"Tallgrass Trek"
Watercolor Painting © Judy Thompson
Open
prairies, wide skies and rugged vistas await local artist Judy Thompson. Selected
as an Artist-in-Residence with the
National Park Service, Thompson will be setting up her studio on site at
Badlands National Park, South Dakota, for four weeks this
April.
The Artist-in-Residence Program is a well established part
of The National Park Service through the U.S. Department of Interior. Throughout
our country’s history, artists have been asked to document and interpret our
national parks, monuments and sites. The Artist-in-Residence program at Badlands National Park, was founded in 1966 and
is open to all professional artists—writers, composers and all visual and
performing artists. The program’s goal
is “to provide an avenue for artists to translate preservation of this place
into images that evoke responses in those who may never visit Badlands National Park.”
Thompson will be living for four weeks within the remote
park setting. Part of her residency will
include the presentation of an interpretive art education program to students
(K-8) at Interior
Elementary School. Most of her time, however, will be self
directed in which Thompson will explore the relationships between man and his
landscape in the context of the Western plains – specifically the Badlands ecosystem.
“By immersing myself in this unique, rugged landscape, I would like to
create a body of work which captures the beauty and history of these rugged
plains,” claims Thompson.
"Wide Open"
Watercolor Painting © Judy Thompson
Selection for the Badland’s
Artist-in-Residence Program is based on artistic integrity, ability to reside
in a remote rural area, willingness to donate a finished piece of work inspired
during the stay, and the artist’s ability to relate to school age
children. A single residency is offered
both in the spring and in the fall of each year.
Thompson was previously selected as Artist-in-Residence at
the Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, Nebraska. During her two week stay, she explored the
stories of the first homesteaders who claimed land under the Homestead Act of
1862. Her resulting Homestead Series is currently on tour in Nebraska to celebrate the 150th
anniversary of this monumental legislation.
To learn more and to view her art, visit: judythompsonwatercolors.com
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