Artist-In-Residence Program

Courtesy - Garrision Gerard

Meet Rocky Mountain National Park's Next Artist-In-Residence

Garrison Gerard

Garrison Gerard is an American composer of electroacoustic and concert music and a Fulbright Fellow at the Hornafjörður Research Centre of the University of Iceland. His work focuses on ecoacoustics and the intersection of ecology and music.

Characterized by dramatic gestures and moments of arresting luminosity, his music is an exploration through intimate sound worlds. His work builds on multiple traditions spanning from spectralism, modernism, and minimalism as well as reaching back to the classical canon and renaissance music.

Growing up in North Georgia, he sang in choir and played violin in orchestra, and the influence of the natural beauty of the area has had a lasting impact on his work. In 2020, Garrison served as Artist-in-Residence at Padre Island National Seashore—he recorded sounds across the island and incorporated them in multiple pieces exploring the biomes and environmental impact of society along the coast of Texas.

Gerard is currently engaging in research exploring the interaction between nature and music through acoustic ecology. He has carried out acoustic surveys tracking the impact of human noise on natural ecosystems in Patagonia, the Chihuahuan Desert, Denali National Park, Iceland, and other locations. Collaboration is central to his work; he has worked with multiple artists in the creation of experimental works and performance art pieces, most recently including works with the choreographer Briana Less exploring the nature of communication and joint improvisation.

In addition to composition, Garrison is a conductor, pianist, trumpeter, improviser, and avid advocate for new music. He is a founding member of the Nu Atmospheres Ensemble and conducts the NOVA New Music Ensemble at the University of North Texas. In 2018 he was the Guest Director for the UNT Percussion Ensemble. A member of the UNT Free Improvisation ensemble, he regularly performs on both trumpet and piano.

Working with contemporary composers is a particular focus for him, having conducted the premiere of more than 30 pieces by living composers. Gerard completed his Doctoral degree in Music Composition from the University of North Texas and received a Master's in Music Composition from UNT and a Bachelors in Piano from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. He is currently working as a researcher with the University of Iceland thanks to the support of a Fulbright/National Science Foundation Arctic Research Award. His composition teachers include Joseph Klein, Sungji Hong, Panayiotis Kokoras, Andrew May, Kirsten Broberg, and Jay Walls.

 

Courtesy Garrison Gerard

Upcoming Artist-In-Residence Activities:

July 15: Soundwalk with an Artist-in-Residence

Join composer Garrison Gerard on a soundwalk at Hidden Valley on Monday, July 15. Garrison uses natural sounds in his music, and his process often begins by listening—but listening isn’t just for musicians. Experience the sounds of the park in a new way while learning about how acoustics can inform our understanding of natural ecosystems.

• On Monday, July 15 - Meet at Hidden Valley at 2 p.m. This program will be two hours long.
• Hidden Valley is located approximately 7 miles from Beaver Meadows and Fall River Entrances.

Visitors of all ages are welcome. Participants should be prepared to be outside for the 2-hour program. It is advised to check the weather. Be prepared to walk on uneven terrain for at least one mile. Carry water and snacks. It is advised to wear good footwear for hiking. All materials are provided. No previous knowledge or skills are needed.

This program is generously supported by Rocky Mountain Conservancy. Since 1984, Rocky Mountain National Park has hosted over 200 artists, including authors, painters, poets, composers, sculptors, quilters, photographers, musicians, and more.

 

July 20: Field Recording and Nature Music

Join Artist-in-Residence Garrison Gerard on Saturday, July 20 at Fall River Visitor Center. Gerard will share his work using natural sounds to compose musical compositions and study ecosystems.

Come learn about the processes of field recording, acoustic ecology, and music composition. Visitors will have the chance to use unique audio equipment and to help compose a new piece of music.

• On Saturday, July 20 - Come to Fall River Visitor Center from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Participants are invited to drop in at any time. All ages are welcome. All materials are provided. No previous knowledge or skills are needed.

A timed entry reservation is not requied to attend or to access Fall River Visitor Center.

 

Upcoming 2024 Artists-In-Residence

Kait Evensen

Born and raised at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Kait learned from a young age to have a deep respect for mother nature. Through her pursuit of a career in natural resources, she has spent countless hours outdoors, working, recreating, and capturing the beauty of the world around her. Kait’s many trips to Rocky Mountain National Park while growing up fostered a love of the alpine tundra and a fascination with the plants and animals who can thrive in such a challenging environment.

Her primary mediums are embroidery and technical illustration, but she finds immense inspiration in trying new creative processes. She participated in her first art residency in 2023 at Olympic National Park as a part of the Terminus, Glacier Memorial Project. Her art has been on display in galleries in Colorado, Arizona, and Washington. Kait is honored to have been chosen as one of Rocky Mountain National Park's 2024 Artists in Residence.

