Artists selected for residency at Bloedel Reserve
Published 12:20 pm Saturday, March 12, 2016
Eight artists known for their nature-inspired work in various mediums have been selected as recipients of the Bloedel Reserve’s 2016 Creative Residency and will immerse themselves for weeks at a time in Bloedel’s inspiring landscapes.
The selected artists are Karen Finneyfrock, Chunbo “Bo” Zhang and Yuzhi Bai (a mother/daughter duo), Ann Johnston, Joyce Utting Schutter, Susan Pavel, Barbara Cooper, Laura Foster Nicholson and Wynn Yarrow.
“We were overjoyed by the quality of applications we received,” said Ed Moydell, Bloedel’s executive director. “And we’re ecstatic with the chosen artists. They will each bring tremendous talent and perspective to Bloedel.”
Last fall, Bloedel put out an open call for its residency program and received more than 140 applications. A jury studied the applications before settling on the eight final artists.
Those chosen represent a wide range of art disciplines such as painting, weaving and sculpting.
All use nature in their creative processes.
“Our founders believed in the importance of nature in lives and Mr. and Mrs. Bloedel highly regarded artists,” Moydell said. “The Creative Residency at Bloedel Reserve nicely blends nature and art in an organic way and I’m thrilled we can provide artists with a place of inspiration.”
During their residency at Bloedel, artists are not required to produce a piece of work, nor complete a project. Instead, they can use the time for rejuvenation and respite and let the creative process happen naturally.
In return for the residency, artists are asked to give back to the community in the form of a workshop, lecture, artist walk or reading.
Applications for the 2017 residency program will open in the fall.
A nonprofit organization, the Bloedel Reserve is an internationally renowned public garden whose primary mission is to provide a tranquil and refreshing experience in nature.
For more information, visit www.bloedelreserve.org.
