The Las Cruces district office of the federal Bureau of Land Management and the nonprofit Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks are calling for applications for the national monument’s spring artist-in-residence program. This year’s artist will be assigned to cover the monument’s 10th anniversary.
The artist-in-residence program takes place from May 1 – 31, educating and promoting the appreciation, protection and preservation of natural and cultural resources on public lands, as put in a news release.
“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 agency stated. “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 to the landscape, flora and fauna of neighboring mountain ranges, BLM noted the local wealth of Paleo Indian and historical artifacts on hand to inspire the artist and the mission of the program.
During the residency, housing will be provided for the artist by BLM along with a $1,000 stipend via Friends of the OMDP. The artist commits to a creative community project, a public event and a completed art project useful for promoting the monument and this year’s anniversary.
Application materials and more information are available online at OrganMountainsDesertPeaks.org. The deadline to apply is on or before March 22.