Joe Norman

Joe graduated with a degree in Product Design from Stanford and worked with design consulting firms for a number of years before teaching middle school and customizing vintage motorcycles. For the past fourteen years he has been a full-time sculptor, focusing on handmade and site-specific works informed by the intersection of the natural and human-made environment. His studio is in Loveland, Colorado.

Joe's intent is to make work that is both intellectually and emotionally engaging, and serves to strengthen the health of the community where it is placed. Most often, this results in large-scale outdoor public sculptures fabricated using durable materials such as stainless steel, concrete, and elbow grease.

Joe has served as an Artist-In-Residence at Great Basin National Park and he is an Affiliate Member of the National Sculptor’s Guild, and served on the Board of Directors for the Artworks Center for Contemporary Art. His work is in permanent public and private collections across North America and is represented by galleries in Colorado, Utah, and Massachusetts.

Joe spends his free time ice climbing, riding bicycles, and fly-fishing with his daughter.

Jeremy Shellhorn

Jeremy Shellhorn is a designer/illustrator and Professor of Design at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. He is the founder of the Design Outside Studio, a roaming classroom that creates opportunities for design students to journey off campus and into our national parks. The Studio appreciates that the design process is a powerful tool for making communication about the natural world more engaging and effective.

He and his students have been fortunate to collaborate with Rocky Mountain National Park rangers on a variety of visual communication design projects and he also brings a class out to Rocky each summer to camp for over a week in the park and make artwork inspired by their experiences. Jeremy and his family try to visit Rocky during each season and these trips inspired a children’s book called The Mountain Stands.

During his residency Jeremy will be working on place-based paper collages that share his experiences in each of Rocky’s four ecosystems (riparian, montane, subalpine and alpine tundra) and these collages may even become his next children’s book. He is particularly interested in exploring visual design strategies for interpretative experiences that teach park visitors to "leave no trace”.

When he isn’t teaching Jeremy enjoys hiking with his family and fly fishing.

Additional Program Details:

Rocky's selected artists will provide at least two public programs. At the completion of their residency, the artists will donate a fully furnished piece of work representative of their stay to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. Rocky Mountain Conservancy will hold the rights to the piece of work and the National Park Service will have the rights to share the donated works with the public.

 

NPS Photo

Did you know that art has played a major role in the creation of national parks and in the preservation of wild spaces? Artists like George Catlin, Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, Ansel Adams, and more helped to share the beauty and wonders of the natural world with people around the globe.

In turn, since the 1800s, artistic works have inspired people to travel, dream, explore, and visit their national parks and other public lands.

The creative arts continue to play a major role in national parks today. Artists of many types, like painters, photographers, sculptors, authors, poets, musicians, composers, videographers, dancers, playwrights and more - help capture a moment in time and inspire others. People come to national parks for many different reasons and Artist-In-Residence programs provide extraordinary opportunities to connect with some of America's most treasured places.

The National Park Service recognizes the importance of art in our lives and helps to support artists by offering Artist-In-Residence programs. Through these programs, selected artists have the opportunity to participate in a residency in a national park. Through their residency, artists have time to be inspired and create artistic works, as well as share their vision with the public through presentations.

Rocky Mountain National Park in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Conservancy is one of over 50 NPS sites that currently host an Artist-In-Residence program. Artists that are part of Rocky's AIR program participate in a two- or three- week residency in a historic cabin during the summer months.

 

NPS Photo

A Brief History of Rocky's Artist-In-Residence Program

Rocky Mountain National Park launched it's first Artist-In-Residence program during the summer of 1984. RMNP's program is one of the oldest and longest-running Artist-In-Residence programs in the National Park Service. The park has hosted over 200 individuals from across the world who have helped enrich Rocky Mountain National Park by sharing their unique artistic visions for the benefit of current and future generations of park visitors.

Selected artists serve in a two- or three-week long residency during the summer season. Artists-In-Residence stay at the William Allen White cabin. From 1912 to 1943, this cabin was the summer retreat of William Allen White, a nationally- recognized journalist and editor of the Emporia Gazette (Kansas). White’s spirit lives on with the contemporary artists who work in his cabin today.

Five to six artists are selected each year and their residency takes place anytime from mid-June through mid-September. During this residency, selected artists will create art in the medium of their choice and they will share their art through at least two different public programs.

The park's Artist-In-Residence program ran annually from 1984 - 2017. It has been on pause since. RMNP and the Rocky Mountain Conservancy staff are thrilled to bring back this impactful program.

Interested in learning more about the role of art in our national parks? Visit the National Park Service's Arts in the Parks webpage.