Please contact Park Liaison Caryn Davidson at caryn_davidson@nps.gov for application information.
RAM/Joshua Tree National Park Artist-In-Residence & Affiliate Artist Programs
Mission Statement: The purpose of the Joshua Tree National Park Artist-In-Residence & Affiliate Artist Programs is to provide artistic and educational opportunities to promote deeper understanding of and dialogue about the natural, cultural, and historical resources of Joshua Tree National Park and the deserts of Southern California.
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park contains a variety of dramatic landscapes that offer a wide range of opportunities to experience the desert. These federal lands were set aside by presidential proclamation in 1936, when Franklin D. Roosevelt established Joshua Tree National Monument. The California Desert Protection Act, passed by Congress in 1994, designated the former monument as Joshua Tree National Park, ensuring that this part of the California desert would be preserved and protected for many generations to come. There are 585,000 acres of designated wilderness within the park's boundaries - well over half of its 794,000 acres.
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History of Artists in National Parks
Artists were among the first to record the visual beauty and the drama of the American West on canvas and in photos. Ansel Adams, Thomas Moran, William Henry Jackson, and others awakened a nation to the magnificent waterfalls, geyser basins, and wildlife found in what would become some of our nation's most revered national parks. John Muir and Henry Thoreau touched people the world over with their writing. Musicians, composers, and other performing artists have likewise found inspiration in our national parks. They looked beyond nature as a raw resource; they spoke in defense of disappearing wildlife and vegetation. They saw beauty and virtue in places promised to the future. Their works continue to foster pleasure and appreciation in others, generating support for the appreciation, protection, and preservation of our national resources. Today, artists continue to document national parks, landscapes, and resources with contemporary approaches and techniques.
RAM/JTNP Artist-In-Residence (AIR) Program
The Joshua Tree National Park Artist-In-Residence Program is exclusively owned and operated by the National Park Service and managed in partnership with the Riverside Art Museum. The program offers visual, performing, and literary artists a residency preferably from 2-6 weeks long (special requests are considered on a case-by-case basis). The accommodations within the park are located at the Lost Horse Ranger Station, a rustic and self-sufficient cabin with nearby panoramic views of the park. In exchange for the adventure of living and working in a national park, the resident artist will have the opportunity to create a body of work and to share it with the surrounding regional and Southern California communities. AIR artists' proposals are encouraged to address content related to Joshua Tree National Park and/or build a better understanding and dialogue about our national parks, natural resources, environmental, and desert issues.
AIR Length of Residency
Selected artists for the Artist-In-Residence Program may propose to stay for a residency term preferably ranging from 2-6 weeks during the months of March, April, October, or November at the Lost Horse Ranger Station inside Joshua Tree National Park. No stipend is provided. Artists are responsible for their own expenses, such as travel, meals, transportation, and insurance coverage.
AIR Accommodations/Working Conditions
In addition to the accommodations of the Lost Horse Ranger Station - approximately 600 sq. ft. - and the overall park itself, artists may use an outdoor patio workspace for the production of their projects. Although conditions inside the Lost Horse Ranger Station are more temperate, artists must be prepared for more extreme conditions outside, which may include high winds, low relative humidity, and temperatures ranging from 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day to as low as 30 degrees at night. Visiting artists are subject to the same Park Service regulations as all visitors - permanent or temporary alterations or manipulations of the landscape are strictly prohibited. Artists will be provided a park pass to allow free access to the park during the residency.
Please note that because the Lost Horse residence is off-the-grid, there are some serious limitations to the kinds of equipment that can be operated there. Music composition on a keyboard, film editing, and some other computer-based work puts too significant a strain on the solar power system to support those technologies; most composers and filmmakers will find this potentially disqualifying. If you have any questions or concerns about the equipment you intend to use during the residency, please call the park for more information.
RAM/JTNP Affiliate Artist Program (Affiliate)
The Joshua Tree National Park Affiliate Artist Program offers visual, performing, and literary artists an Affiliate Artist status for a one-year period (special requests are considered for longer residencies) to access Joshua Tree National Park for research and development of projects related to the park. The Affiliate Artist program does not provide lodging/accommodations at the Lost Horse Ranger Station, but does support year-round access and/or camping in the park. All selected artists to the Affiliate Artist program will receive a one-year access pass to JTNP and eligibility for a special one-year Individual Artist membership with benefits from the Riverside Art Museum.
