Staffing Cuts Jeopardize National Park Artist Programs

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Reductions in federal staffing have impacted the National Park Service's artist-in-residence programs, which allow artists to live and work at park sites and engage with visitors. While the National Endowment for the Arts received $207 million in the fiscal 2026 budget, approved by Congress and signed by President Trump, the U.S. Department of the Interior experienced cuts to its federal workforce in 2025. This resulted in the departure of 13,000 employees, or 20 percent of the total, including over 1,000 full-time staff, or 24 percent, from the National Park Service. Seasonal hires also decreased to 4,500 from the usual 8,000.

The diminished staffing levels mean several national parks can no longer host artists, including Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, Death Valley National Park in California, and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska. At Glacier National Park in Montana, its website states that“Due to staffing shortages, applications for new residencies are temporarily on hold. Check back for updates.” Similarly, the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in Iowa has suspended its program due to“staffing levels,” according to an employee there.

Despite these challenges, artist-in-residence programs continue in national parks, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of the Interior confirmed.“The number of artist-in-residence programs naturally fluctuates from year to year and this year's number is in line with past years. In recent fiscal years, the number has ranged from 40 to 58, consistent with historical variation, with around 50 programs in 2025,” the spokesperson said. These programs, which trace their origins to late 19th-century artists who documented the American West, vary in length from a few weeks to several months. Most provide accommodations, with some also offering meals and stipends.

For instance, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park offers a three-and-a-half-week residency with a $4,000 stipend and housing for artists and their families. Fort Union National Monument in New Mexico provides a $1,000 stipend and housing, noting its isolated location. Death Valley National Park 's program offers a $3,000 stipend and a room in a modern hotel with amenities and daily meals. A core requirement for artists in these programs is to conduct a public event and donate at least one artwork or related piece, such as writing or a performance video, to the park's collection.

Artist Ian Grieve, a painter from Nashville, Tennessee, participated in a residency at Weir Farm National Historic Park in Wilton, Connecticut, last May. He received a $400 stipend and used the studio of American Impressionist J. Alden Weir. Grieve initially struggled to connect his figurative painting style with the landscape, feeling pressure to respond directly. He found inspiration in a fragmented painting of Evelyn Nesbit by Weir, which was torn into four pieces after the murder of Weir's friend, architect Stanford White.“After the murder of his close friend, architect Stanford White, by Nesbit's husband, Harry Thaw, Weir ripped the painting into four pieces,” Grieve said, adding that the fragments possessed“a strange beauty that differs from the original painting. As someone whose work often develops through layering, revision, fragmentation and visible traces of change, I knew I'd found my connection. I decided to paint Evelyn Nesbit myself, responding to Weir's fractured portrait.”

Stephen Towns, a painter and fiber artist from Baltimore, Maryland, had a one-month residency in 2019 at Gettysburg National Military Park. He found access to the museum, its archives, and battleground tours invaluable.“Touring the museum and grounds and viewing the archives provided first-hand accounts of the time period I had been exploring in my artwork. It also provided source material for work. I used it to create figures and backgrounds for my paintings and quilts,” Towns stated. He stayed in a small historic cabin on the battlegrounds, where he also set up a studio for smaller works.

William“Chip” Beck, a former combat artist with the U.S. Navy, completed residencies at both Gettysburg and Manassas National Battlefield parks. He emphasized the importance of historical research and ranger lectures.“The goal of the artist, at least this artist, was to create a piece of art that was more than just a pretty picture. It had to speak of the history and the people who populated those areas in key periods of history,” Beck explained, noting he also portrayed landscapes and historical buildings. The National Park Service allows artists to undertake multiple residencies, with many applying to and being accepted at numerous sites.

Source: Observer Arts

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