An iconic lighthouse on the central coast of Oregon will host its first-ever “Artist-in-Residence” program this spring.
The Yaquina Head Lighthouse near Newport has been lighting the way for sailors since 1873. The area surrounding the 93-foot-tall beacon is full of diverse and abundant marine life, and it’s part of a park run by the Bureau of Land Management.
Now, the agency is taking applications for someone to spend three weeks at the lighthouse to get their creative juices flowing. The residency will begin May 14.
"We picked that timing on purpose, because the artist will be able to work there in the spring, in the height of flowers blooming, babies being born," said Jason Holland, the executive director of the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, which is helping to facilitate the program. "We just think that would be a really inspiring time with new life coming up all around at Yaquina Head."
Traditional visual artists are welcome to apply, "but we also want artists who might be composers, choreographers, mixed media or trans-disciplinary artists to consider applying because you never know what an artist like that would create when working on site in such a special place,” said Holland.
The residency is open to anyone, but Holland said it doesn’t come with a housing allowance.
"Because this is our inaugural year for the residency, we're really emphasizing local artists to apply," he said. "We don't have a lodging component in place, so the artist will need to be able to get themselves to Yaquina Head and to come and go while they're working."
The deadline to apply is March 7.
