Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve

Art and science are, in many cases, inspired by similar motivations: a desire to explore the unexplored and to uncover the hidden patterns and relationships of everyday life. The College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota, through Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, offers a diversity of plant and animal communities and a wealth of long-term ecological and botanical research. Cedar Creek's artist-in-residence program provides a unique opportunity for artists to investigate the intersection of science, nature, and humanity. We invite artists working in any genre (including but not limited to photography, painting, music, creative writing…) to bring their unique ideas and perspectives to Cedar Creek to help us build a long-term, diverse body of work exploring these spaces and their science.

Current artists-in-residence at Cedar Creek

More about the program:

• In the news
• Watch a public lecture given by 2020-2021 resident artists Alyssa Baguss and Sarina Partridge.

Artists in residence are provided with:

• Access to a world-renowned research site and the diverse habitats, biomes, and experiments it contains for up to one year
• Opportunities to interact with researchers and students working onsite, including formal meetings, opportunities to observe and/or participate in fieldwork, horticulture, etc.
• Space to promote your project on the Cedar Creek website and social media platforms as well as in the Cedar Creek main visitors building
• Access to a private one-bedroom house on the property for overnight stays, if desired
• A one-time $1000 honorarium, to be paid in two installments during the residency

We ask that each artist-in-residence:

• Be over 18 years old
• Interact with site scientists and staff
• Incorporate both art and science in their final work
• Provide Cedar Creek staff with updates at least every three months
• Share their work with the public through an event, installation, reading, show or other appropriate outlet at some point during or at the culmination of the residency (organized by the artist, hosted and promoted by Cedar Creek)
• Consider leaving some aspect of their work for the permanent collections at Cedar Creek when the residency is completed

As with all researchers and visitors onsite, we require that Artists in Residence respect all site and facility rules and regulations, including staying on internal roads, carrying a use permit, and checking in before each visit. A residency does not give you unlimited access to the reserve. Depending on the nature of the project, residencies may last from one week to one year. No overnight stays are required and you do not need to physically be "in residence" at the reserve - we do encourage you to stay overnight at least once though! 

Artists in Residence will need to provide their own transportation, food, art supplies, and other materials. Although we are only able to provide a small stipend for our Artists, many past participants have been successful at obtaining external funding for their projects through the MN State Arts Board, the Swedish Council of America, local non-profits, and other sources. We are of course happy to provide official letters of support or information about the residency as part of funding applications!

Applications

Applications for 2024 residencies are closed. We currently do not anticipate opening a call for 2025 artists, so encourage artists to plan ahead now for 2026 residency opportunities!