Announcement of Finalists in 2012 Pilot BLM Artist-in-Residence (AiR) Program

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENTWASHINGTON, D.C. 20240http://www.blm.govApril 24, 2012In Reply Refer To: 8100 (420) PEMS TRANSMISSION 04/27/2012Information Bulletin No. 2012-066To: All WO Officials and Field Office OfficialsFrom: Assistant Director, National Landscape Conservation System and Community PartnershipsSubject: Announcement of Finalists in 2012 Pilot BLM Artist-in-Residence (AiR) ProgramWe are pleased to announce the selection of four professional artists as the finalists in the BLM pilot Artist-in-Residence program at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) in southwestern Colorado. Each selected artist will spend a week experiencing the monument's landscape, creating works of art in response to the experience, and then sharing his or her vision with the public during summer 2012.Forty-four artists from across the nation applied for the BLM pilot AiR program residencies at CANM. The following artists were chosen on the basis of artistic merit and public outreach proposals: Carol Chamberland of Albuquerque, NM (gouache and colored pencil painting); Kirk Gittings of Albuquerque, NM (photography); Joyce Heuman of Cortez, CO (watercolor painting); and Arthur Short Bull of Estes Park, CO (watercolor painting). These selected finalists will receive housing and studio space, and each artist will be required to donate at least one digital image of completed artwork to the BLM.Artists will have the time and solitude to pursue creative work before leading a public program of their own design during the residency. The program will provide an opportunity for learning and dialogue about the value of conserving and protecting public lands and promoting an appreciation of the incredible landscapes within the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS).This pilot program, modeled after other nationally successful programs, promotes awareness of the exceptional places protected within the NLCS which includes National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, National Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Scenic and Historic Trails, and designated Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument features thousands of archaeological sites, including Ancestral Puebloan settlements; the monument is believed to have the highest density of archaeological sites of any landscape in the United States.More information about the pilot BLM Artist-in-Residence program for 2012 at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is available at https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence/air-sites.We extend our thanks to the BLM employees who contributed to the development and facilitation of the BLM 2012 pilot AiR program at CANM. Should you have any questions, or should you wish to inquire about setting up an artist-in-residence program at an NLCS unit or other BLM site, please feel free to contact Wayne Rice of the Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships at (970) 882-6858.Signed by: Carl Rountree, Assistant Director, National Landscape Conservation System and Community PartnershipsAuthenticated by: Robert M. Williams Division of IRM Governance, WO-560