The Artist in Residence (AIR) program offers professional artists of the Austin area an inspirational environment in which to pursue various mediums and to further creative development in a natural setting.
Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve is a uniquely situated urban natural area reflecting the personality of Austin — at once wild and modern, natural and technologically advanced, protected and developing.
Wild Basin hosts two artists per year: in spring and in fall. Artists of all disciplines in the greater Austin area are encouraged to apply. Artists are provided a small budget for materials, supplies, and equipment, and provided access to the Wild Basin Creative Research Center and the trail system for inspiration.
The Wild Basin Artist in Residence will:
- Donate a piece created during or inspired by their residency to the Wild Basin permanent collection
- Present two workshops during the residency: one for adults and one for school-age children
- Work on premises at least one day per week
- Exhibit works created during the residency at the Wild Basin Visitor Center
- Be willing to be filmed, photographed or interviewed for Wild Basin promotional purposes
- Comply with all policies of Wild Basin while in residence.
Application Information
Spring 2026/Fall 2026 Artist in Residence application deadline October 31, 2025 .
Application Process
Submit application materials by email to the Environmental Education Coordinator for consideration by the selection committee. The application must include a brief statement with goals for the residency, the preferred residency period, a resume, digital samples of work, and the signed application form. The award will be made based on merit and on an understanding of the mission of Wild Basin. Selections will be made without regard to race, religion, sex, disability, marital status, age or national origin. The deadline for Spring and Fall 2025 applications is October 31, 2025. Awards will be announced one month before the start of residency.
Spring 2025 Artist in Residence
Linda Wandt is a representational oil painter and instructor who moved from Long Island, New York to Texas in 1999. She obtained a BA in studio art in 2006 from The University of Texas at Austin, and then studied figure painting at Atelier Dojo. She has shown her work in countless local businesses, markets and art shows, and has participated in the Austin Studio Tours since 2007. Through a growing love of hiking and camping, she now enjoys solo backpacking, which is reflected in her art practice. Wandt won a Juror’s Choice Award at Art City Austin in 2018, has won a grant from the City of Austin’s Building Capacity fund, in 2020 won a scholarship to attend the Portrait Society of America’s annual conference, and her work is on view in Austin City Hall for another iteration of The People’s Gallery. She teaches painting and drawing at The Dougherty Art Center and at Cordovan Art School.
Linda’s Artists Statement
My art practice explores how we fit into the world around us, our role in and relationship to nature. As an avid camper and hiker, that practice has grown into a love for solo backpacking and learning about the forms I observe, while using insects, plants and landscape as a metaphor for mindfulness and presence. My work has always incorporated an intense use of color, and in recent years has shifted from highly symbolic, magic realism portraiture to focus on insects, trees and botanical forms.
A decade ago, I started painting honeybees like pet portraits, hoping to increase appreciation and fondness for these crucial insects, using clear coated wood panels to allow for the natural grain of the wood to play a role in the composition. This series expanded into pairing various pollinators with different carnivorous plants in Rorschach inspired compositions, exploring the dualism of natural cycles. A metaphor for growth and decay, these delicately layered paintings require patience – to me, they also represent the “In and Out” of breath that is a focus of meditative practice and mindfulness, a viewpoint that has developed through the creation of the work.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to create a body of work that incorporates the stewardship and research of Wild Basin Nature Preserve, and to participate in highlighting the importance of spaces that support nature conservation. As an artist and educator, my goal for the residency is to create a body of work which functions as a visual lesson plan for starting with a broad topic, and then narrowing in focus to the ideas/research that inspire me the most.
Spring 2025
Linda Wandt is a representational oil painter and instructor who moved from Long Island, New York to Texas in 1999. She obtained a BA in studio art in 2006 from The University of Texas at Austin, and then studied figure painting at Atelier Dojo. Wandt won a Juror’s Choice Award at Art City Austin in 2018, has won a grant from the City of Austin’s Building Capacity fund, in 2020 won a scholarship to attend the Portrait Society of America’s annual conference, and her work is on view in Austin City Hall for another iteration of The People’s Gallery.
