Hamburg, IA  – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Golden Hills RC&D and the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway have announced the Waubonsie State Park Artist in Residence awards for the 2019-2020 Program. (See the winners mentioned below) The goal of the residency program is to reach a broader audience of park-goers, thus increasing the number of visitors and ultimately educating more people about the Loess Hills ecosystem.  The artists and visitors will engage with the natural resources of the park through a visual arts lens.

Many quality applications were received from artists representing a wide array of disciplines.  Four artists were selected to fill residencies ranging from one week to four weeks long in November through March of next year.  Artists receiving the residency awards for the second Waubonsie State Park Artist in Residence Program include Sheila Newenham, Shelly Eisenhauer, Daniel Castaneda and Terri Parish McGaffin.

Sheila Newenham (Nature Photography)

Shelly Eisenhauer (Photography & Digital Media)

Daniel Castaneda (Graffiti Artist/Mixed Media)

Terri Parish McGaffin (Various Painting Media)

The four artists in this year’s residency program will use their time at Waubonsie to immerse themselves in the landscape as a source of inspiration and opportunity to intensely focus on their work.  The artists represent a diverse array of media, including photography, digital media, sculpture, graffiti murals, and oil, acrylic and watercolor paint.

Sheila Newenham is a photographer from Wayne, Illinois and will begin her residency on Sunday, November 17th.  She hopes to connect people to nature by sharing her passion for wildlife and wild places. By bringing the individual, emotional, sentient side of our natural world into people’s homes, she hopes to expand your appreciation and experience of the wild. “I want my art to show you something you’ve never seen before or to make you think about something in a new way and for it to stay with you when you leave.”

Shelly Eisenhauer of Glenwood specializes in photography and digital media.  “I am excited to use my lens and lights to explore the transformation of the natural landscape of the park – specifically the native plant life – in the winter months. Rain, snow and the turn of the colder seasons affect the texture and color of plants in a very different way than the heat of summer, and I suspect most park visitors are less aware of the winter landscape.”

Daniel Castaneda of Omaha, Nebraska is a multidisciplinary graffiti artist and multifaceted artisan, “My artwork is inspired on the art of nature, keeping alive my culture and roots of my ancestors. I like to use different materials and styles to transform the components given when designing murals or sculpting ideas.”  During his residency, Daniel will use the organic materials and natural views that surround his space to create his artworks.

Terri Parish McGaffin from Sioux City, Iowa has spent many years as an art professor and administrator, and is looking forward to spending time during her residency focusing on artistic practice and discovery.  “I have always believed that which I observe is more magical than that which I can invent. Stimulated by environment, I record these observations in paintings, which have a level of intimacy unlike other processes of representation.”

One of the region’s ecological and recreational treasures, Waubonsie State Park’s 2,000 acres in the Loess Hills of southwest Iowa feature prairies, savannas, and woodlands which are home to diverse flora and fauna, not to mention breathtaking vistas.  Park Manager Matt Moles has worked with Golden Hills RC&D Project Coordinator Lance Brisbois and Loess Hills National Scenic Byway Coordinator Rebecca Castle 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. Since the Waubonsie State Park Artist in Residence Program’s inaugural year, the Iowa DNR and Iowa State University have partnered with the Iowa Arts Council on a similar program featuring staff and students from ISU.

The artists will 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 will deliver at least one public program during their residency and donate one piece of art to the park at the conclusion of their stay.

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.