About the Program

The Artist in Residence is a volunteer position at Joshua Tree National Park.  The goal of the volunteer position is to translate the meanings and significance of Joshua Tree National Park into various artistic expression within their chosen art medium in order to build stewardship among the visiting public and share the park’s resources with audiences in their own communities. 

Most of the Artist’s time will be self-directed project time. The Artist is expected to pursue the personal goals and projects as outlined in his/her proposal. This time will be spent in Joshua Tree National Park, learning about the park and using that knowledge and experience to create or be inspired to create art.  

Housing 

Artists in Residence are housed at Black Rock in the northwest corner of the park. This area has a ranger station, a campground and access to many beautiful trails. Sitting at the base of the San Bernardino mountain range, its higher altitude makes this area one of the best for Joshua Trees and somewhat cooler than other parts of the park. Although conditions at this location are often relatively temperate, artists should be prepared for more extreme conditions during the course of their stay, including high winds, low relative humidity and temperatures that can range from 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day to as low as 30 degrees at night.

Artists sleep in the studio space in the Black Rock Campground, which is furnished with a twin bed and bureau. The studio has a drafting table, several folding tables, and ample natural light. Public toilets are adjacent to the studio space. Shared kitchen, laundry, and bathing facilities are a short walk or drive from the studio at the Interagency Fire Center. The distance between the sleeping space and the kitchen and bathing facility is less than half a mile. The town of Yucca Valley is about a 10 minute drive away and has a variety of shopping and dining as well as medical facilities.

Only one occupant is allowed at any time in AiR housing. Park policy prohibits bringing pets.

Though housing is provided, artists are responsible for their own expenses such as meals, transportation, personal art supplies, etc.

Work

At this time, work is not being accessioned into our museum collection. Therefore, artists are asked to share high-quality, digital images of any works produced as a result of their time in residence with the park, with permission to reproduce the images for the purposes of sharing work created through the residency with the public. Credit will be given to the artist any time the work is reproduced for this purpose.

Required Public Outreach Activity

Most of the residency will be devoted to their own art practice; however, the park requires the artist to present one visitor outreach experience, which will be coordinated with park staff. Artists will have agency to design the experience- it could be leading a short hike, performance, or being available for visitor questions at a trailhead or picnic area.  A plan for a public outreach activity is not an application component; public outreach program planning should not commence until the artist arrives at the park for their residency.

Application Requirements

Applications for residencies in the Fall of 2025 and Spring of 2026 will be accepted April 1- May 31, 2025.

To apply, submit the 3 application components.
Application components:

1. Artist Resume, including link to professional website. Jury members are not able to consider social media profiles as professional websites.
2. Artist Statement of Purpose- 1000 characters.  Describe your artistic practice and proposed work for a residency, including relevance to Joshua Tree National Park. 
3. Work Samples
   • For visual work, include 5-7 images.
   • For writing samples, upload a single pdf amounting to no more than 1,500 words of text (about six pages, typed, 10-point double spaced.
   • For time-based works (audio, films, performances, etc), include 3 work samples.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be 18 or older and have personal transportation.  Rideshare options are not considered personal transportation.