The Artist in Residency Program is a partnership between the ND Parks & Recreation Department and the ND Council on the Arts where artists are chosen to spend 7 or 10 days in a North Dakota state park. Its goal is to support North Dakota artists in creating art that showcases the beauty and inspiration of the hosting state park while providing opportunities for visitors to develop artistic skills and a deeper appreciation of the park-inspired artwork and the parks themselves.
“We are extremely excited and grateful to be able to continue this innovative partnership with the North Dakota Council on the Arts to support these incredibly talented artists so they can share their knowledge and art with our visitors and guests,” said Cody Schulz, ND Parks & Recreation Director.
This year Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park will be hosting Marie Snavely (Bowman) July 26 – August 2, Icelandic State Park will host Tayla Sessing (Fargo) August 1-10, and Beaver Lake State Park will host Robin Reynolds (Hebron) September 1-8).
During each residency, the artist will have two presentations or workshops that are open to the public. The public is invited and encouraged to attend these activities during the weekend of the residency. Such activities will showcase artwork inspired by the state parks and will provide various opportunities for park visitors of all ages and skill levels to discover or further develop their artistic skills. Details surrounding these opportunities this summer at Fort Abraham Lincoln, Icelandic, and Beaver Lake State Parks will be posted on their respective Facebook pages via event listings as soon details become available. At the conclusion of the residency each artist will donate a piece of their artwork that represents their residency to the hosting state park.
“Over the years, the strong partnership between North Dakota Council on the Arts and Parks & Recreation has been extremely fruitful and fulling, expanding as we have been able to while connecting art to nature. We are pleased to continue this program and look forward to 2022’s results for our three ND artists as well as Park visitors,” stated Kim Konikow, Executive Director, NDCA.
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. These events within the ND state parks are free of charge; however, normal daily park vehicle entrance fees apply (or an annual state park pass is required).
The mission of the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department is to offer a diversity of recreation opportunities and sustainably manage resources.