Wildfire + Water: Artists and Scientists Adapting to Change

PLAYA is proud to announce the call for applications for the second installment of our Wildfire + Water Themed Residency, this year titled Wildfire + Water: Artists and Scientists Adapting to Change. This year-long immersive residency provides participants with an intimate understanding of some of the most critical environmental topics to Lake County, Oregon: wildfire and water. This year the residency has been expanded to include three on-campus periods to allow for more opportunities for relationships to form between the artists and local scientists and experts. This deepening into gathering knowledge, sharing stories, and dialogue is designed with the intent that the works developed will move beyond representation of the issues discussed and towards shedding light on possible futures and proactive solutions. The need for all forms of art to interpret, communicate, and broadcast stories of change to positively impact our environment has never been more critical.

Wildfire and water are of critical environmental and social concern in Lake County. Significant wildfires have plagued Oregon and the surrounding states, and more to come will undoubtedly continue to threaten forest health, wildlife, and communities. The Chewaucan/Abert watershed is suffering from a drought that directly impacts the migratory birds that find refuge and nourishment from the area. Local and state agencies, U.S. Forest Service workers, Oregon Fish and Wildlife, University researchers and local watershed councils are working collaboratively to find solutions for dwindling water and share information about wildfire and forest management best practices. In fact, due to the discussions that occurred between local scientists and experts during the 2023/24 Wildfire + Water Residency, the group Partnership for Lake Abert and the Chewaucan fast-tracked the process of developing the Shared Narratives Report, released this fall. This report is the result of a collaborative, consensus-building process to understand and make decisions about how a diminished water supply can be best used in the Chewaucan Basin to support ranching families and ecosystems.

PLAYA is inviting a cohort of 8 artists and storytellers to immerse themselves in learning from up to 10 invited scientists and experts. These invited guests could include: wildfire ecologists, rangeland managers, tribal members, Lake County watershed experts, fire mitigation specialists, representatives from the National Forest and BLM, local century ranchers, waterfowl and migration specialists, other wildlife specialists, hydrologists, forest health specialists, or others. The cohort will experience hands-on field excursions, conversations, and presentations to help document and share critical information with the goal of impacting environmental change. Artists participating in this residency can expect to collaborate and respond creatively to the environmental lessons acquired during the residency. Applications are open to artists of all disciplines who have demonstrated a successful practice of addressing environmental issues in their creative practice. The application will ask artists to provide work samples and an explanation of how past creative work promoted dialogue regarding environmental matters and how this opportunity at PLAYA aligns with their personal creative goals. 

Artists will spend three periods of time in residence at PLAYA over the course of one year (September 2025, April 2026, and September 2026). Work created in response to this residency will be shared during a community Art + Science Symposium at PLAYA in September 2026.

September 18-29, 2025 – Phase 1 “Research”

• Scheduled tours and conversations with local experts, facilitated by PLAYA

April 2-13, 2026 – Phase 2 “Practice”

• Unscheduled time for artists to self-organize continued conversations and research with chosen experts, and have dedicated time and space for working on their projects.

September 17-28, 2026 – Presentation at PLAYA

• Finishing touches and hanging artwork
• Pop-Up Exhibit at PLAYA, Reception and school group tours
• Art + Science Symposium

PLEASE JOIN US FOR AN INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 AT 10:00AM PDT. REGISTER HERE!

COLLABORATIVE ADAPTATION

The core of this project is collaboration, for artists and scientists to learn from each other in a collaborative manner, increasing trust and relationships in order to accomplish practical meaningful change. We have shifted the tag from last year’s “Artists and Scientists Collaborating for Change” to “Artists and Scientists Adapting to Change.” Intrinsic to adaptation is change; adaptation requires acceptance of changing conditions and nimble action to adjust for survival. What does collaborative adaptation look like in an ever-shifting landscape? Can dialogue be a form of collaborative adaptation to dire conditions?

The residency will provide ample opportunities for both artists and scientists to share information about their work, as well as engage and learn from local agencies and scientists working on the ground tackling these critical environmental topics. Artists are also encouraged to collaborate with each other and relationally with the landscape itself. PLAYA’s goal is for artists and storytellers to create work with the intention of affecting positive environmental change.  

SELECTION PROCESS 

The jury, comprised of artists, scientists and arts professionals, will judge the applications on the following criteria:

• Quality of work samples
• Demonstrated environmental focus in past work
• Potential of past work to evoke dialogue
• How this opportunity aligns with the artist’s personal creative goals
• How this artist’s written responses align with PLAYA’s mission and goals for the Wildfire + Water residency

The application process will close once we receive 100 submissions.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

• Please describe how your submitted work samples address environmental issues.
• How did you intend for this work to promote dialogue and positive environmental change?
• How does this residency and exhibition opportunity align with your personal creative goals?
• Please describe what collaborative adaptation to environmental change means to you.

There is a 1600 character limit per question.

WORK SAMPLES 

• Visual Artists:
  • 10-15 images 
  • Title, date, size, media, and a brief description.
• Musicians/Sound Artists:
  • 3-5 sample recordings of your work not to exceed 15 minutes total 
  • Title, date, and a brief description of your selections.
• Performing Artists:
  • 3-5 video clips of your performances not to exceed 15 minutes total 
  • Title, date, and script or a brief description of your selections
• Literary Artists:
  • 3-5 samples not to exceed 10 pages total
  • Title, date, and a brief description of your selections.
• New Media and Interdisciplinary Artists:
  • Please review other categories to determine what materials to submit. Audio and video submissions should not exceed 15 minutes total. Written submissions should not exceed 10 pages total. If submitting a combination of written, audio, video, and/or literary work, we recommend submitting at least 7 separate pieces.

Providing 3-15 items is required. Media accepted: images (up to 5MB each), video (up to 250MB each), audio (up to 30MB each), PDFs (up to 10MB each) and models (Sketchfab). You may also link to media from YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud. When submitting media during the application process, you will be prompted to add title, date, etc in an accompanying form. Not meeting the above criteria will disqualify your application from consideration.

REFERENCES

Two references are required for this application. A simple form will automatically be sent to your references’ email addresses. References are primarily used to determine how well you will be able to function in a self-directed environment and in community with others. Be sure to list references from people who can speak to these things, rather than seeking references who have a cachet but don’t know you well; if you have attended other residencies, consider the residency director as a reference.

You will be able to check in the application portal to see if both of your reference forms have been submitted. They will have until March 31st to complete the form.

Reference form questions:

1. Please describe in what capacity you know the applicant.
2. Please rate (1-5) how well the applicant can communicate during times of conflict. 
3. Please rate (1-5) how well the applicant can dialogue and listen when in discussion about polarizing topics.
4. Please rate (1-5) how well the applicant can adhere to commitments and deadlines.
5. Please rate (1-5) how well the applicant can follow community rules and take into consideration the well-being of others.
6. Please rate (1-5) how well you believe the applicant will do in an extremely rural and isolated location. 

EXHIBIT + SYMPOSIUM

Participants of the residency will be required to create work in response to the learnings gleaned from the residency. This work is to be showcased at PLAYA and be part of the September 2026 community Art + Science Symposium. Our goal is to deepen the audiences’ understanding of local environmental issues and further suggest ways to become active advocates for and partners in addressing them. Artwork size limitations will be discussed during the residency with follow-up during the months leading up to the Symposium.