Open Call for Artist-in-Residence Opportunities at Acadia National Park in 2024

The Artist-in-Residence (AiR) program at Acadia National Park invites participants to take part in self-directed and fully immersive experiences that lead to the creation of new ways for visitors to experience the park through the arts. For the first time in its 30-year history, the program in 2024 will provide each of four selected artists with a $1,000 stipend and travel subsidy. Participants are offered a total of 14 nights of park-provided housing, which participants may choose to break up over multiple visits and seasons through the calendar year. Housing options include apartments at the Schoodic Institute (available year-round), a remote ranger cabin at Isle au Haut (available June to October), and rooms in the Brown Mountain Gatehouse (available November into April). Participants may be accompanied by one adult companion or one of their own children age 16 or older. Pets are not allowed.

In exchange, all participants are asked to host a public outreach activity with park visitors. Artists may submit receipts to reimburse purchase of activity supplies and materials amounting to $150, or $10 each for as many as 15 participants. Participants must complete within a year one finished work of art based on their experience. While artists will retain ownership and copyright for the artwork, they are asked to loan it to the program for public display for a maximum period of seven years, and to grant permission for the program to include images and descriptions of it in a permanent online catalog.

Four residency opportunities are available in 2024 in the following categories: Visual Art (painting, textiles, sculpture, fine art photography); Writing (essays, poetry, drama); At Large (music, dance, emerging technologies); and Indigenous Arts (in any medium for a citizen of a Wabanaki community in Maine). Applications are reviewed by jury panels consisting of past program participants, local community members, and park staff. Selection criteria include portfolio quality, professional accomplishments, and the novelty and interest of the proposed public outreach activity. Local transportation is not provided; participants must possess a valid driver's license and personal vehicle. Repeat residencies are considered on a case-by-case basis.