Artist in Residence Highlights 2015

GLACIER BAY WILDERNESS
GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK

MICHAEL BOARDMAN | Painter/Illustrator from North Yarmouth, ME

Michael Boardman holds up a piece of glacier ice. "Twenty two years ago, I proposed to my wife Linda in Glacier Bay, during a week-long kayak through the West arm. Now I've returned to explore the biodiversity of this magical place, and interpret it through my art.

Within twenty minutes of awaking in Bartlett Cove, I had seen ravens, oystercatchers, sea otters, sea lions and a pod of orcas making their way out into the bay! From learning with the park scientists to kayaking in the vicinity of humpback whales and observing brown bears from the safety of the tour boat; every day was another biological adventure. The Voices of the Wilderness program offered me such a unique opportunity to connect with the wilderness and wildlife of Glacier Bay and the experience is having a profound effect on my work."

Community Extension: Michael hosted a slideshow lecture show of his Alaska work at the Audubon center in Falmouth, Maine. He also gave a slide presentation at Glacier Bay during his residency.

Artist Donation: A series of watercolor illustrations featuring the keynote species being studied in the park, to be used for website and interpretive programs.

Stewardship Projects:

Orca and humpback whale monitoring surveys
Oceanography data and equipment surveys
Backcountry patrol with law enforcement officials
Youth interpretation, including participating in kid’s National Fishing Day

Artist website: www.mboardman.com

WEST CHICHAGOF WILDERNESS
TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST

STEPHEN LEE | Illustrator from Glendora, CA

"During my artist residency in the West Chichagof-Yakobi wilderness, I was overwhelmed not only by the immense beauty of the natural world around me, but also how few people actually get to experience this kind of place firsthand. I chose to recount what I saw in a zine of many tiny vignettes compiled into a narrative--I wanted it to feel raw and organic, like I was recounting the whole thing to you over coffee while I excitedly flip through my sketchbook from the trip. In my experience, personal testimonies can be far more convincing than any number of facts or statistics. My hope is that through the highly personal voice I lend to my project, more people will realize the importance of national lands and take new steps to care for and protect these places we've been given."

Community Extension: Stephen presented "Borrowed Goods", his comic about his VOTW residency, at the 2016 Long Beach Zine Fest, held at the Museum of Latin American Art.

Donated artwork from Stephen Lee - Borrowed Goods.

Artist Donation: "Borrowed Goods", a 25-page 5.5"x8.5" zine. Pen and ink, digital.

Stewardship Projects:

Collecting encounter data
Monitoring outfitter/guides
Conducting campsite inventories
Recreation site cleanup/naturalization

West Chichagof - Yakobi Wilderness (PDF)

Tongass National Forest website

MISTY FJORDS NATIONAL MONUMENT
TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST SERVICE

NICKY DAVIS, Painter/Muralist from Houston, TX
BARBARA HOLMES, Woodworker/Carver from Oakland, CA

Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness (PDF)

Tongass National Forest website

SELAWIK WILDERNESS
SELAWIK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

HOLLY GLITTLEIN, Sculptor from Wasilla, AK

"In the refuge and village I connected with my ancient spirit. The Inupiaq have the symbol of Spirit as the ‘Eye of Awareness’. It flows through the land, the people and all the resources. It will bring us back to unity. It is written in the stars. Wandering waters sculpt the land bringing bones of the ancients to the surface. Migrating caribou, sheefish and wandering wolf live with Inupiaq, bear and eagle. Sharing their knowledge and love for the land, all coming from the same ‘Eye’ and its ‘Awareness’ of the ancient connection, the unity of all things, and the selfless recognition that the other is you."

Community Extension: While in Selawik participating in the Selawik Science-Culture Camp, Holly created a mobile with the 4th grade students which was donated to the school.

Artist Donation: Holly donated two sculptures: A multi-media sculpture “Eye of Awareness” made of dinosaur rib, wood, selenite, steel, caribou fur, and a mobile sculpture created with 4th grade students of Selawik School while at Selawik Science and Culture Camp.

Stewardship Projects:

Assisted with Sheefish age structure & population monitoring project.
Participated in Selawik youth culture camp.
Created a sculpture with 4th Graders of Selawik School and installed sculpture into the school.

Artist website: hollygittlein.com

NOATAK NATIONAL PRESERVE
WESTERN ARCTIC NATIONAL PARKLANDS

ROBERT WINFREE, Painter from Anchorage, AK

"Wilderness exploration frees my mind from the usual constraints of modern life, demands that I focus on things that we often take for granted, and allows me to experience the mystery and magic of nature first hand.

Painting enables me to re-experience those feelings every time I pick up a brush and then to share it with others. Our plans for long hikes and amazing discoveries during my VOTW residency were constrained by unrelenting arctic winds and early freeze-up. However, our sheltered campsite provided ample opportunities to enjoy exceptional sunrises and reflect on how Alaska's first inhabitants adapted to life under similar conditions. That question is weaving itself through the artwork that I will donate to the park, a painting that envisions conditions in Noatak National Park a several times in the past."

Community Extension: Immediately following his residency, Robert provided a community wildlife & landscape art workshop in the Kotzebue NPS Visitor Center. He also presented to the Alaska Artist's Guild and Alaska Watercolor Society.

Artist Donation: Robert donated three 18" x 24" acrylic-on-canvas paintings ( entitled “Ice Age Landscapes - Ancestral Homelands - Conserved Unimpaired”), each individually oak-framed, then combined into a hinged folding triptych. Brief written descriptions provided for each panel.

Stewardship Projects:

Monitored for illegal activities
Photographed decades-old fuel drums for possible future removal
Made preparations for invasive plants surveying
Prepared to monitor several archaeological sites

Artist website:

www.facebook.com/NationalParkArt/

NELLIE JUAN-COLLEGE FIORD WILDERNESS STUDY AREA
CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST

DEBBIE MILLER, Writer/Photographer from Fairbanks, AK

Exploring Prince William Sound (Chugach National Forest Website)

Nellie Juan–College Fiord Wilderness Study Area (PDF)

TRACY ARM-FORD’S TERROR WILDERNESS
TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST SERVICE

EMILY UNDERWOOD, Watercolor/Oil painter from Carmel Valley, CA

Tracy Arm - Fords Terror Wilderness (PDF)

Tongass National Forest website

TEBENKOF BAY WILDERNESS
TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST

STEFANIA GALLICO, Painter from Los Angeles, CA

Stefania Gallico kayaking during her time in Alaska "My time in Alaska was amazing. We saw bears loping, sea otters splashing, and were greeted by all kind of birds. We were also fortunate enough to see whales breaching. The most surreal moment of the trip was waking up to the song of a humpback whale.

I think it’s important for people to really connect with nature. It will mean something different for everyone, but for me there was definitely insight, and a genuine sense of harmony that came with connecting to nature on a deeper level, and taking some time to reflect on my experiences. The wilderness provides a place where people can do these things, and that’s why it’s so important that we protect and preserve this land."

Community Extension: Stefania presented to West Covina High School students (near Los Angeles), sharing her residency experiences and discussing what she learned about Leave No Trace ethics, and how it shaped the educational comic book she developed.

Artist Donation: "The Impact Monster”, an 8.5” x 11”, 14 page comic book about Leave No Trace camping ethics, created with Photoshop. Full comic book can be viewed at steftacular.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-impact-monster.html

Stewardship Projects: