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STORIES -> Success Stories
Unique Opportunity with Artists-in-Residence Program
By Gwen Ernst-Ulrich, Rocky Mountain Region
The Aspen Guard Station on the San Juan National Forest has been used for the artist-in-residence program for the past 14 years. For the past 14 years, the San Juan National Forest (Colorado) has given artists, writers and performers a chance to enjoy the beauty of nature during a stay at the remote Aspen Guard Station on the Forest while giving something back to the world. This year will be no exception, and on January 1 the Forest began accepting applications for the 2008 summer program.
Chosen artists and their families get to stay in the historic cabin for one to two weeks from June through September. In return, each artist is required to donate a piece of their work representing their experience while at the cabin or a monetary donation to help with cabin maintenance. They are asked to stage an exhibition, performance, open house, or workshop during their stay, and they must also take part in an annual art show reception held each fall one year after their residency.
People may apply between January 1 and March 1 each year. Representatives from Durango and Cortez art associations then choose six finalists and two alternates before May 1, basing their selections on an application’s artistic value, creativity, and historic or natural resource message.
The La Plata Mountains on the San Juan National Forest offer idyllic scenery for those participating in the artist-in residence program at the Aspen Guard Station. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the Aspen Guard Station in the 1930s as a district office. The building later became quarters for fire crews and seasonal employees. Made of logs, the rustic structure sits at 9,220 feet in elevation on the west side of the La Plata Mountains 12 miles north of Mancos.
For more information go to the Forest Web site or contact Ann Bond at 970-385-1219.
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