Fall 2024
Alicia Philley's abstract art practice is deeply rooted in local urban gardens, greenbelts, and state parks. She completed the BFA program in painting at Hunter College, NYC, in 2005 and earned a BA in journalism from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, in 1995.
Spring 2024
Sonya Berg is a visual artist based in Austin, TX. Born in Raleigh, NC and raised in suburban Philadelphia, Sonya received her MFA in painting from The University of Texas at Austin in 2010 and her BA in Studio Art from Messiah College, PA in 2005. Her current work explores the relational weight of the portrait through painting and photographic techniques, by transforming the ordinary and casual to vulnerable and elevated.
Fall 2023
is an oil painter based in Austin TX. Born in Baltimore MD, he studied painting at Savannah College of Art and Design. Working primarily in oil painting, graphite powder and screen printing, his work draws heavily on the landscapes surrounding him and that of his travels.
Spring 2023
Leila Ali is a Colombian-born visual artist based in Austin. Her work moves between modes of production that employ photography, collage, painting, and drawing. Her most recent project uses botanical art and landscape photography as a lens to reflect on common wild plants that are often overlooked and neglected, a phenomenon that has been described as "plant blindness". Leila's practice aims to invite the public to look closely and appreciate the rich botanical environment, which can sometimes be invisible and taken for granted.
Fall 2022
Ania Safko. Ania is a Ukrainian-American visual artist working in film, poetry, and photography, and a '21 graduate from the UT Austin MFA Studio Art program. Her artistic practice deals with the human impact on the landscape of the American West and the changing nature of Americans' relationship with wilderness.
Spring 2022
. Juliet is an Art Educator with a Master’s Degree in Community-Based Arts Education from the University of Texas-Austin and Undergraduate in Art Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has designed arts and environmental education programs for public institutions such as the High Line, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the Thinkery, Austin Discovery School and private organizations domestically and internationally.
Fall 2021
Danika Ostrowski. Ostrowski is based in Austin and is a dedicated advocate for the preservation of public lands. She paints both en-plein-air and creates in-studio work based on photographs, sketches and memories. Ostrowski began painting on the porch at Wild Basin every Friday morning until Wild Basin closed due to COVID-19 in March 2020. She restarted her residency and served as Wild Basin's Fall 2021 Artist in Residence.
Fall 2019
Precious Parker. As a visual artist, storyteller and photographer, Parker explores "the relational connection between subjects and space with subtle elements of emotion". During her residency at Wild Basin, Parker examined how humans and nature live in tandem and hopes her artwork will encourage people to reflect on their connection to nature and the spaces they occupy. In November 2019, Parker guided 14 children and adults in the technique of cyanotype nature printing.
Spring 2019
Johnson is based in Austin and her art explores the intersection between art and science: between the poetic experience of nature and the more objective study thereof. She works mostly in the medium of drawing, intermingling the aesthetic approaches and media associated with landscape art traditions with data-oriented, informational components, such as seismic imaging, geologic surveys, and others.
Fall 2018
McCormick’s work highlights the connection between people and the environment primarily using acrylic, gouache, and collage techniques. Passionate about conservation and preservation, McCormick hopes to create art that connects visitors to Wild Basin and sparks exploration of our natural spaces.
Fall 2017/Spring 2018
Lowell has over 9 years of experience as an art teacher and a keen appreciation for nature from her childhood in Colorado. Using 3D modeling and watercolors, the artist aims to celebrate the flora and fauna at Wild Basin, bringing attention to the importance of caring for our wild spaces.
Spring 2017
Wolf’s work focuses on contemporary portraits of regional wildlife. The artist painted at the preserve weekly and conducting two events open to the public at the Wild Basin Creative Research Center during her time with us. An event geared to an adult audience explored the influence of local wildlife with a painting demonstration. A second event for children focused on incorporating nature in art.