NENANA NEWS, Interior Alaska …

Four artists, including Nancy Lord, Alaska’s current Writer Laureate, will
participate in this year’s Artist-in-Residence program at Denali National
Park and Preserve. Visual artists Harlan Butt, from Denton, Texas; Richard
Furth, of Cincinnati, Ohio and Kirsten Furlong from Boise, Idaho were
selected from over 200 applicants from throughout the United States and
abroad. This was the first time that applications for the program were done
online, which significantly increased the number of applicants, especially
from the Lower 48 states.

This year’s artists will each have the opportunity to experience and be
inspired by the park for a ten day period between June and mid-September.
During their residency they stay in the historic East Fork cabin, located
south of the Park Road at Mile 43. From the site the artists can look out
onto the braided tracts of the East Fork River, the multi-colored rock
formations of Polychrome Mountain, rolling tundra, and the snow-capped
peaks of the Alaska Range.

Nancy Lord is the author of three short fiction collections, and four
non-fiction books, including Rock, Water, Wild: An Alaskan Life which was
published last year. She is based in Homer, where she teaches part-time at
the Kachemak Bay Branch of Kenai Peninsula College and for the graduate
writing program at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Harlan Butt is a metalsmith whose unique enamel and silver vessels are
inspired by a love of nature and poetry. His work has been exhibited
throughout the United States and abroad.  During the residency he will
study and document locations in the park through photographs, sketches, and
a journal of poetry and impressions, and afterwards create a series of
vessels  reflective of the experience. He is currently a Regents Professor
of Art at the University of North Texas, where he has taught since 1976.

Richard Fruth employs wood, bronze, and paint to create his sculptures,
which are often whimsical or humor-based. He finds inspiration in
narratives of the past, future, biological and physiological.  Fruth plans
to use the Denali residency to increase his observation skills,
specifically focusing on how the landscape and wildlife interact with each
other.  He will develop new concepts for sculptures from what he has
documented and experienced in the park.

Kirsten Furlong creates drawings, paintings, prints, and installations
using a variety of media. Through her work she examines the relationships
people have with wild and domestic animals. She is interested in
investigating birds of the region and their migrations during her
residency, and plans to work on a new series of hand-stitched felt pieces
that abstractly reference garments and shelters for animals. Furlong
teaches studio arts as an Art Department faculty member at Boise State
University.

“We are pleased to offer these artists, who work in a variety of mediums,
with the opportunity to immerse themselves in Denali,” said Superintendent
Paul Anderson. “What they create from their experiences in the park will be
a source of inspiration to all who view  or read their work.”

Each artist will offer a public presentation for visitors during their
residency. They will also each donate a piece of artwork to the park’s art
collection that was inspired by their time in the park.  The pieces created
by artists-in-residence from previous years will be on display in the
Denali Visitor Center, Eielson Visitor Center, and the Murie Science and
Learning Center during the 2010 visitor season. Information about the
public presentation schedule as well as an online gallery of
artist-in-residence artwork is available at
http://arts.alaskageographic.org.

The Artist-in-Residence program is a national program that enables
established artists to reside in a park while they create park-related art.
Artists have played a significant role in raising public awareness of the
natural wonders preserved within the National Park System and the need for
their protection since the creation of Yellowstone, the first national
park. The Denali program is conducted in partnership with Alaska
Geographic, the nonprofit partner for Denali National Park and Preserve,
which also manages the park’s bookstores and jointly operates the Murie
Science and Learning Center. This is the ninth year of the
Artist-in-Residence program at Denali National Park and Preserve.
Twenty-seven artists, including seventeen from Alaska, have participated in
previous summers.

Artists interested in applying for the 2011 season are encouraged to visit
http://arts.alaskageographic.org for information and to apply. Applications
must be submitted by October 31, 2010.