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FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is accepting applications through March 24 for an artist who will spend up to a week between June and September traveling the Dalton Highway, drawing inspiration from remote public lands in the arctic and subarctic regions of northern Alaska. The BLM Artist-in-Residence program offers opportunities for painters, photographers, writers, sculptors, musicians and other artists to promote deeper understanding of and dialogue about the significance of natural, cultural and historic resources on public lands managed by the BLM.  

“The Artist-in-Residence program on the Dalton Highway provides an opportunity for creative interpretation of public land values and helps capture the rugged beauty and uniqueness of the arctic, regardless of the medium employed by the artist,” said BLM Fairbanks District Manager Geoff Beyersdorf. “It is truly inspiring how this program can open doors of awareness and magnify the wonders for the public to enjoy on our public lands.” 

The BLM manages a 244-mile-long swath of land along the Dalton Highway, which provides the only road connection between Interior Alaska and the North Slope passing through some of the country’s most remote and scenic landscapes. This year’s Dalton Highway Artist-in-Residence is hosted in collaboration with the Toolik Field Station, a leading, year-round Arctic observatory and research and education facility operated by the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. During the residency, the artist will have the opportunity to travel much of the Dalton Highway, speak with land managers and scientific researchers, and pursue their artistic discipline amid Alaska’s inspiring landscapes. While traveling the Dalton Highway, the artist may stay at one of the BLM cabins or campgrounds, at the Toolik Field Station in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range, or at a remote, backcountry location, depending on their interests and outdoor experience. The artist will be responsible for transportation to Fairbanks, but transportation between Fairbanks and the residency sites is provided. The timing of the residence will be at the discretion of the artist. 

Artists interested in this opportunity to experience and promote this remote, unpopulated part of Alaska are encouraged to apply through March 24, 2023. Additional information about the program and application process is available from Tyra Olstad at tolstad@blm.gov, (907) 474-2237, or from the BLM website at https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence/air-sites/dalton-highway. 

-BLM- 

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