Denali, AK–  Three visual artists and three writers were selected from over 300 applicants to participate in this year’s Artist-in-Residence program at Denali National Park and Preserve.  Deborah Bouchette, Trine Bumiller, Kim Heacox, Marybeth Holleman, Rika Mouw, and Linda Schandelmeir will each have the opportunity to experience and be inspired by the park during summer 2012. They will stay at the historic East Fork cabin, where they can look out onto the braided channels of the East Fork River, multi-colored rock formations of Polychrome Mountain, and the snow-capped peaks of the Alaska Range.

Deborah Bouchette is a painter from Hillsboro, Oregon. Her drawings and paintings appear abstract, but they incorporate sound, beat, wave, and reverberation as metaphors for experiencing life. During her residence at the park, Deborah plans to create map-like seismographic records to recall the ordered chaos of animal tracks and the flock-and-flight patterns of birds. She also will make an audio journal of the park’s unique natural chatter.

Inspired by the environment, Trine Bumiller of Denver, Colorado creates multi-paneled oil paintings of abstracted and recombined images by using layers of transparent glazes. She draws inspiration from the environment, and while in Denali she plans to record the landscape, weather and plant life with sketches, watercolors and photographs to develop into a series of paintings.

Kim Heacox of Gustavus, Alaska is a writer, photographer, musician and conservationist.  He is the author of eight books, and numerous articles that have appeared in a wide range of publications. His most recent title, “The Only Kayak”, a memoir about finding home in Alaska, was a 2006 PEN SA Literary Award finalist in creative non-fiction.  His writing often focuses on the interplay between mankind and the natural world, the power of place and community, and the importance of critical thinking.

Marybeth Holleman from Anchorage, Alaska is the author of The Heart of the Sound and co-editor of Crosscurrents North. Her essays, poems, and articles have appeared in dozens of journals and anthologies and been heard on
National Public Radio. She writes, “I like to work at the edges of nature and culture. I’m endlessly inspired by the intricate relationships of the natural world, and seek to illuminate what I find there, to see what hasn’t been seen, to awaken wonder.”

Rika Mouw, from Homer, Alaska has been a studio artist and jewelry designer for over 30 years. She has recently transitioned from working with metal to almost exclusively using organic materials such as wood, shell, stone, bone or fibers.  As a passionate environmental advocate, her work mostly speaks about issues relating to human dependency on, reverence for or disregard of the natural environment.

Writer Linda Schandelmeier has lived in the Fairbanks, Alaska area for over 40 years. She is the author of Listening Hard Among the Birches, a book of poetry published in 2002. Her poems have appeared in many journals and anthologies, and she received a Rasmuson award to work on her second book, Homestead, about the 160-acre homestead near Anchorage, Alaska, where she was raised.  “I write because it compels me to see the world around me more clearly, and because it helps me make sense of both the exterior and interior landscape,” she states.

“We are pleased to offer these talented individuals the opportunity to immerse themselves in Denali,” said Superintendent Paul Anderson. “The work they will create from their intensive experience in the park will be a source of inspiration to all who view or read their work.”

Each artist will offer a public presentation for visitors during their residency. They will also each donate a work inspired by their time in Denali to the park’s collection.  Pieces created by artists-in-residence from previous years will be on display in the Denali Visitor Center, Eielson Visitor Center, and the Murie Science and Learning Center during the 2012 visitor season. Information about the public presentation schedule as well as an online gallery of artist-in-residence artwork is available at www.nps.gov/dena/artist-in-residence.htm

The Artist-in-Residence program is a national program that enables established artists to reside in a park while they create park-related art. Artists have played a significant role in raising public awareness of the natural wonders preserved within the National Park System and the need for their protection since the creation of Yellowstone, the first national park.

This is the 11th year of the Artist-in-Residence program at Denali National Park and Preserve. A total of 35 artists, including 21from Alaska, have participated in previous summers.

Artists interested in applying for the 2013 season are encouraged to visit www.nps.gov/dena/historyculture/arts-program.htm for information and to apply. The call opens on May 1, 2012.

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