Dakota State Park, demonstrate their skills, and assist park visitors of all ages discover their artistic side. This is the 11th year these state agencies have collaborated on this program. To date, 11 of the North Dakota State Parks have hosted over 25 local artists.  

This year, Lake Metigoshe State Park will host Aaron Michels (Minot) July 26-August 2, Fort Ransom State Park will host Candace Brekke (Minot) August 1-8, and Fort Stevenson State Park will host Pieper Bloomquist (Grand Forks) November 29-December 6, 2021.   

"The agency had 17 artists apply for this year's Artist in Residency Program. That amount of enthusiasm for this program only supports the importance of this program," States Andrea Travnicek, Director of the North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department. 

The Artist in Residency program recruits a wide variety of artists, including performing, literary, and visual artists. The participating state parks provide either a cabin, yurt, or campsite for the artist to stay in during their residency and the venue where their activities will take place. The North Dakota Council on the Arts provides the artists a stipend depending upon the length of the residency. Artists must do a minimum of two presentations and/or workshops that are open to the public. In addition, artists are to provide the state parks with a piece of their artwork that represents their residency.    

The public is invited and encouraged to participate in the Artist in Residency activities. These activities will showcase artwork inspired by the state parks and provide various opportunities for park visitors of all ages and skill levels to discover or further develop their artistic skills while connecting to the outdoors and the natural resources found within the North Dakota State Parks. Details surrounding the opportunities at Lake Metigoshe State Park, Fort Ransom State Park, and Fort Stevenson State Park will be posted on their respective Facebook pages via event listings as details and logistics become available.  

This project is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. The events within the North Dakota state parks are free of charge in accordance with a $7 daily or $35 annual pass per motorized vehicle.  

The mission of the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department is to offer a diversity of recreation opportunities and sustainably manage resources.     

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