Hot Springs, AR - Hot Springs National Park has selected Sofie van Doorn as the 2023 Artist-in-Residence (AIR). van Doorn is a contemporary dancer and choreographer and will be the park’s first such artist selected as an AIR. Since the program’s inception in 2004, the park has hosted 65 different artists, poets, musicians, ceramicists, weavers, quilters, photographers, and writers from across the nation.
“Dancing enables me to share with others on an emotional level what it means to be human," van Doorn describes, “and to give audiences a sense of awe for the world and courage to change the status quo."
van Doorn will complete a three-week residency at the park from Aug. 5- 25, in which she will utilize the natural and cultural resources to inform and inspire her artwork. During her three weeks, she will host four public programs to offer members of the public a unique experience and forge a connection to her art form and the park.
van Doorn’s programs will be based on guided improvisation, which will be accessible to all age groups, skill levels, and physical abilities. “The goal [of these public programs] is to explore and become more connected to the space around you in Hot Springs National Park through the use of movement. I will guide participants through various exercises that use observation and imagination to make your own inner world visible!"
All programs will be held in the Ozark Bathhouse Cultural Center and are free and open to the public. Dates and times for each program are as follows:
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Saturday, Aug. 12 - 11:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m.
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Saturday, Aug. 19 - 11:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m.
Hot Springs National Park will also host a culminative performance and presentation during the final week of van Doorn’s residency. The time and location of this event will be determined closer to the date and published on the park’s website calendar as well as on the park social media.
For more information about the Artist-in-Residence program or the 2023 AIR public programs, please contact Volunteer Coordinator, Kendra Barat by email at e-mail us.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service