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Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
Artist-in-Residence Program
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| Linda Staats | | Photographer Linda Staats was one of two Artists-in-Residence in 2008. |
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About the Program
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site offers two residencies each of two to four weeks from May through October. Residencies are open to all professional American artists. The residencies allow selected artists to pursue their art forms in the contemplative setting of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. The National Historic Site provides lodging and a secure, environmentally-controlled place to lay out equipment and supplies at no cost to the artist.
During the residencies, the artists interact informally with the public, present public interpretive programs, and produce a piece of artwork for the park's collection. Through their artwork, Artists-in-Residence provide opportunities for park visitors to make meaningful connections with the cultural and natural resources of the National Historic Site.
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How to Apply for 2009
To apply, submit a cover letter stating your your preferred period of residence (at least two weeks between May and the end of September) and four (4) collated sets of the following:
- A resume and summary of creative work (exhibitions, collections and publications where your work has appeared).
- Samples of recent works: visual artists provide six (6) 35 mm slides or 4x6 prints with a typed list of slides with titles, medium, and image size (height by width); writers submit no more than ten (10) double-spaced, typewritten pages of manuscript; and performing artists must provide a five (5) minute audio and or video tapes identifying or demonstrating your craft.
- A statement of what you hope to achieve during a residency at Herbert Hoover NHS and a proposal for your interpretive program or programs.
Applications must be post-marked or delivered to the park between November 1, 2008 and February 28, 2009.
A panel from the park and the local arts community will select the Artists-in-Residence from the pool of applicants by early April, 2009. Selections will be made based on merit and how the artists’ work can advance the mission of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, and will be made without regard to race, religion, sex, disability, marital status, age, or national origin.
Applicants will be notified of the selection as soon as possible. All samples will be returned at the end of the selection process. You do not have to include a self addressed stamped envelope.
For more information, call Adam Prato at (319) 643-7855. Mail your application to:
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
Artist-in-Residence Program
110 Parkside Drive
P.O. Box 607
West Branch, Iowa 52358
Download the Artist-in-Residence Program 2009 brochure (PDF file, 107 KB). Residencies at other National Parks are posted on NPS.gov.
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2008 Artists-in-Residence
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| Linda Staats | | First Light on the Prairie, by Linda Staats |
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Linda Staats
June 20-July 5, 2008
Photographer Linda Staats is known for her imagery of the Midwest heartland and the Pacific Northwest. Her photographs are in private and corporate collections and have appeared in galleries, brochures, notecards, and calendars. She recently returned to the Midwest after living in Washington State where she spent countless days photographing National Parks, and is now working on a project of Midwestern images. “I want to illustrate the diversity that exists in this part of the country—the richness that makes up the land, the people, and the life of this area.”
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| Kristen Bergren | | Radio dramatist Will Anderson writes a script while chatting with visitors at the Visitor Center. |
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Will Anderson
July 7-July 20, 2008
Will Anderson, assistant professor at Central Michigan University, is an award-winning radio dramatist, with regional and national awards, including two National Audio Theater Festival awards in 2007 and 2003, and the 2006 National Broadcasting Society Region 2 Best Comedy Award.
You may download Will Anderson's radio drama script, "The Son of West Branch, America's Great Humanitarian" (PDF file, 196 KB). Please contact us if you are interested in using it in a production.
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Selected Former Artists-in-Residence
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| Herbert Hoover NHS Collection | | "Lou Henry Hoover circa 1925", painting by Billie Davids |
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Billie Davids
September 11-23, 2007
Billie Davids is a native of the small river town of Princeton, Iowa. After leaving behind artwork most of her life, Mrs. Davids started painting professionally three years ago. Her paintings capture moments of everyday American life. "I bought myself a camera a few years ago," says Mrs. Davids, "and started noticing all the ordinary activities that people of all ages were enjoying, sometimes planned activities they had looked forward to all week, sometimes impromptu moments, and I wanted to paint them, stop time, not just with my camera but in large as life pictures so I could say for them, 'See me, see what I can do.'"
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| Herbert Hoover NHS Collection | | "Hoover Birthplace", pastel by Diane Blair Kunzler |
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Diane Blair Kunzler
July 19-August 4, 2007
Diane Blair Kunzler is from Glidden, Iowa, and has been featured in numerous art exhibits. She has a Master of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Boston. Ms. Kunzler has explored Midwestern landscapes as a subject for her artwork for twenty years. "A residency at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site affords me the opportunity to explore an abundance of subjects of interest to me as an artist, and a unique opportunity to interact with people who visit the site," said Ms. Kunzler. "Art is so many times a solitary experience and I enjoy the casual interactions with people who are interested in the subjects I work with and the artistic process."
During her tenure as Artist-in-Residence, Ms. Kunzler painted a nine-inch circumference gold ornament supplied by the White House with scenes of the Herbert Hoover Birthplace Cottage and the Gravesite of President and Mrs. Hoover. The ornament was displayed on the National Park themed 2007 White House Christmas tree.
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| Herbert Hoover NHS Collection | | "Cottage in Winter", hand-woven tapestry by Karen Page Crislip |
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Karen Page Crislip
September 13-29, 2006
Karen Page Crislip of Estes Park, Colorado has roots in eastern Iowa. She graduated from Bettendorf High School in 1966 and is related to Herbert Hoover. She is a trained and experienced educator eager to share her love of weaving with the public. “
Ms. Crislip was very excited about returning to Eastern Iowa and working in the environment of her early years. She started a number of designs during her residence and donated a tapestry interpreting the Birthplace Cottage in winter.
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| NPS Photo | | Artist-in-Residence Gabriel Sokoloff |
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Gabriel Sokoloff
July 14-28, 2005
Musician and composer Gabriel Sokoloff studied with renowned jazz pianist Alex Darqui. He performs keyboard and saxophone in West Palm Beach, Florida and Providence, Rhode Island.
Mr. Sokoloff's music and lyrics found expression in the charm and power of the National Historic Site's outdoors. During his residency, he composed, performed, and engineered three songs, including "Prairie Sun", an instrumental piece written for Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.
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| Caren Hackman | | "Quaker School House", painting by Caren Hackman |
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Caren Hackman
July 5-18, 2005
Painter and illustrator Caren Hackman immersed herself in the distinct light and texture of the National Historic Site's landscape. The park's Eastern Iowa locale was a sharp contrast to South Florida, where she has painted for decades.
As Artist-in-Residence Ms. Hackman twice demonstrated working with highlights and shadows to distinguish forms in watercolor painting. She created three paintings while at Herbert Hoover NHS, including "Hulda's Chair", a watercolor used in a postcard sold at the park bookstore.
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| Herbert Hoover NHS Collection | | Untitled sculpture by Matt Moyer |
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Matt Moyer
September 24-October 22, 2004
Ceramicist Matt Moyer creates vessels and sculptures influenced by everyday implements and industry that surrounded the Mississippi River and its central plains in the late 19th century.
As Artist-in-Residence Mr. Moyer, who is interested in natural materals, demonstrated ceramics using clays found in Cedar County. Participants learned to make their own cup or bowl and to incorporate natural fibers.
Mr. Moyers donated sculpture of wood-fired stoneware on a steel base is modeled on a tool found in the park's working Blacksmith Shop.
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| Herbert Hoover NHS Collection | | "Miles Farmstead", painting by Kristi Carlson |
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Kristi Carlson
May 6-21, 2000
Kristi Carlson is an art professor and gallery director at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa. She holds degrees in art from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and Purdue University, and has also studied art independently and at the University of Iowa.
Prof. Carlson's painting, "Miles Farmstead" is on display in the Visitor Center.
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