Artist in Residence

 

The Artist in Residence (AIR) program at Lassen Volcanic National Park offers amateur and professional artists an opportunity to pursue their particular art form in the park's inspiring environment. The AIR program seeks to:

1. Provide opportunities for artists to deepen their connection with Lassen through artistic process and immersion.
2. Create new connections to Lassen Volcanic National Park through individual works of art.
3. Further awareness of specific park themes through artistic and literary expression.

 

AIR Application

Amateur and professional artists of any medium are welcome to apply. This includes, but is not limited to: writers, sculptors, photographers, painters, musicians, and composers. The program is offered annually. Applications are accepted through October 31 of the preceding year and all applicants are notified about selection by December 15. The selected artist then has until December 31 of the program year to complete his/her residency. View more about the program and apply for the 2023 season at Volunteer.gov.

* Due to staffing shortages, the Artist in Residence program will not resume in 2025. This page will be updated once a decision is made if the program will resume in 2026.

 

Artist-in-Residence Gallery

Enjoy a rotating selection of Artist-in-Residence (AIR) artwork in the park AIR Gallery in the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center auditorium. This collection of artwork acts as a row of windows created by each artist during or inspired by his or her time in the park. All of the pieces were donated by the artist and will become part of the park archive collection to ensure that they are preserved for enjoyment by generations to come.

 

Marko Bajzer

2022 AIR | Marko Bajzer

Marko Bajzer is a composer, performer, educator, sculptor, and outdoorsman; and finds that listening to classical works specific to geographic terrains substantially heightens his national park experiences. "Listening to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata while hiking amid columns of steam illuminated by the light of the full moon at Bumpass Hell at 3:00am gave new meaning to a piece I had heard a hundred times."

His project at Lassen Volcanic National Park will be writing a symphonic work that depicts the juxtaposition of the natural beauty of the park and the destructive forces that continue to shape it. In the piece, a pleasant stroll through the forest is interrupted by an eruption of Lassen Peak, and the orchestra is augmented by recordings of the various geothermal features throughout the park.

View his adventures in the park on Instagram and access his database of nature-related classical music.

 

Layers of cut paper (papercuttings) by Lorraine Bubar. Left: "Audience at Sunset," Right: "Being in Butterflies."

Lorraine Bubar

2019 AIR | Lorraine Bubar

Lorraine Bubuar's interest in papercutting developed out of a love of traveling the world, hiking in its mountains, and discovering its diverse cultures. Papercutting crosses the boundaries of culture, art, and craft; artists create papercuts across the world, often with the simplest of materials and tools. Lorraine uses an x-acto knife to cut and place layers of paper madde in Asian countries in which she has traveled.

Her papercuts capture the diverse taxonomy of flora and fauna that makes each natural environment unique. Her artistic goal during her residency at Lassen Volcanic is to create compositions that illustrate the distinct bioregions within the park. By capturing the hierarchy in nature—from large to small and high to low—she hopes to use her artwork to highlight how unique, beautiful, and fragile these ecosystems are and why they need to be preserved.

Lorraine has also served as Artist-in-Residence at Denali, Zion, and Petrified Forest National Parks.

 

2018 AIR | Beihua Steven Guo

Lassen's youngest Artist-in-Residence, Beihua Steven Guo, attends college in southern California and captures stunning landscapes wherever his camera takes him.

 

Owl painting by 2017 AIR Jhenna Quinn Lewis

2017 AIR | Jhenna Quinn Lewis

Some years ago, artist Jhenna Quinn Lewis and her family summited Lassen Peak together. This summer, Jhenna will return to Lassen Volcanic to create still-life portraits of birds using her traditional old-masters painting style.

 

 

American badger mask by 2017 AIR Jym Davis

2017 AIR | Jym Davis

This summer, Lassen Volcanic will become the sixth national park at which artist Jym Davis will create and photograph animal-inspired masks. Jym celebrates the fact that his work is not a static object, but also a hands-on experience for people. Children are especially fond his paper mache masks.

 

 

A spectrograph of an American pika call by 2017 AIR Greg Weddig

2017 AIR | Greg Weddig

Greg Weddig has been recording and documenting natural soundscapes since 2003. During his intermittent residency, Greg will work with park staff to incorporate his audio recordings into interpretive products for all to enjoy.

 

Oil and pen painting by 2016 AIR David Rossman

2016 AIR | David Rossman

Graphic design student David Rossman enjoyed hiking and backpacking during his two-week residency. A regular visitor to the park, David was excited to explore the park more deeply and discover its lesser seen natural beauty. David's oil and pen painting captures the vitality of the Manzanita Lake area, nestled at the base of Lassen Peak.

 

Marmot woodblock print by 2016 AIR Melinda Whipplesmith Plank

2016 AIR | Melinda Whipplesmith Plank

2016 Artist-in-Residence Melinda Whipplesmith Plank completed a collection of small woodblocks featuring park wildlife and landscapes. During the busy centennial summer, Melinda invited visitors to create their own prints using her handcarved woodblocks. View a selection prints from the woodblocks she carved during her two-week residency on Flickr.

 

"In My Sleeping Bag" by 2015 AIR Pam Haunschild

2015 AIR | Pamela Haunschild

Lassen's 2015 Artist-in-Residence (AIR), Mt. Ashland artist Pamela Haunschild, completed a four-week residency in August 2015. Pamela uses mixed media in her paintings to depict views of nature. Largely working with highly pigmented watercolors, her work includes patterns and textures that lend an abstract element. View Pamela's paintings she created during her residency on our Flickr site and a recorded presentation about her residency and technique on our YouTube site.

 

"Universe on Hell's Doorstep" by 2014 AIR Melissa Lockwood

2014 AIR | Melissa Lockwood
Artist-in-Residence, Melissa Lockwood incorporated art into her life from childhood. While other kids would purchase clothes or video games with their limited allowance, she preferred art supplies. Melissa fell in love with the idea of protecting and preserving public lands in her sophomore year of college through a position with the Bureau of Land Management. After two seasons with the National Park Service, she was hooked for life. Melissa is Lassen's first Artist-in-Residence (AIR) and was instrumental in the development of Lassen's AIR program.

Melissa's artwork is currently on display in the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. You may also view her work on Flickr.