Affiliate Length of Residency
Selected artists for the Affiliate Artist Program will receive a one-year pass to the park and access to free camping, beginning in September, 2011 and ending in August, 2012. No stipend is provided. Artists are responsible for their own expenses, such as transportation, materials, meals, and insurance coverage.
Affiliate - Camping is Allowed
Affiliate Artists may use the park's public campsites via the reservation procedures of JTNP. Affiliate Artists must be prepared for extreme conditions outside in the high desert which may include high winds, low relative humidity, and temperatures that can range from 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and to as low as 30 degrees at night. Visiting artists are subject to the same Park Service regulations as all visitors - permanent and temporary alterations or manipulations of the landscape are strictly prohibited. Artists will be provided a one-year park pass to allow free access to the park during the residency period.
Art Donation to Joshua Tree National Park Collection
As per agreement with acceptance into the residency programs, selected artists are asked to donate to the park an original piece of artwork and/or appropriate professional documentation of their writings, music, or performance from their residency in Joshua Tree National Park. Donated artwork must be received no later than one year after an artist's residency. Artwork from visual artists should be framed with plexiglas and prepared for hanging before donation. Artists are also required to provide the copyright for this artwork to the National Park Service. Artwork becomes the unrestricted property of Joshua Tree National Park and may be used in exhibits, educational programs, fundraising efforts, and by Joshua Tree National Park's nonprofit association for their products. The artist retains a royalty-free, nonexclusive use license under the copyright of the art. The National Park Service owns the artwork and the rights to reproduce it. Under those rights, the artist has a license to make use of the artwork's image for his or her purposes. When artists reproduce artwork for their own purposes, publication information will include the language: "This artwork was produced under the Artist-In-Residence Program at Joshua Tree National Park."
Public Presentations
Dependent on the specific circumstances of each individual residency, AIR artists are expected to do at least one public presentation during their residency with the Joshua Tree National Park Artist-In-Residence Program. Affiliate artists are expected to do at least two public presentations during their residency with the Joshua Tree National Park Affiliate Artist Program. Potential public presentation venues/partners include the Riverside Art Museum, the Desert Institute, Copper Mountain College, Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council, Basinwide Foundation, and regional cultural and community partners, etc.
Calendar
Entries are accepted for the 2011-12 AIR and Affiliate programs with postmarks dated no later than the deadline of July 1, 2011. Applications postmarked after the deadline will not be considered. Notification of selected artists will be made by August 15, 2011.
The Selection Process
A panel of prominent artists, arts professionals, community representatives, National Park Service personnel, and Riverside Art Museum curatorial staff will choose finalists. Final selections are based on artistic merit, professional résumé, the Statement of Project/Purpose, public presentation proposal(s), and relevance to the JTNP Artist-In-Residence & Affiliate Artist Programs' mission.
Program Management
Joshua Tree National Park's Artist-In-Residence & Affiliate Artist Programs are exclusively owned and operated by the National Park Service, and managed in partnership with the Riverside Art Museum. Additional partnerships with arts, cultural, and community organizations will be utilized to support specific collaborations, projects, exhibitions, performances, and/or opportunities for selected artists.
How to Apply:
Artists must submit application materials and art samples exactly as indicated on the application form. Insufficient or excess materials are cause for application rejection. Be sure to check the appropriate box for the desired program.
RAM/Joshua Tree National Park Artist-In-Residence & Affiliate Artist Programs Current List of Partners
- National Park Service, Joshua Tree National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park Association
- The Desert Institute
- Riverside Art Museum
- Plein Air Artists of Riverside (PAAR)
- Photographic Artists Network (PAN)
- Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council
- Copper Mountain College
- The Community Foundation
- UCR - California Museum of Photography
- College of the Desert
- Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce
- Morongo Valley Chamber of Commerce
- Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce
- Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management
- National Parks Conservation Association
- Riverside Arts Council
- Twentynine Palms Creative Center & Gallery
- Twentynine Palms Creative Art Center
Please download this application form and mail materials to:
JNTP Artist-In-Residence & Affiliate Artist Programs
Attn: Caryn Davidson
Joshua Tree National Park
9800 Black Rock Canyon Rd.
Yucca Valley, CA 92284
For further information: www.riversideartmuseum.org or www.nps.gov/jotr/
