Artlands Creative of Redlands expands its REACH artist residency program to the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve
Redlands’ Artlands Creative announces REACH: an environmentally focused, community based, work-only artist residency program that will take place in Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and applications are open until December 14.
The program REACH (Regional Eco Arts Community Hub) employs artists as catalysts for creative action, offering them the opportunity to explore regional environmental issues and share their insights through community centered creative programming. Selected artists will develop workshops and public events that strengthen connections between neighbors, the natural world, and the place we call home.
I asked REACH Project Director Danielle Giudici Wallis how she came up with the idea for the program:
“This whole thing started about 2020 when I was walking around during pandemic looking at empty park spaces and thinking, ‘We need an artist residency program here,’ one that also deals with ecological issues because there was so much pollution, people were out more, and there was a lot of trash being sort of strewn around. Fast forward to 2024, a grant came up called Arts in California Parks and they had a planning grant and an implementation grant. We applied through the Artlands for a planning grant, and we did a bunch of community engagement, working with a number of different partners: the University of Redlands, the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District, the Redlands Conservancy and Inlandia Institute… So a number of different partners to come up with the plan and to talk to the community about where, and since I was working with Artlands at that point, they are fiscal sponsors for La Matadora gallery, so we had the idea to expand it into the Morongo Basin. So we approached Kevin Wong at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve about the program and they were open to it, so at the end of 2024 we received the implementation grant to do the project in Redlands and Big Morongo Canyon Preserve,” said Wallis.
Applications are open now to December 14th, 2025; all artistic mediums and creative disciplines are accepted, including visual, literary, and performing arts. REACH will select four artists and four writers for 1-month work-only residencies scheduled from March to June 2026. Residents will be provided with a $700-a-week stipend, and a work-only studio for 4 weeks; no living accommodations will be provided. Selected artists will, as part of the residency, develop and host two public-facing arts activities that engage the community in local environmental issues. Activities may range from workshops to performances, bringing free and accessible arts programming to California parks while promoting environmental awareness and building community connection.
Program Highlights Include:
• 8 Environmentally Focused Work-Only Residencies: Artists/Writers will be provided with an off-site work-only studio space for the duration of their 4-week residency
• Professional Development for selected artists and writers will be offered in collaboration with Arts Connection, The Arts Council of San Bernardino County.
• Environmental Arts Workshops: Each Artist/Writer-in-residence will host two public sessions engaging with local and/or regional environmental issues
• Additional Environmental Education Workshops with partner organizations, the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District (IERCD) and Accelerating Neighborhood Climate Action (ANCA)
• Creation of a new Community Garden at Sylvan Park in Redlands: Community members and University of Redlands students will work together to design and plant a garden with the help of the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District, creating a space for creativity and environmental education
• Culminating Exhibition and Publication: A final public exhibition hosted by the Redlands Conservancy at the Asistencia will feature work created during the residency, along with a limited-edition print publication (200 copies) and a documentary video capturing the project’s evolution.
You can apply at the Artlands website here.
