Artist in Residence Highlights 2018

Kootznoowoo Wilderness
Tongass National Forest
US Forest Service

MEGAN SMITH | Multi-media artist from Girdwood, AK

 “This residency exceeded my expectations.  From the first day of coming face to face with a sow & cub on the trail to being surrounded by 11 brown bears at one point in the estuary.  Through multi-days of observing these magnificent creatures and getting to know the ‘locals’ (which the rangers have named), I grew to have a different perspective and deeper connection to the bears at Pack Creek.  It was truly inspiring and will continue to inspire me for years to come.  It was the perfect residency for me, since inspiring experiences is what fuels my drive to create."

Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area
Chugach National Forest
US Forest Service

RANDY TRAYNOR | Photographer from Tallahassee, FL

“For 16 days in June, I spent time in the Chugach National Forest and Nellie-Juan College Fiord Wilderness Study Area.  The experience was a photographer’s dream!  Camping near a glacier, kayaking by icebergs, hiking to remote sections of Prince William Sound and seeing wildlife in their natural habitat was priceless.  I also learned so much about the fragile ecosystem of PWS when I sat in on sessions during the week-long teacher training workshop at Derickson Spit. My second planned trip to join a trail crew at Harrison Lagoon Cabin was canceled due to weather – however that didn’t stop me.  A couple of USFS Rangers invited me to join them on hikes and gave me great advice on where I could still get incredible pictures of the wilderness area.  A special treat was tagging along with the USFS rangers and seeing the glaciers of PWS up close on two different cruises!”

South Baranof Wilderness
Tongass National Forest
US Forest Service

JAMEY BRADBURY | Fiction Writer from Anchorage, AK

“This all-women crew—myself and four Forest Service employees—set forth from Sitka to Rakof Island in the Baranof Wilderness for a planned seven-day trip. The plan was to make our base camp on Rakof, then paddle to predetermined sites to survey their use. The joke among our crew was that, since I’m a fiction writer who is drawn to the horror genre, they hoped they wouldn’t give me too much inspiration! Well, the first thing we found when we landed on our island was the bones of a long-dead marine animal of some kind—and I immediately knew this trip would serve up plenty of inspiration. What wasn’t scary was the breathtaking scenery all around us as we kayaked for the next several days and discovered otters, seals, starfish colonies, Sitka deer, and a bear skull. The weather, unfortunately, got spooky enough that we had to call an early end to our adventure, so I spent my last couple days wrestling with old tents and tangled P-line as I helped inventory and reorganize the Forest Service’s gear cage.”

Tracy Arm-Ford’s Terror Wilderness
Tongass National Forest
US Forest Service

CARA STODDARD | Writer from Seattle, WA

“On maps of southeast Alaska, if you trace your finger over the broken coastline fifty miles south of Juneau, you’ll see a pair of twin fjords that share the same mouth. Today we call these fjords Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm, but these names are recent affectations. I could say the land used to be Tlingit land, under the Western assumption that all lands must belong to someone human. But the Tlingit, or Tide People, would likely say this land no more belongs to them than it does to the ice that brought them here, ice that won’t be here forever.

It was ice that brought me to this place as well, although I came by plane and then skiff and then kayak. I came to see ice. Or rather I came to witness the rapid wastage of ice, giant hunks the size of three-story buildings buckling into the sea.

For seven days, the three of us—a US Forest Service wilderness ranger, a Student Conservation Association intern, and me, the writer—marked the passage of time by the ebb and flood of tides, the patterned exhalations of a humpback whale, and the cliff-walled forest succession from western hemlock to Sitka spruce to red alder."

Tebenkof Bay Wilderness
Tongass National Forest
US Forest Service

SHARON BIRZER | Natural science illustrator/painter from Seattle, WA

 “During this year’s Summer Solstice, I was fortunate to experience the wonders of the Tebenkof Bay Wilderness in the Tongass National Forest. We arrived by float plane, and the weather was clear, which is somewhat rare for those parts, enabling us to kayak and camp. I spent much of my time exploring lichens with Karen Dillman, a Forest Service ecologist and lichenologist, though the entire crew who supported the mission were amazing. The contrast of pure wilderness versus where I live, in Seattle, was remarkable. There was almost no discernible human impact in this untouched and pristine area of wilderness, except for signs of the native Tlinget inhabitants who once lived there. I observed beautiful and unique life forms at every turn, recording them with photographs and drawings, in awe of the treasure trove of botanical gems and wonders. Karen and I focused on lichens which are an indicator species, meaning their presence or absence indicates air quality, though many native species were present. I am grateful for the protection of these priceless and endlessly intriguing untouched areas of land.”

