What are the housing arrangements?

There is In-Park Housing for individuals or couples in an NPS building.

What are the studio arrangements?

There is no studio, so artists will work plein-air.

Is there a stipend for this residency?

Yes, $2,000 per residency, payable after the residency.

Can an applicant apply for other NPAF Artist in Residence programs and workshops simultaneously?

Yes. You can even apply with the exact same proposal but fitted for a different park or monument—who knows it may work better in other parks.

May an applicant apply with their Nom de Plume, pseudonym, fauxnom, or exhibit name?

No. The name on the application must be the individual’s legal name. However, please include above on your application if you prefer to be addressed and credited by them/it.

Do I need to have a car?

Yes, definitely. Chaco Culture NHP is a beautiful, yet very isolated location, with rough and sometimes unpaved irregularly maintained roads. Artists are responsible for their own travel and travel expenses. A reliable vehicle (all-wheel drive recommended) is crucial.

Will I need to rent a car?

Yes, or drive yours there. The residency is at least an hour and a half from the nearest city, and in addition, it is a large park served by mostly unpaved roads. You need to be inspired by the other park locations or nearby attractions that you can only get to with an all-wheel-drive car or truck.

How do I apply?

Create a profile on Submittable if you haven't already, upload your application and art samples, pay and you're done.
https://nationalparksartsfoundation.submittable.com/submit

What are the guidelines for submitting my digital images?

We basically accept most file types and are looking for files no more than a resolution of 72 PPI, no more than 3mb, and no less than 1920 pixels. We basically need to see them clearly on a full screen.

Do we select artists whose work is specifically about Chaco Culture National Historic Park or the ancient Chacoan Culture?

We are interested in artists being inspired by this park and, like our past artists, it is impossible not to be inspired in some way by the variety of elements in the park. A performance artist with good artwork has just as much a chance at being selected as does someone who has been plein-air painting in the park for fifty years. We have a full panel of judges, who are at the top of the arts professions looking at the portfolios. This is not about taste or any agenda, it is about great artwork and giving an artist a once-in-a-lifetime chance to create fine art in a National Park.

Are the artists selected judged strictly on a scoring scale?

Our curators, judges, and panelists are top of their profession in the arts and their names may be posted on the website. We may also consider input from cultural experts and the NPS. So, the answer is, no, because knowing and judging what art is and choosing appropriate candidates, goes far beyond just knowing a numbers scoring system.

Do you accept international artists?

Yes, but they must have all of the proper paperwork for the program of their own accord, though we will help them as much as possible.

I want to include more pieces of art because I feel like only a few works don’t represent my body of work. Can I do this?

If you were to submit only one fabulous piece of work, its greatness would be recognized and not overlooked. You are not judged on volume. On the other hand, you can consider presenting an under three-minute video if you so choose. Whatever you do, please present a cohesive body of work that represents your excellence in style.

Why can’t you just go to my website, Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook page, instead of my having to do all of this?

It’s not our preference, as we don’t like to be influenced by anti-aesthetic platforms, and framing social media presents artwork. Sure, they can be viewed there but placement in social media or obscure curation is an influential factor, and we would like to see your work stand on its own.

Will I be considered an employee of the National Park service while I am there?

No. The NPAF works on a Partnership Model for it’s AIR programs and the park may ask you to sign a “VIP” or Volunteer in the Park paperwork. In that case, you are classified and registered as a volunteer.

What if I am accepted to the program but my availability changes?

We will do our best to accommodate your schedule but, unfortunately, because the NPS and NPAF have scheduled other dependent things around an artist committing to the AIR, we may not be able to and will have to ask one of the alternately selected artists to be the Chaco Culture Artist in residence.

Can I reapply even if I have been accepted in previous years?

Yes.

Can I apply to other NPAF programs and while participating in them put me “ahead” for the AIR program?

Yes, you can apply and though it doesn’t guarantee you will be accepted into our other NPAF programs such as AIRs, workshops or museum exhibitions, our teachers are top of their field in showing you how to present your most cohesive body of work and be successful at it.

Are earthworks, installation or site-specific artwork appropriate to the Artist in Residence Program?

In theory, yes. This is tricky, though. However, park regulations state: “Any medium that involves collection or permanent altering of park resources would be in conflict with NPS preservation goals and would be deemed inappropriate. We and the NPS are increasingly interested in virtual / AR / digital work that is truly immersive and not just grafted on carelessly to the location. So, you may install something at a location that does not affect the above, is temporary and no-impact is off-site or does not have an impact on park resources. Permission is key. NPS takes its job very seriously in preserving the integrity of the Park’s Historic and Cultural resources. In your project proposal please be specific about your earthwork, site-specific projection, or installation concept, and that you intend to work in conceptual development of said project while you are the artist in residence. Likely, the impact of your work outside of its region of impetus will have a profound impact on the audience. We have accepted these works in the past.

Will there be chances to display my artwork outside of the Artist in Residence time period?

Yes, we are planning exhibits at many parks through the NPS and NPS concessionaires. The work you donate to the park will be automatically included in that park museum collections and archived. There may be an exhibit at a later date at the Gallery Space at the Chaco Visitors Center. This AIR may present many opportunities.