Artists selected for 2022 artist residency program
Artist Wilderness Connection (AWC), a unique, collaborative artist-in-residence program in Montana managed by Hockaday Museum of Art, Flathead National Forest, Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation and Swan Valley Connections, has selected two participants in 2022 — creative writer Max Owens of Bellingham, Washington, and visual artist Beth Vallieres of Whitefish.
The 2022 AWC residency saw a record number of qualified applicants from across the country. Now in its 18th year, the Artist Wilderness Connection program selects two artists, writers, photographers or musicians to stay in remote forest cabins in the Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wilderness areas of Northwest Montana for one to two weeks during the months of July, August or September, while creating art inspired by nature and their wilderness living experience. After completing their residency, artists will work with the Hockaday and other program partners to share their backcountry experience with a free community outreach program or exhibition, and will donate a representative artwork to the Artist Wilderness Connection program.
Owens is a creative writer working at the intersection of culture and nature, with a background in science communication and film. Originally from Ohio, in recent years he has lived all over the West, employed as a wilderness guide, cycling guide and bread baker. His writing has appeared in The Gulch, Climbing.com, and other publications. He is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing at Western Washington University, where he also teaches writing. Owen plans to use his time in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex to connect intimately with a new place, and, through his writing, share the beauty, mystery and value of America’s wildernesses.
Vallieres is a graphite artist based in Whitefish. She grew up exploring the mountains of Colorado on horseback and moved to Montana to explore more wild places after graduating from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Outside of her day job as barn manager for a private horse farm, she enjoys packing her horses in the Bob, trail riding, hiking and hunting. For her residency in the Bob Marshall wilderness, Vallieres will communicate the value of wild places and their inhabitants through graphite drawings.
For more information about the program, contact Kathy Martin at the Hockaday Museum of Art, 406-755-5268, education@hockadaymuseum.com; Teresa Wenum at the Flathead National Forest, 406-758-5218, teresa.wenum@usda.gov; or Rebecca Powell at the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, 406-387-3808, rpowell@bmwf.org.
