BLM Las Cruces District seeks applicants for Artist-in-Residence Program

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Cruces District announce a call to artists to apply for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Artist-in-Residence Program to take place Sept. 1-30, 2024.

Applications for the September 2024 residency may be completed at the following website: https://organmountainsdesertpeaks.org/artists-in-residence/ and must be received on or before Aug. 9, 2024. This year’s theme will highlight the 10th Anniversary of the Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument designation.

The program educates and promotes the appreciation, protection and preservation of natural and cultural resources on public lands. The residency provides an artist and the public an opportunity to interact and to enhance the understanding of public lands through the unique qualities an artist’s eye can capture.

With more than 496,000 acres of public land encompassing five scenic mountain ranges – the Robledo, Sierra de las Uvas, Organ, Potrillo and Doña Ana Mountains. The Monument is an iconic landscape to host the BLM Artist-in-Residence Program. The area’s unique geological, biological, and cultural resources provide the artist with endless possibilities for self-expression through their lens, painting, sculpture, poetry, music, etc.

In addition, artists can find inspiration for the works by exploring and drawing from the rich archaeological and cultural heritage of the Monument. The Monument contains and protects many archaeological sites throughout human history that are important to modern Indigenous pueblos and tribes. In more recent times, characters like Geronimo and Billy the Kid roamed the area; the Spanish conquistadors traveled the Camino Real; and westward migrants traveled via the famous Butterfield Stagecoach route. The area’s rich wildlife and hidden desert treasures also provide the artist with numerous dimensions on their approach to depicting the “heart and soul” of the Monument.

The BLM provides housing for the artist during the residency. The artist will also receive a $1,000 stipend through the Friends. In return, the artist is responsible for a creative community project, a public event (e.g., tour, demonstration, or workshop), and a completed art project to be used to promote the Monument.

For more information, see program details and application materials at https://organmountainsdesertpeaks.org/artists-in-residence/.