Long known for supporting science research and teaching, the Natural Reserve System has teamed up with UC’s leading arts research organization to encourage reserve use by artists. Together with the University of California Institute for Research in the Arts (UCIRA), the NRS is offering summer artist-in-residency opportunities at one of eleven reserves. The Arts2NRS program will provide $1,500 travel and research stipends for UC students, faculty, and staff to pursue arts research at NRS reserves.
Artists will experience the wild beauty of reserve landscapes, gain a respite from the demands of urban life, and get to know the plants, animals, smells, and rhythms of natural California.
The presence of artists is also expected to enliven the intellectual atmosphere at reserves. “One of the best things about being at a reserve is the people you meet around the campfire or over the breakfast table. Talking with people from different backgrounds helps spark new ideas and discoveries,” says NRS director Peggy Fiedler. “We hope artists and scientists will find common interests and begin working on projects that transcend their own disciplines.”
The Arts2NRS program follows a long tradition of arts use in the NRS. Use of reserves by artists dates back to the earliest days of the reserve system. For example, Ansel Adams photographed Boyd Deep Canyon and Scripps Coastal Reserve in the mid-1960s as part of his Fiat Lux project documenting the University of California. More recently, UCIRA has sponsored projects at reserves ranging from an effort to design a twenty-first century field station to an arts-centered investigation of the Mojave and Colorado deserts.
Practitioners of all art forms are welcome to apply either as individuals or as a collective. The residency must take place between June and September 2014, and artists must remain in residence for between five days and one month. All reserve use is subject to approval by the reserve manager. Artists are encouraged to learn more about reserves prior to submitting applications and to develop proposals sensitive to the ecological and environmental conditions at reserves.
Artists may apply to stay at one or more of the following NRS reserves:
Angelo Coast Range Reserve
Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center
Blue Oak Ranch Reserve
Hastings Natural History Reservation
James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve
McLaughlin Natural Reserve
Sagehen Creek Field Station
Sedgwick Reserve
Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory
Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center
Valentine Camp
Yosemite Field Station
More information about Arts2NRS and applications for the 2014 artist-in-residency program are available through UCIRA’s online SlideRoom system. Program applications are due June 15.