FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is accepting applications through March 3 for an artist who will spend 8 to 10 days on public lands along the northern Dalton Highway between June and September.
The Artist in Residence Program supports artistic efforts from all mediums to promote increased interest in recreation on public lands. Previous artists include painters, a poet, and a mixed-medium artist who makes boxes and books. Artists in Residence are expected to give public presentations about their experiences and art.
This year the BLM and University of Alaska at Fairbanks will jointly host the summer Artist in Residence. The artist will spend 3 to 4 days of the residency at the Toolik Field Station on the shores of Toolik Lake in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range. Operated and managed by the university’s Institute of Arctic Biology, the remote field station attracts researchers from the around the world to study the Arctic and its relationship to the global environment.
“We look forward to offering this opportunity to bring attention to public lands and their resources,” said BLM’s Central Yukon Field Manager Tim La Marr. “We’re especially excited to co-host this year’s artist at this world-class research facility. Not only is Toolik Lake a beautiful location, but the artist will have the opportunity to interact with scientists doing ground-breaking research.”
The BLM manages a 244-mile-long swath of land along the Dalton Highway from the Yukon River to the northern foothills of the Brooks Range. The highway, which provides Alaska’s only road connection between Alaska’s Interior and North Slope, passes through some of the country’s most remote and scenic landscapes.
Artists could stay at a nearby BLM cabin or campground or at a remote, backcountry location, depending on their interests and outdoor experience. Artists are responsible for transportation to Fairbanks, but transportation between Fairbanks and the residency sites is provided.
Additional information about the program and application process is available from John Rapphahn at (907) 474-2237, or from the BLM website at www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence/air-sites.
###