Kimberly, Oregon -Robin Jackson, potter and retired fine arts professor, was selected to be John Day Fossil Beds National Monument’s Artist-in-Residence for 2018 and 2019. During his residency, Robin, along with his wife, Cindy Dillon, made several trips to the park from their home in Ontario, Oregon, working closely with the park and local school.
For the second consecutive year, Robin and Cindy volunteered with Dayville students, enhancing their art program. Sydney Thompson, Language Arts teacher said, “We loved having them here. The elementary kids learned sculpting techniques from Robin and replicated fossil teeth. The junior high and high school kids learned about using the pottery wheel and all grades learned glazing techniques. Robin and Cindy were very generous to donate their time to help us enrich our art programs at Dayville School, and we look forward to working with them in the future."
Robin recently donated three ceramic sculptures to the park that are meant to be touched. The two sculptures currently on display are of various sized bat jaws stacked like cairns, and the other is of a large bat jaw encased in cement. The third sculpture will be revealed later this year and contains jaws of bat, extinct horse, and gomphothere (an elephant-like animal) encased in tiered cements that mirrors the park’s landscape.
Superintendent Patrick Gamman says, “His inspiring sculptures demonstrate the close relationship of science and art. Both help interpret the world around us. We are very grateful for all the work and time Robin has given to the park and local school. Because of his efforts, visitors will have more hands-on experiences during their trip to the park."
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument has been participating in the Artist-in-Residence program for over a decade. At the beginning of the calendar year, there is an open call for artists to apply to the program. More information about the program can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/joda/getinvolved/supportyourpark/artist-in-residence.htm.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
Tags: art classroom school artist in residence
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
