Artist in Residence celebrates ‘place of special value’ in southwest Colorado

May 21, 2026

Public lands
Place of special value
Protect them for your children
Preserve them for your grandchildren
Practice good stewardship.
Vicki Conley, CANM Artist-in-Residence (2026)

The Artist-in-Residence program at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM), in partnership with the Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance, hosts artists in a place of “special value.” Featuring the highest density of cultural sites in the country, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s CANM is the ancestral home of 26 tribes and pueblos and protects an estimated 30,000 sites of human habitation.

For two weeks, CANM’s 2026 Artist-in-Residence Vicki Conley worked from dawn until dusk to create four artworks inspired by the monument’s rich landscape and found time to host two public outreach programs.

“I’m a workaholic and I had to bring plenty of projects to keep myself busy,” Conley said. “I got up at 5 a.m. to work on art and sewing in the morning. Because it’s cold, I started to hike around 10 a.m. Then, in the afternoon, more sewing or carving.”

Two people stand indoors beside a colorful Canyon of the Ancients National Monument artwork, one holding a framed photo of a rocky landscape with a blue sky. — Vicki Conley strives to contribute to the ongoing conversation about the critical importance of protecting our planet's wild places through her experimentation with color, texture, and form, and the intersection of art, science, and conservation. (Photo courtesy of Mark Nelson/Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance)

Conley and her husband had visited the monument a year prior and fell in love with the cultural history and natural beauty of the area. Before she set foot back in the monument, she was already hand-dying fabrics to match the landscapes.

“We love this area,” Conley said. “I’m a desert person, so I love all desert parks. But the view before you drop down into the Sand Canyon — it is just spectacular.”

Person in blue jacket and white hat pointing at ancient stone tower built into rocky hillside under clear blue sky. — CANM offers a window into over 12,000 years of human history, primarily shaped by Ancestral Puebloan cultures and their descendants. The area continues to be a living landscape used today for traditional purposes, recreation, hunting, livestock grazing, and energy development. (Photo by Amala Posey-Monk/Bureau of Land Management)

BLM staff personally guided the Artist-in-Residence through Sand Canyon, Lowry, and Painted Hand pueblos, to the heart of the monument, and around the 88-mile backcountry route. Conley was also able to experience Sand Canyon several days on her own while sketching and preparing linoleum blocks for printing.

“We find a lot of value in hosting artists at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and being able to spend good quality time with them on the landscape. It's important to show them just how special these places are,” said Amala Posey-Monk, supervisory park ranger for CANM. “It takes time and an open heart to learn about the complexities, history, and cultural sensitivities of the 26 tribes and pueblos who have called this landscape home since time immemorial. We’ve set up this residency so artists get to spend time with our subject matter experts in the field or in curation to find that deeper connection."

Art pieces arranged in two rows, each featuring a black lines on blue, orange, and white backgrounds. — Conley designed multiple art blocks depicting a variety of Sand Canyon’s footprints and landscapes. With very sharp tools, Conley carved away pieces of linoleum and utilized acrylic paints to test the prints. After her residency, Conley planned to finalize the blocks and create her final pieces with higher quality inks. (Photo courtesy of Vicki Conley)

CANM’s 2026 Artist-in-Residence program came to a close with two public workshop events. Conley provided a short lesson on simplified block printing, then set visitors loose to carve and print their natural designs inspired by the monument and its ancestral residents.

“It’s been such an opportunity [to be at CANM],” said Conley. “I really appreciate the Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance for their support and [the BLM] for the beautiful landscape and guidance. It’s been great.”

A woman demonstrates printmaking techniques to a small group gathered around a table filled with art prints and supplies in a bright room. — During the workshop, participants cut shapes out of foam and used ink pads to paste their designs onto paper and fabric patches. (Photo by Amala Posey-Monk/Bureau of Land Management)

Encompassing 176,000 acres of public lands, CANM features more than 8,400 documented sites of human history, including villages, kivas, field houses, cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, and ancient roadways. Some areas have more than 100 sites per square mile.

Today, CANM’s special landscapes continue to serve visitors, artists, and locals alike as a space for inspired recreation, hunting, livestock grazing, and energy development.

Story by:

Ella Kiley, Public Affairs Specialist

Blog Topic:

Artist in Residence

Cultural Heritage and Paleontology

National Conservation Lands

Recreation

Youth and Educators

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