Artists have had a long-standing impact on the formation, expansion and direction of our national parks. Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, William Henry Jackson, and others brought fantastic images of waterfalls, geysers, mountain majesty, and wildlife to the attention of a young nation. Writers with a passion for the natural world like John Muir, Enos Mills, Henry Thoreau, and John Burroughs, described their personal experiences with both the grand and the insignificant. Composers have found inspiration in this country’s landscape and produced pieces like Grand Canyon Suite and Appalachian Spring. Thomas Hart Benton brought his beloved Buffalo River and the rural beauty of the Ozarks to the nation through his painting and sketching. These artistic records helped to stimulate the establishment of many of our national parks.

Today, artists continue to document national park landscapes and draw upon the multifaceted quality of parks for inspiration, with contemporary approaches and techniques. These artists translate the national park’s purpose, as a place of pleasure and preservation, into images which bring enjoyment and a deeper understanding of parks many Americans may never visit.

The program at Buffalo National River:

-is open to visual artists, writers, and composers.
-offers Three residencies each year, one each in spring, summer and fall.
-provides housing for the participants for up to a three week stay.
-requires the artist to donate one park-inspired piece of original artwork to the park’s permanent collection within 6 months of their residency.
-displays donated works for the public.
-requires the artist to conduct at least 2 presentations for the public. The artist will provide all materials for the presentations.
-enrolls the artist in the National Park Service’s Volunteers-in-Parks program.
-is not able to accommodate international artists.

Complete application guidelines available at http://www.nps.gov/buff/supportyourpark/air-application-procedure.htm

Deadline: September, 1, 2010