Artist-in-Residence

A person wearing an instrument in a backpack stands at a geologic overlook.
Musician Rachel Panitch looking out from the Canyon Overlook trail during her time in residence in Zion National Park in 2014.
Art has always been a part of appreciating our natural and cultural heritage, as evidenced by artworks made by Indigenous communities since time immemorial. The legacy of artmaking within park landscapes goes back much further than the Hudson River School painters, who played a vital role in documenting the landscapes of the West in the 1870s. Contemporary Indigenous artists continue to bring this story forward within native art and activism in parks like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and many more. Today, the sights and sounds in national parks continue to inspire artists in more than 50 residency programs across the country.

Artist-in-Residence (AIR) programs offer tremendous opportunities for engagement between parks, artists, and park visitors. Art and artists in our parks are important to understanding our collective history—providing lenses and pathways through which we can see and learn about our landscapes, promote a stewardship ethic, and be effective in inspiring dialogue about important societal challenges and how we understand and see others and ourselves.

Whether staying in a remote wilderness cabin at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, contemplating history at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in Iowa, or working in a contemporary studio overlooking the stone-lined fields at Weir Farm National Historic Site in Connecticut, AIR programs provide artists with unique opportunities to create works of art in varied natural and cultural settings.

View a Selection of Artists-in-Residence by Discipline

View a selection of Artists-in-Residence by discipline below. National Park Service Artists-in-Residence span a wide variety of mediums. Some sites focus on one or more specific mediums while others welcome multiple mediums. Please note that the following sites may or may not have a currently active Artist-in-Residence program. Read about how to find an AIR program at a National Park Service site in the next section.


Find an Artist-in-Residence Program at a National Park Service Site

Artist-in-Residence opportunities are offered directly by individual National Park Service sites. Programs vary however residencies are typically 2 to 4 weeks in length and most include lodging. Often artists are invited to participate in park programs by sharing their art with the public.

Use one of the following two methods to look for and explore Artist-in-Residence Programs:

Visit the Artist-in-Residence Webpage for a Specific National Park Service Site

To find out of a specific site offers an Artist-in-Residence Program, visit that specific site's website. Find a site by state and then on the navigation bar for the site, click Get Involved and then look for Volunteer or Artist-in-Residence. Many sites provide information about their Artist-in-Residence Programs within that site including the application process and selection. Note that not all sites have an Artist-in-Residence webpage.

Search for "Artist-in-Residence" in the NPS.gov Search Tool

Select "All NPS" to view a list of webpages for site-level Artist-in-Residence Programs as well as Artist-in-Residence stories. See image below for reference.

A graphic of a search bar with the words "Artist-in-Residence" in a black rectangle.
Search a National Park Service unit (This Site) or All NPS for "Artist-in-Residence."

Meet Artists-in-Residence and See Their Work

Showing results 1-10 of 74

  • George Washington Birthplace National Monument

    Postcards from George Washington Birthplace

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: George Washington Birthplace National Monument

    Postcards are a perfect way for sharing adventures or crafting a colorful gallery. These charming cards spark joy and connection no matter how you use them!

  • Canaveral National Seashore

    Doris Leeper

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Canaveral National Seashore
    Doris Leeper with her sculpture in the foreground.

    An artist and a visionary Doris Leeper was able to share her art and the places that inspired her. Mentoring young artists she inspired them to pursue their passions and purpose. She so wanted to be known as an artist that everything she touched turned to art and inspiration.

  • New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park

    David Higgins

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
    David Higgins

    David Higgins, 2018 Artist-in-Residence at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, explored storytelling through puppetry and digital media. Embracing experimentation, he created art inspired by the park’s history, its Maker Space, and community collaboration.

  • New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park

    Amy Araujo

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
    Artist Amy Araujo works on a large charcoal drawing, using her phone and a drawing tool.

    Amy Araujo, the first Artist-in-Residence at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in 2017, explored themes of identity through large-scale figurative drawings. Her residency honored the bicentennial of Frederick Douglass, featuring free figure drawing classes with fully clothed models and a public art workshop. Araujo’s work connected art and history, inspiring visitors to reflect on freedom, struggle, and resilience.

  • Acadia National Park

    Caitlin Smith

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Acadia National Park
    Woman smiling with shoulder-length wavy dark hair

    Caitlin Smith, of Farmington, MN, is participating as an At-Large Artist in Music with the Artist-in-Residence program at Acadia National Park in 2025.

  • Acadia National Park

    Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Acadia National Park
    Woman wearing colorful traditional clothing with long dark wavy hair

    Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh, of Chappaqua, NY, is participating as a Writer in the Artist-in-Residence program at Acadia National Park in 2025.

  • Acadia National Park

    Abigail Donovan

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Acadia National Park
    B&W photograph of a woman with long hair in loose pony tails and large glasses with dark frames

    Abigail Donovan, of Eugene, OR, is participating as a Visual Artist from Away in the Artist-in-Residence program at Acadia National Park in 2025.

  • Acadia National Park

    Samantha DeFlitch

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Acadia National Park
    Woman wearing a ball cap and a broad smile stands along the shoreline of a coastal harbor

    Samantha DeFlitch, of Plymouth, NH, is participating as a Poet in the Artist-in-Residence program at Acadia National Park in 2025.

  • Acadia National Park

    Nathan Allard

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Acadia National Park
    Man sitting on forest floor looking up at canopy

    Nathan Allard, of Somerville, ME, is participating as a Visual Artist from Maine in the Artist-in-Residence program at Acadia National Park in 2025.

  • New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park

    Beatrice & Elaine Alder

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
    A geometric quilt with pink, blue, yellow, and gray triangles, featuring text and floral pattern

    During their residency in New Bedford, Beatrice and Elaine Alder, a married couple, explored the city’s queer and working-class histories through their project, Law of Salvage, Queer Stories of the South Coast. During their residency they created art and prose inspired by archival research. The Alders used ceramics, textiles, and prints to reclaim stories of overlooked queer laborers and disrupt traditional binaries.

Tags: artist in residence artist-in-residence
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Last updated: November 18, 2024

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