ART 180 and Shenandoah National Park Trust are excited to continue their partnership initiative, welcoming ART 180’s Atlas Artist Alumni to Shenandoah National Park. 


LEAP (Launching Emerging Artist Program: From Richmond to Shenandoah) is an artist residency program that intersects art and nature. Since early on, artists, from painters to photographers, have had long-standing relationships with our national parks and played a pivotal role in highlighting the essence and beauty of their landscapes to the American public. 
Today, LEAP continues this tradition by inviting one young adult artist (ages 18-30) to explore and interpret the landscape through their unique perspective. 

For this year’s Open Call, the selected artist-in-residence will focus their creative work around ART 180’s upcoming theme, “Protect Your Neck,” inspired by the iconic Wu-Tang anthem, as a call to action as we turn toward a pressing question: how do we protect our communities? While expanding to a multiverse of meanings, invoking the necessity of self-defense and survival in a world that often renders Black and Brown lives vulnerable, and protecting our “neck of the woods”, our neighborhoods, art, histories, cultural lineages, and environments that define who we are and where we belong.

During their residency, artists will have an invaluable opportunity for uninterrupted creative exploration, drawing inspiration from the park's ecosystems, wildlife, and programs. Artists will be required to work alongside the ART 180 Atlas Residency Cohort, provide a presentation sharing their experience in Shenandoah, and donate an original piece of art to the Shenandoah National Park Trust within six months of their residency. This piece should reflect the artist's unique style and their experiences during the residency.

LEAP emphasizes inclusivity, welcoming all artists to apply their unique artistic expression, cultural influences, and perspectives to offer visitors a multifaceted exploration of Shenandoah, forging new connections and understanding between art, nature, and the human experience.