Three artists will portray national monument in their own way

...When she does, Southworth will present this little piece of internal irony to the external world as the monument’s inaugural artist-in-residence employs her artistic eye and steady hand to tell the story of what it’s like to look into, and out of, monument lands. The retired Southern Oregon University botanist and Ashland resident is in the midst of a two-week stint. She’s the first of three artists selected this summer to interpret the monument’s raw essence in their own media. In July, Mabrie Ormes of Ashland plans to create a series of paintings for what she sees along the Grizzly Peak Trail, which is part of the monument’s January expansion to 113,013 acres within a 137,500-acre footprint. In August, photographer Matt Witt of Talent plans to capture images of the wild lands and biodiversity in the monument created in 2000 by President Bill Clinton to protect its “spectacular biological diversity.” They were chosen among applicants from as far away as the United Kingdom to turn creative eyes toward the monument during a summer in which it faces Trump Administration review and two federal lawsuits looking at whether the expansion by President Barrack Obama under the federal Antiquities Act was valid. Artists stay at a trailer parked at the Bureau of Land Management’s Hyatt Lake Recreation Area campground for easy access to the monument. When completed, they each will hold at least one public exhibit of the art they produced during their unpaid term...more

Aw, look at the pretty lady, sitting among the wildflowers, and painting a scene for the BLM.

Not familiar with the BLM's artist-in-residence program? I've previously written about it here and here and their website is here.

I do believe, though, this is the first one I've seen where the artists are being brought in to lobby against the President and the Secretary. True, this program was started in March, while the President's EO on monument review wasn't signed until April. But they must have known something was up, and besides, the lawsuit challenging the expansion of the monument was filed in February.

A judge has put the lawsuit on hold, pending the outcome of the monument review.  Seems to me BLM should put this program on hold...permanently. Okay, at least until the monument review is completed.