The University of Michigan Biological Station in northern Michigan is looking for artists to explore their creative freedom away from home this summer and draw inspiration from the environment around Douglas Lake through its rustic artist residency program.

The deadline to submit applications for the UMBS Artist-in-Residence program is March 15, 2024.

Selected artists complete a live-in residency in June or July at the more than 10,000-acre research and teaching campus in Pellston, just south of the Mackinac Bridge.

The U-M Biological Station’s Artist-in-Residence Program, which began in 2018, is designed to introduce new artists to the region and give them the opportunity to interact with the robust scientific community on campus.

For 115 years, students, faculty and researchers from around the globe have studied and monitored the impact of environmental changes on northern Michigan ecosystems. The U-M Biological Station is one of the nation’s largest and longest continuously operating field research stations.

“We think by allying with artists and embedding them in our field station, together we can inspire deeper understanding and appreciation of local ecosystems and improve public engagement to support conservation,” said Dr. Aimée Classen, UMBS director and a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.