The Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is seeking applicants for its 2025 artist-in-residence program’s winter and summer programs. The application will be open until Aug. 31.
The program is being hosted by the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in conjunction with the monument’s official Friends Group and the Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance. Organizers encourage all artists to apply, regardless of background. Welcome mediums are painting, sketching, composing, sculpting, photography and pottery.
The program is described as a “transformative art experience” meant to engage visitors to the park. Artists will also receive a $600 stipend, which is provided by the Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance.
“Let the beauty of our public lands inspire your work so that it can inspire other,” program organizers said.
The winter residency will take place for two weeks and will end the second week of February. The summer residency will also run for two weeks and will end in the middle of June 2025, coinciding with the Four Corners Indigenous Art Market.
Artists will be able to immerse themselves in the “cultural and natural wonders” of the national monument and surrounding areas while participating in guided tours and research opportunities.
Resident artists will host one public event and contribute a piece of art to the monument’s collection, as well as “embody the principles of responsible stewardship and conservation.”
Both residency periods offer options for longer stays, for those who are interested.
While the winter residency is open to all artists, the summer residency is open only to Indigenous artists who wish to participate in the program. Lodging will be provided for those accepted to the residency, as well as a professional art studio from Willowtail Springs Nature Preserve and Education Center, a nonprofit that is dedicated to “fostering creativity and environmental stewardship.”
Willowtail Springs is located on 60-acres in Mancos, and is a nonprofit organization that offers lodging and studio space for artists, “fostering creativity in a serene environment where art and nature coexist harmoniously.”
Residents will be able to express their creativity “in a cultural landscape” while being able to explore the beauty and history of the national park. The finished work of residents will be displayed at the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum.
To apply, interested artists are asked to submit a completed application form, resume, public event proposal and samples of their art by Aug. 31. Organizers request that artists submit five to 10 digital samples of their work and give a donation to SCCA.
Applications can be accessed online at www.swcocanyons.org/artist-in-residence-program/.
For more information or questions, interested artists can contact Markleigh Swanson, Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance executive director, at swcocanyons@gmail.com or Amala Posey-Monk, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument supervisory park ranger and visitor services and recreation program manager, at aposeymonk@blm.gov.
