Another amazing international artist comes to Gettysburg National Military Park

WASHINGTON DC, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES, August 3, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Gettysburg National Military Park, the non-profit National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF), and the Gettysburg Foundation, are pleased to announce the residency of sculptor and illustrator Joseph Paxton as the park’s artist-in-residence for August and September of 2017. Mr. Paxton will reflect on his work and residency during an Artist Showcase Presentation at the David Wills House in downtown Gettysburg on Friday, September 1, at 5 p.m. The event is free, and open to the public.

Mr. Paxton is an accomplished artist who has studied and accepted residencies all over the world, including Great Britain and Australia. His work has been shown in exhibitions here and abroad, and he has been featured in
various magazines from Vantage Magazine and Unfolded Magazine to The Resident Magazine and the Newcastle Metro.

Much of Mr. Paxton’s work focuses on physical and emotional states of being. In particular, his art often examines the concept of the ‘human animal’ - the human as a primal, sentient being that both affects and is affected by its environment. His work explores how the human exists as only one part of the natural world, and how human instinct and needs both resemble and diverge from those of their low animals. He is particularly interested in the capacity humans have to destroy themselves and the world upon which they depend. He writes, “I grew up on a farm in rural Wales. I have always been a keen sportsman and a physi- cal person. These things, I think, have given me a great interest in movement and the expression of emotion and intension through the body.”

During his residency, Mr. Paxton intends to continue his work in sculpture and drawing, drawing from his
surroundings to help him reflect upon “the brutality and menace of the destruction of war and human conflict”, as well as “the idea of unity, reconciliation, and freedom” after times of immense wartime destruction.


The American Civil War was fought metal on metal, and Mr. Paxton intends to make conscious use of that fact in his sculpture, building welded-steel armatures, and ultimately casting his most successful pieces in bronze or iron.

Programs like Gettysburg National Military Park’s artist-in-residence series, in which acclaimed artists find inspiration from the beauty and history of our national parks, and agree to share their ideas with park patrons, represent some of the highest aspirations of the National Park Service. “Gettysburg National Military Park has offered inspiration to artists for more than 150 years,” said Christopher Gwinn, Gettysburg National Military Park’s chief of interpretation. “The Artist-in-Residence program continues the tradition begun by artists like Matthew Brady, Alfred Waud, and Gutzon Borglum, while simultaneously engaging our visitors and telling this story in new and compelling ways."

The staff and rangers of Gettysburg National Military Park hope to welcome you to Mr. Paxton’s talk, one which will address both the deep philosophical in- sights that underlie his art, and the technical challenges he faces in his work - in particular his work with metal and sculpture.

This year is the FIRST YEAR we have introduced program themes to the Artist in Residence programs, in order to diversify the interconnection of the arts with broader demographic inclusion, including U.S. Military vetrans. These programmatic themes will alternate through 2017 & 2018 :

U.S. Military Veterans Artists in Residence: During January, July and November 2017, Gettysburg’s Artists in Residence bring U.S. Veterans to Gettysburg NMP for a unique and historical perspective of those who serve our country.

Arts Revolver: The months of these AiRs are open to any and all artistic media including cross-overs or hybrids with any of the other programmatic themes represented in the other months of Gettysburg Artist Residencies. This is for all artists in all artistic media.

ALEMBIC ARTS (New Media) – this includes many varied and mixed arts media: virtual reality, film, photography, augmented reality, computer imaging, and any and all combinations of these in themselves, or in combination with classic art media.

LiterAudiArts: NPAF’s most fascinating theme focuses on many and all aspects of speech: words, sounds, song, and music. A few examples of this are POETRY, screenplays, spoken word, environmental recordings, sound art, wall of sound experimentation.

The National Parks Arts Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the promotion of the National Parks of the U.S. by creating dynamic opportunities for artworks that are based in our natural and historic heritage. This project is supported by the Gettysburg Foundation and other generous benefactors. NPAF National Park projects are supported entirely by donation and generous partnerships.

All NPAF programs are made possible through the philanthropic support of donors ranging from corporate sponsors and small businesses, to art patrons and citizens- lovers of the parks. NPAF is always seeking new partners and donors for its wide-ranging philanthropic programs.


For more information on how you can support the Gettysburg National Military Park Artist in Residence and other NPAF arts programs nationwide contact :
Website : www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org
Email : admin@nationalparksartsfoundation.org
Phone number : 505-715-6492
For more information about Gettysburg National Military Park “Artists Presentation” call 717-338-4469.

Cecilia Wainright
National Parks Arts Foundation
505 715-6492
email us here