2027 Great Basin National Park Artist in Residence (winter, summer, and fall)

Professional artists will be given the opportunity to explore the Great Basin Region and Great Basin National Park to foster their artistic process and connection with the public.

This program provides an opportunity for artists to: Immerse themselves in the Park’s and region’s landscape, culture, and wildlife. Express inspiration through the creative process and share it with others. Through artistic perspective, allow the public to connect in new ways with the Great Basin Region and Great Basin National Park.

The 2-3 week residency is open to visual artists, literary artists, musicians and other creative activity media artists. 

From this call, 3 artists will be selected for 2027 occurring in Winter (housing residence), Summer (a camping only residence), Fall (a camping only residence).

One residency is reserved for a Regional artist who lives and works in Nevada or Utah.

Please be prepared to note which residency you are applying for. You may select one, two, or three seasons to be co...

Description:

Artists have played an important role in the formation, preservation, and enjoyment of national parks. Over a century ago, by painting landscapes of the American West, artists publicized many of the natural wonders of a land little known to an eastern populace. Their body of work helped to foster appreciation for these national wonders which ultimately resulted in the establishment of many national parks. Artist’s interpretation of park landscapes through many types of media connects people to these special places, which is an essential part of the preservation and protection of America’s national parks.

At Great Basin National Park, artists will be surrounded by the natural beauty of the park from the 13,063-foot summit of Wheeler Peak to the depths of Lehman Caves. The Park offers the solitude of the wilderness and provides expansive and renowned dark-sky stargazing. The sights, sounds, and textures of the environment, along with uninterrupted time, offer a respite from typical daily life and provide inspiration for creative work.

Great Basin National Park is very remote. The closest town is Baker which has few to no amenities. Artists will find amenities in Ely, Nevada, 60 miles away from the Park.

We are selecting 3 residences from this call. Each residence will occur in 2027. The residencies are as follows:

Winter residence. The artist may choose a 2-3 week residency during January and February. This residency has Park housing. Lodging includes a furnished private bedroom within a shared living space (kitchen and bathroom). Washers and dryers are available and the kitchen includes major appliances (refrigerator, stove, sink) and basic utensils and dishes. The selected artist is responsible for bringing everything else they may need. Public Wi-Fi is available at the Visitor Centers. Cell service is limited and varies between carriers. Pets and smoking are not allowed. In winter the Park is very quiet and likely to be covered with several feet of snow. Most major access roads in the Park are closed. A residence may choose to explore on snowshoes or cross country skis. Storms may make travel to amenities in Ely more difficult.

Summer residence. The artist may choose a 2-3 week residency during July and August. This is a CAMPING residency. Artists should be familiar and confident with camping prior to applying for this residency. Summer is a beautiful time within the Park, and the entire Park is accessible, but monsoonal weather is common. Please be aware that internet service is unavailable at campgrounds and cell service is limited and varies between carriers. Public Wi-Fi can be found at the Visitor Centers. Great Basin National Park Foundation provides a great set-up of camping gear for this residency. The artist must provide their own ice, and we recommend bringing a cooler with block ice. Showers can be found in Baker. Unless an artist wants to bring their own RV or camper - the campsite will not have electricity. Pets and smoking are not allowed. Look at this video from the 2023 AIR to view a camping set up: https://youtu.be/jQ6vX_NLefM. Here is a list of the gear a camping AIR can use: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J7xd3EvAoFmmEDglnno_2YdWSvxKffoWoz3FTd4P30E/edit?usp=sharing

Fall residence. The artist may choose a 2-3 week residency during September and October. This is a CAMPING residency. Artists should be familiar and confident with camping prior to applying for this residency. Fall is a beautiful time within the Park, and the entire Park is accessible. The artist may choose to overlap with the Great Basin National Park Astronomy Festival which occurs in September. Please be aware that internet service is unavailable at campgrounds and cell service is limited and varies between carriers. Public Wi-Fi can be found at the Visitor Centers. Great Basin National Park Foundation provides a great set-up of camping gear for this residency. The artist must provide their own ice, and we recommend bringing a cooler with block ice. Showers can be found in Baker. Unless an artist wants to bring their own RV or camper - the campsite will not have electricity. Pets and smoking are not allowed. Look at this video from the 2023 AIR to view a camping set up: https://youtu.be/jQ6vX_NLefM. Here is a list of the gear a camping AIR can use: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J7xd3EvAoFmmEDglnno_2YdWSvxKffoWoz3FTd4P30E/edit?usp=sharing

We are selecting one REGIONAL Artist-in-Residence (AIR) from this call. The regional residence must live and work in Nevada or Utah and may apply for any season.

Each AIR will present one public program in the Park during their residency. The winter program may take place in a local school rather than the Park. 

Each AIR will provide a digital portfolio of visual art, writing, music, or performance created during the residency. The digital portfolio will not be monetized, and exclusive rights will not be requested. Artists will always be credited with their work when digital items are used. Digital portfolios will be shared with Great Basin National Park and Great Basin National Park Foundation (GBNPF). GBNPF is the nonprofit partner of Great Basin National Park, and is financially supporting these programs.

Each AIR will donate one physical artistic piece (if applicable), along with a digital representation of the artistic piece within one year of their residency to GBNPF for unrestricted use. The donation may be displayed in the Park for up to three years. Each AIR will provide a deed of gift to GBNPF for donated work(s) allowing rights to both digital & physical pieces.

Artists will be selected based upon their ability to interpret Great Basin National Park and the Great Basin Region, ability to reside and work in a remote location (camping and/or housing), demonstrated professionalism, artistic integrity, creativity, demonstrated success interacting with the public, and their public program idea. 

Artists' professional resume and personal statement should address the above to be competitive within this application.

All artists must submit:

A Professional Resume 

A Personal Statement which includes "Why Great Basin National Park?" and includes a public program concept. Please also address your ability to reside in a remote location and work independently.

Visual Artists: Provide 6-12 images. Clearly label each image with your name, work's title, medium, and dimensions. 

Writers/Poets: Provide 6-12 short works or 1 long work. Clearly label each work with your name and its title. Examples include: Six Short Poems or other short writing samples of artistic merit (less than 1 page each) or One Short Story, Essay, or Manuscript Excerpt (10 pages max).

Composers, Musicians, Performing Artists, Video, Film: Provide no more than six short selections (about 6 minutes total) or 1 long selection (about 10 minutes total).

All artists: All materials must be submitted through the online process. Additional materials or links to additional materials will result in disqualification.

Please apply for all seasons you would like to be considered for. 

Residencies are open to visual artists, literary artists, musicians and other creative activity media artists. 

This call is open to artists that reside anywhere, but one spot each year will be held for a regional residence for an artist that lives and works in Nevada or Utah.