Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument selects 2019 Artist-in-Residence
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ESCALANTE, Utah – The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) has selected artist Carol Johansen as the 2019 GSENM Plein Air Artist-in-Residence (AiR). “Plein Air” is a French phrase for being out in nature. Johansen’s residency will culminate with an exhibit and public programming during the Escalante Canyons Art Festival in Escalante on Sept. 20-29.
The purpose of the GSENM AiR program is to promote awareness of the exceptional natural and cultural treasures preserved and protected within GSENM through the celebration of art. Johansen, a Plein air painter and landscape artist, says that during her residency she plans to “investigate the stunning landscape and spend time making my paint marks to record what my eyes see and my heart feels.”
The GSENM AiR program, now in its ninth year, provides one artist the opportunity to live and paint in the Escalante area during the month of September. Johansen says her goal is to “create paintings that speak of the intimacy of this barren yet beautiful area.” She also plans to work with both adults and students at the Escalante Elementary School to help them feel the creative joy of expressing a response to this rugged country through their art-making.
Johansen has lived her adult life in Mount Pleasant, Utah, on the Colorado Plateau’s northwest cusp. However, Johansen says her interest in the Escalante area and its rich history comes from knowing her relatives lived and worked on the Colorado Plateau and in what later became the GSENM. “Working on my family history, I realized I have deep connections in the area,” she said.
For more information about the GSENM AiR program, visit https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/artist-in-residence/air-sites/grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument.
For more information about this year’s artist, visit https://escalantecanyonsartfestival.org/art/exhibits/.
For more information about the Escalante Canyons Art Festival, visit https://escalantecanyonsartfestival.org/.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.