Photo Courtesy NPS

VALLES CALDERA NEWS

Valles Caldera National Preserve invites artists from all creative disciplines and genres to apply for the Artist in Residence program. 

To Apply:

1. First, submit an application via Volunteer.gov.
   
    Note: Application period is open from March 1-15, 2026.
   
2. After submitting your Volunteer.gov application, interested applicants must send in the following documents to lauren_ray@nps.gov:
   
   • Your Resume (4 pages maximum; do not include personal photographs)
     
   • Statement of Purpose (2 pages maximum). Share why you are interested in serving as an Artist in Residence, what you hope to gain from this experience, how you expect to grow as an artist, how your work contributes to the National Park Service values of stewardship, education, recreation and preservation, and also describe your ability to live in a rustic setting within a national park.
     
   • Public Program Concept (1 page). Selected applicants will be asked to provide at least one public program during their residency. These are generally talks/presentations open to the public and could be 30-60 minutes in length and include a performance, discussion, or demonstration of your works. Please provide a brief concept outline of your public presentation.
     
   • Samples of Recent Works (more information below)

Visual, Textile, & Sculpture Artists:

Provide up to 6 images embedded within a Word or PDF document. Clearly label each image with your name and the work’s title. Images should focus only on the actual artwork; extraneous backgrounds, mattes, or frames should not be included. For each work, clearly list: name of work, medium, and dimensions.

Language Artists:

Provide up to 6 short works or 1 long work within a Word or PDF document. Clearly label each work with your name and its title. Examples include up to 6 short poems or other short writing samples of artistic merit (1 page each) or one short story, essay, or manuscript excerpt (10 pages max).

Musicians, Composers, Performing Artists, Videographers:

Provide up to 6 short selections (less than 6 minutes total) or 1 long selection (about 10 minutes total). Upload your submission to YouTube/Vimeo or share an existing YouTube/Vimeo link embedded within a Word or PDF document. Uploads may be public or private.

Clearly label each work with your name and its title, please.

Additional Program Details

When the application window closes, a panel of judges will select five artists to participate in the program. Selected artists will have a choice of a two- to four-week residency from June through October.

Selected artists will provide at least one public program. At the completion of their residency, the artists will donate a completed piece of work representative of their stay to the park. Valles Caldera National Preserve will hold the rights to the piece of work and the National Park Service will have the rights to share the donated works with the public.