There is something that has been on my wish list for a long time: to become an artist in residence in a national park. 

It might seem silly to want to do this in my local national park of Rocky Mountain National Park but the thought of living in one of the historic cabins, experiencing the dark evenings with the wildlife and contributing to the beauty of the park through my photography is appealing. 

I guess early artists who shared the beauty of the remote wilderness have inspired my desire to become a part of this history. Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt and George Catlin were instrumental in preserving the lands that would eventually become national parks. Maybe we need a little more of that artistic inspiration today to save our national parks and open lands. Elk_RMNP_2024_23A small group of elk (Cervus elaphus) feed in a meadow along the edge of the ponderosa forest on a night lit by the full moon in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

This week, RMNP announced the 2025 artists-in-residence. Seven artists will each have a two-week window between mid-May and early October to stay in the William Allen White Cabin. This small log cabin sits on a hill facing west towards Moraine Park. 

As part of being a resident artist, each person will present: 

• A one 60-to 90-minute-long lecture-based program. These presentations will take place at 1 p.m. in the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center Auditorium and will be similar to the presentations featured during the 2025 Winter Speaker Series. These are open to the public.

• A drop-in style interactive program during a four-hour time slot, where visitors can drop in, visit with the artist, and participate in a hands-on activity. These programs will take place at Fall River Visitor Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Expect to spend approximately 15-30 minutes at these programs. All drop-in programs will be family friendly and designed for visitors of all ages. Art supplies will be provided and participants will not need any previous knowledge or skills to participate.    

2024 Artist in Residence Claudia Borfigua leading a program at Fall River Visitor Center. (Courtesy RMNP) At the completion of their residency, each artist donates a fully furnished piece of work representative of their stay in Rocky Mountain National Park to the park’s unofficial collection managed by the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. Rocky Mountain Conservancy will hold the rights to each piece of work and the National Park Service will have the rights to share the donated works with the public.

This year's artists include: 

• Pierre Jalbert
• Hunter Goan
• Jillian Roper
• Ben Banet
• Kite Davenport
• Deborah Jojola
• Jennifer Ball 

No additional information was given about the type of art each produces.

Rocky is one of more than 50 national park units that have an artist-in-residence program. Acadia, Denali, Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah or Isle Royal — in addition to Rocky — are some of the first to come to mind where I would enjoy this program. Maybe someday. I have never applied, so I guess I have guaranteed I won't go if I keep that up. Where would you like to stay for a couple of weeks in a national park unit to create art?