Hamburg, IA  – Officials with Golden Hills RC&D report the second year of the Waubonsie State Park Artist in Residence program again proved to be fruitful for the artists as well as the park. The program engages artists and visitors with the natural resources of the park through a visual arts lens. Time spent at Waubonsie allows the artists to immerse themselves in the landscape as a source of inspiration and opportunity to intensely focus on their work without other distractions. In exchange for the artists’ accommodations, they agree to leave a permanent work of art for the park and also conduct a public engagement session.

Terri Parish McGaffin, the final artist of the 2019-2020 program, completed her stay in mid-March, just as Iowa began to feel the effects from the Covid-19 pandemic. Her public program, “Painting from your Nature Photos”, was postponed until a later date (to be determined) when it is again safe to gather in groups. However, that didn’t stop the Friends of Waubonsie State Park from enlisting some public participation for the selection of the painting that will make its permanent home at Waubonsie. Terri gave the program administrators the choice of four paintings she completed during her residency, and in turn they decided to let the ‘friends’ of Waubonsie decide which painting should stay at the park. After three rounds of Facebook Polls, “Sunset Ridge Trail in October”, a 24”x20” oil on canvas highlighting the beautiful diversity of the park in Autumn, was chosen as the winner.

Shelly Eisenhauer, a photographer who completed her residency at the park in December, has moved her public workshop “10 Secrets for Stunning Nature Photos” (originally scheduled for April 23rd) from an in-person session to a virtual workshop. She will post 10 short weekly videos to the Facebook event page, beginning on Sunday, April 26th. To receive notifications, please “Like” Friends of Waubonsie State Park on Facebook (@waubonsiefriends) and RSVP to the event. The public engagement session by Kathy Fiscus, who completed her residence at the park in February, will be rescheduled at a later date. This first-in-the-state Artist in Residency program at one of Iowa’s State Parks is held at one of the region’s ecological and recreational treasures.

Located in the Loess Hills of Southwest Iowa, Waubonsie State Park’s 2,000 plus acres feature prairies, savannas, and woodlands which are home to diverse flora and fauna, not to mention breathtaking vistas. Park Manager Matt Moles, Golden Hills RC&D Project Coordinator Lance Brisbois and Loess Hills National Scenic Byway Coordinator Rebecca Castle worked together to develop and launch the project. While there have been other artist residency programs offered through the National Parks System and select parks in other states, this was the first such program in one of Iowa’s State Parks.

The program is loosely modeled after similar regional programs such as the Residency Program at Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. The artists receive lodging in a studio cabin and a primitive studio space in the park at no cost for the duration of the residency. In return, artists deliver at least one public program per month of their residency and donate one piece of art to the park at the conclusion of their stay. The 2019-2020 Waubonsie State Park Artists in Residence included photographer Sheila Newenham (www.exploringnaturephotos.com) , photographer Shelly Eisenhauer (www.buroakphoto.com), painter Kathy Fiscus and painter Terri Parish McGaffin (www.tparish.carbonmade.com).

Waubonsie State Park is only about an hour’s drive from Omaha or Lincoln, NE; two hours from Kansas City; and 2.5 hours from Des Moines. It is located near the southern end of the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway. To learn more about the Artist in Residence program and the artists, visit www.goldenhillsrcd.org/artist-in-residence.