• Voices of the Wilderness Petersburg RD Wilderness Areas Artist Residency on
  FaceBook

• Learn more about Tebenkof Bay Wilderness (PDF)

• Tongass National Forest website

Arctic Wilderness
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
US Fish & Wildlife Service

BRIDGET LYONS | Writer from Flagstaff, AZ

 “I spent a week with migratory bird researchers boating around one of the most remote bodies of water – northern Alaska’s Beaufort Sea – in search of common eiders. When we found these nesting waterfowl, we banded them, measured them, and collected data about their eggs and choices of nest sites, all in the service of trying to better understand how changing climatic and sea conditions might affect this iconic Arctic species.  Conditions were cold, wet, windy, and buggy, and I was clad in an enormous and cumbersome orange Mustang suit (a full-body life preserver) for much of the time. However, I saw the Brooks Range in the midnight sun, flew through iceberg-dotted seas in a Zodiac, held adorable baby ducklings, and experienced the remoteness of the far north.  I was also inspired by the dedication required by scientists and agency staff to track down, learn about, and help the creatures of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.”

• Artic National Wildlife Refuge

• USFWS Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on FaceBook

Selawik Wilderness    
Selawik National Wildlife Refuge
US Fish & Wildlife Service

NICOLE GAGNER | Painter/Illustrator from Bismark, ND

“My time spent painting in Selawik Refuge was a life changing experience. Although I make my home on the prairies of the northern plains in the continental US and am familiar with large skies and open spaces, I was still awestruck by the vast expanses of sky, water and tundra. We traveled primarily by plane and boat due to demands of the terrain, both of which allowed for a completely different perspective on the landscape than I would have expected. I was able to spend my time sketching and painting in a widely diverse slice of the refuge, from beaches to tundra hummock and everything in between. I was blown away by the variety of edible berries and plants in bloom at the time, and thankful that I had knowledgeable guides at my side filling me in on everything I might need to know as I sketched.”

• Selawik National Wildlife Refuge webpage

• Selawik National Wildlife Refuge FaceBook Page

Togiak Wilderness
Togiak National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness
US Fish & Wildlife Service

LISA KITCHENS | Theatre artistry from Brooklyn, NY

“Working with the team at Togiak Wildlife Refuge and the community of Dillingham was an incredibly rich experience. The hospitality and the generosity of every person I encountered during my residency was extraordinary. While one of the big trips on the schedule had to be postponed due to weather, the folks at the Refuge provided me with plenty of other amazing opportunities. Not only did I get to experience the beauty and diversity of the Nushagak Bay region, I also got to know a community. I worked with local elementary school students at Yupik Culture Camp; I attended Salmon Camp with middle-school students on the remote shores of Lake Aleknagik; I taught a vast range of students at the Dillingham Library; and I attended multiple hikes (and delicious meals) with community members. These experiences revealed to me the intricacies and interconnectedness the community has with the environment. I am so grateful for my time spent working with Togiak Wildlife Refuge—the experiences continue to permeate and resonate in my own life and my own sense of connection to the earth and my community.”

BEN THRASH  | Painter from Douglasville, GA

“I am a prospective art education teacher, so I felt perfectly suited for this specific residency. I went on a week-long rafting trip with six high schoolers, two park rangers, and a radio journalist. We first camped on the Pongokepuk Lake for two nights where we took in the views and learned how to row. I also took the opportunity to teach the students a little bit about plein air drawing while we had good weather on the lake. The following three nights we spent rowing down the Pongokepuk River, helping collect bear hair from along the banks, eating wild berries, and fishing for salmon, trout, and pike. I spent most of time taking pictures and soaking in the beauty of this remote wilderness.”

• Togiak National Wildlife Refuge website

• Togiak National Wildlife Refuge on FaceBook 

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