LOVELL, Wyo. – Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is excited to announce the selection of two Artists-in-Residence for 2026. The artists selected are Wisconsin-based photographer Kathryn Des Forge, who brings 18 years of landscape and wildlife photography to the program, and Delaware-based visual artist Alan Baseden, who practices visual storytelling through printmaking, sketching, watercolors and journalling.
Artists have had a long influence on the formation, expansion and direction of America’s national parks. By painting landscapes of the American West, artists publicized natural wonders little known to an eastern populace. Their work helped stimulate the establishment of parks and to foster an appreciation of them.
Today, artists continue to document the landscapes of our national parks with contemporary techniques. These artists translate the park’s purpose, as a place of pleasure and preservation, into artwork that brings insight, enjoyment, and understanding.
Bighorn Canyon will announce the dates for each artist’s residence throughout the summer on the park’s Facebook page. The park invites all local and visiting artists to attend the public programs, set up an easel, create art, share techniques and be inspired by the Bighorn Canyon setting.
For more information about the Artist-in-Residence program, call Christy Fleming at 307-548-5406 or email at Christy_Fleming@nps.gov.
