Paint Rock Forest Artist Residency

The Paint Rock Forest Artist Residency invites Alabama-based visual artists and musicians to experience the rich and dynamic intersection of creativity, nature, science, and conservation within the heart of one of North America's greatest centers of biodiversity. The karst landscape of the Paint Rock Valley in Alabama is filled with caves, sinks, springs, rivers, ephemeral streams, rare species of plants and animals, and evidence of human heritage spanning tens of thousands of years. 

The Paint Rock Forest Artist Residency invites Alabama-based visual artists and musicians to experience the rich and dynamic intersection of creativity, nature, science, and conservation within the heart of one of North America's greatest centers of biodiversity. The karst landscape of the Paint Rock Valley in Alabama is filled with caves, sinks, springs, rivers, ephemeral streams, rare species of plants and animals, and evidence of human heritage spanning tens of thousands of years. 

During the 2027 residency period, 12 creatives, in cohorts of 3-4 visual artists and musicians, will be awarded a short stay within the Paint Rock Valley at one of Alabama's premier research facilities, the Paint Rock Research Center. Artists who are selected for this residency will become ecological explorers and interpreters, engaging directly with researchers studying forest dynamics, biodiversity, caves, aquatics, and conservation science. Guided excursions will take artists into a private, protected landscape that harbors some of Appalachia’s most wondrous habitats and species. Developed to inspire thought, dialogue, and, most importantly, creative inquiry, the residency experience may be understood as a reconnaissance mission — a program from which an artist may return to their home studio with ideas, experiences, and perspectives to fuel current or future projects. Selected artists will be provided with a small stipend and are invited to participate in a group exhibition at the Gadsden Museum of Art in January 2028 and to deliver a presentation or conduct a workshop at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Why the Paint Rock Forest?

Paint Rock Forest is an exceptional natural wonder and the national center of deciduous forest, cave, and aquatic biodiversity. Scientists from around the state and country come here to study these systems deeply and uncover the role this resilient landscape will play into the future. For some 7,000 years, artists, too, have been responding to the natural world in Paint Rock, leaving their impressions on our cliffs and in our caves. These are more than images — they are queries, explorations, and suppositions. They’re also a call to our modern artists today to join in this human heritage of offering new ways of seeing, interpreting, and processing the Paint Rock Forest and its rich reservoir of diversity.  

Tentative Residency Dates and Areas of Exploration

February
Study of time in the forest: Tree Coring
Natural history of Paint Rock and Alabama

March-April
Salamanders
Herbaceous plots and spring ephemerals

May-July
Paint Rock River diversity and mussel restoration
Cerulean warbler and other songbird monitoring in post-tornado site
Prescribed fire stages of recovery

Sept-October
The diversity of Paint Rock’s caves
Natural history of Paint Rock and Alabama

Program Format

Artists are invited to arrive at the Paint Rock Research Center the Thursday evening of their stay. After breakfast on Friday, artists will meet with researchers and conservationists and participate in a guided excursion within the Paint Rock Valley. A packed lunch will be provided during the excursion. Dinner in the evening followed by a campfire/roundtable/guest artist presentation. Artists are invited to work in the studio Saturday. Saturday evening artist are invited to share their creative activity with the group. Artists depart from the Research Center on Sunday.

• Activities: Guided tours/outings in the Paint Rock Valley, Research Center, Paint Rock River, and the Alabama Nature Conservancy's Sharp-Bingham Mountain Preserve. Guest artist/musician fireside talk and group dinner on Friday.
• Opportunities: Opportunity to meet other Alabama artists and musicians within the cohort, and to deliver a presentation or conduct a workshop at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama.
• Exhibition: Participation in a month-long group exhibition at the Gadsden Museum of Art in January 2028.
• Location: Paint Rock Research Center, 3400 CR-10, Paint Rock, AL 36764
• Lodging: The Paint Rock Research Center Red House, nestled in thousands of acres in The Nature Conservancy’s Sharp-Bingham Mountain Preserve, offers one master bedroom and 3 shared bedrooms; a fully equipped kitchen; a laundry room; and no television but does offer a wrap-around deck and outdoor fire pit to enjoy views of the forest.  

Archive/Publication
Artists and their work will be archived on the PRRC's website. We ask permission to share images of the artist's and their work on social media to promote the program.

Artist Stipend
Residents will receive a $250 honorarium after the conclusion of their participation at the Paint Rock Forest Artist Residency and their delivery of a virtual or in-person presentation or workshop at Jacksonville State University.

Partners/Staff

• Paint Rock Research Center
• Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy
• Jacksonville State University
• Gadsden Museum of Art

Your application should include the following information: 

• Artist name
• Birth date
• Home address, phone number, and email address
• Website link (if applicable) and social media accounts
• Description of the applicant's objectives (500 words max)
• Curriculum Vitae highlighting relevant experience and exhibitions
• Portfolio: 3-5 images of the artist's work
• Music: Recording: 5 minutes
• Ranking of top 3 preferred residency timeframes

*All artists are required to complete a brief video or phone call interview before being awarded the residency. 

Open to Alabama visual artists and musicians who live and work within the state and who are 18 years of age or older.