Artist in Residence Alumnus, Mark Chen
"Every morning was jump-started with a stunning view of Grand Canyon. While I made headways into my work in the cozy residence at Verkamp's, the moral support and assistance from the warm folks at Grand Canyon Conservancy and National Park Service were just a call away. The residency drove me to a level of creative productivity that I could not have imagined."
Public Programs
To engage park visitors and the local Grand Canyon community during his residency, Chen hosted two evening programs at the South Rim Visitor Center Theater where he shared the latest images he had produced during his residency, as well as photography from other iconic national parks including Big Bend, Arches, Yosemite and Yellowstone. This include a workshop with students at Grand Canyon School. These programs began with a presentation followed by an image projection demonstration in which the audience was invited to participate.
About the Artist
Mark Chen
Mark Chen is a photographic artist, educator and author. His practices center on the visual discourse on science and environment. He crosses media boundaries, often collaboratively, from photography to other visual art, sound art, creative writing and performance. He aims to evoke feelings that can bring about change of thoughts and behaviors.
Chen’s ongoing project Pilgrimage of Light has brought him and his projector to 12 sites including iconic national parks such as Yosemite, Big Bend and Arches, where he photographed projected celestial images on geological formations. Showcasing 1.8 billion years of geology, Grand Canyon National Park was a holy grail for Mark.
"The residency with Grand Canyon Conservancy couldn't have come at a more opportune moment."
During his residency, Mark took multiple trips into the canyon with his camera, projector and slides, photographing at night celestial images projected on Grand Canyon's grandeurs and details, producing dozens of new images from the rim as well as from the bottom the canyon.
You can view the images Mark produced during his residency and learn more about his process here.
Ranger Kylie and Mark plot their upcoming expedition in the canyon. Galaxy image by NASA, ESA, M. Robberto ( Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team.
Arp 273, a pair of interacting galaxies 300 million light years away, juxtaposed below the 270 million year old rim of Grand Canyon. Galaxy image by NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).