Grand Canyon National Park is located high on the Colorado Plateau, far from the lights of large cities, in the dry desert southwest. Combined with the clean air and clear skies, Grand Canyon National Park protects some of the most pristine night skies in the United States.

In 2019, Grand Canyon National Park was certified as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association. Later that year, the park received the award for International Dark Sky Place of the Year. These distinctions were the culmination of a long history of night sky appreciation at Grand Canyon National Park.

Grand Canyon Conservancy’s (GCC) Astronomer-in-Residence program is designed to support artists, astronomers, and educators from a wide range of disciplines that wish to engage with the night skies of the Canyon in their work and share their expertise, instruments, and passion with the park's public. Topics of special interest to GCC include the threats of light pollution and society’s complex relationship with natural darkness.

Solo astronomers, artists, educators, scientists, and other practitioners who study the night sky are encouraged to apply. Selected astronomers will live and work at the historic Verkamp’s artist residence at Grand Canyon National Park for a 6-week period and receive a stipend of $2000 to cover the costs of food, travel, and supplies. Available residency periods in 2023 are Mar 8 - Apr 19, Apr 26 - Jun 7, Oct 18 - Nov 29. *Please note that shorter residency periods will be considered and stipends pro-rated accordingly. 

Applications are due Friday, October 7, 2022. Astronomers will be notified of their acceptance by the end of November. 

Application Requirements

Proposals should include: 

• Brief Bio
• CV or resume
• Artist Statement or Teaching Philosophy (optional)
• Work Samples: 3-5 images, pages, and/or minutes of media that show the depth and breadth of your recent scholarship and/or practice with titles, dates, medium, and descriptions of work.
• Press / Media: Articles, publications, relevant media (optional)
• Project Proposal addressing each of the following residency outcomes:

1. Self-guided research and development: What questions will guide your research at the Grand Canyon National Park?
2. On-site community engagement (through presentations and/or workshops). Please provide a brief description of the events you'd like to facilitate with the community. What equipment might you share? Who are the ideal participants? What will you need from GCC staff to successfully deliver each event? (Consider location, duration, staffing needs, and supplies.)

Examples of potential residencies:

1. You are an amateur astronomer with impressive telescopes and vast experience with outreach. You would like to provide your expertise to park visitors through nightly public talks and informal telescope-viewing on the rim of the canyon.
2. You are an astrophotographer. You would like to provide the park with professional-quality time-lapses and fine art night photography to be used on Grand Canyon Conservancy (GCC) and the park's website and social media sites. You provide at least two public workshops on night sky photography during your stay.
3. You are an outreach astronomer. You’d like to spend your residency providing constellation talks to the public. You also produce a daily series of short videos on how to live a night-sky-friendly lifestyle to be used on GCC and the park’s social media sites.
4. You are a visual artist who wants to install a conceptual art piece about night skies and light pollution at the visitor center. You provide a few public workshops on your craft.
5. You are a composer who wants to write a series of nocturnes inspired by Grand Canyon night skies. You present a public performance of some famous nocturnes during your residency.
6. You are a writer or a scientist. You would like to write a piece about the effects of living in a dark environment on our sleep and well-being. You present at least two public presentations in the park. You publish the piece in Grand Canyon Conservancy’s magazine, Canyon Views.

A panel of park rangers, previous residents, and night sky advocates will choose the resident based on artistic or educational merit, their project proposal, and the need for a well-balanced diversity of residents. 

The application fee is $35. Hardship grants may be provided to those who cannot manage the application fee. 

For more information about Grand Canyon Conservancy, the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park, please visit grandcanyon.org. 

If you have any questions or require support with completing your proposal, please contact Clover Morell, Residency Program Manager, at cmorell@grandcanyon.org.

Eligibility Criteria

Solo astronomers, artists, educators, scientists, and other practitioners who study the night sky and wish to share their expertise, instruments, and passion with the park's public are encouraged to apply.