Artist Carol Chamberland, a painter from Albuquerque, plans two free public programs during her residency at Mesa Verde National Park.
On Sept. 28 at the Mancos Public Library, from 6:30-8 p.m., Chamberland will discuss the influence of public lands on her work. Slides of her paintings and explorations will be shown.
On Friday, Sept. 29, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Chamberland will host a trailside drawing hike. In this 2.4-mile hike, participants will meet at Chapin Mesa Museum lobby, then follow the Petroglyph Point trail and stop to sketch at the petroglyph panel. Chamberland will provide tips and pointers. Participants are encouraged to bring water and hiking poles, and wear boots and a hat. Materials will be provided. Both events are free and open to the public.
Chamberland draws inspiration for her paintings from the landscape and from the people who have lived here for millennia. Her residency runs through Sept. 30.
“I am looking forward to two uninterrupted weeks of exploring the canyons, the cliff dwellings, the petroglyphs, and the park’s wonderful museum as invaluable inspiration for new paintings,” she said in a news release from Mesa Verde information officer Cristy Brown. “It is my hope that these paintings will inspire people to explore the marvels of our public lands on their own, with enhanced awareness.”
Chamberland’s method involves exploring difficult terrain on foot to produce interpretive imagery of specific locations. This allows others to experience what she has seen and felt, even if they cannot make the physical journey themselves.
She is a seasoned rock art recorder and researcher from central New Mexico, who has published articles and taught classes on various aspects of rock art. She visits ancient rock art sites around the world and has traveled to France and Spain to visit the painted caves. She also has organized an ongoing volunteer project to record rock art on public lands for the Bureau of Land Management. Her digital graphic series celebrates the vision of ancient rock artists with the utmost respect for their craft. Each image is carefully drawn, then digitized and superimposed on a graphically enhanced photograph of the landscape where the petroglyph resides.
Mesa Verde National Park’s artist-in-residence program provides professional artists the opportunity to become part of a long-established tradition of artists creating art in our national parks. The program offers professional writers, composers, and visual and performing artists the opportunity to pursue their particular art form while being surrounded by the inspiring ancient architecture of the Ancestral Pueblo people and the sweeping natural landscape of the park. This year’s artists were selected from over 45 applicants by a jury of five consisting of the Chief of Interpretation, MVMA staff, and three local professional artists. Applications for the 2018 Artist in Residence program at Mesa Verde National park will be accepted beginning Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. To apply and to learn more go to www.nps.gov/meve/getinvolved/air_artists.htm and www.mesaverde.org.
The AIR program is managed by the nonprofit Mesa Verde Museum Association, the park’s innovative educational partner that inspires lifelong stewardship of the Mesa Verde region’s cultural and natural heritage. Proceeds from all association programs support Mesa Verde National Park. Learn more at www.mesaverde.org or by calling 970-529-4445.
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