Yellowstone - The Art of America

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In 1872 Yellowstone became the world's first national park. Alongside erupting geysers, bubbling hot springs, canyons, and bison herds, we uncover the pivotal role of art in winning over the public and convincing politicians to set aside this epic American landscape for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. And consider the importance today of artists working outdoors in the landscape. Shirl Ireland is a landscape and wildlife painter from Gardiner, Montana, a small town at the Northern entrance to the park. She’s in Yellowstone almost every day, at sunrise, painting en plein air. Together with naturalist and guide Ashea Mills, she treads the same terrain as painter Thomas Moran and photographer William Henry Jackson during the 1871 Hayden Expedition. Jackson and Moran provided some of the first images to come out of Yellowstone. According to park historian Alicia Murphy, the photographs gave irrefutable proof that the surreal moon-like landscape of geysers and mud volcanoes really existed, while Moran’s watercolours revealed the extraordinary colours of the pools and sublime grandeur of the waterfalls and canyons. But the creation of Yellowstone wasn’t a simple story of conservation - there were (and still are) economic forces at play. The expansion of the railroads was a key influence in the founding of the park, and even Moran’s own presence on the expedition. His enormous oil painting -The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - also took on a political significance as America expanded West and forged a new national identity after the civil war. Native Americans had been using the area for millenia before the arrival of European Americans, for its sacred sites and abundant resources. It was once a thriving hub of inter-tribal commerce. The park has partnered with local non-profit Mountain Time Arts to stage a series of public installations and performances to highlight the Indigenous presence in the park. Francesca Pine Rodriguez (Apsáalooke/Crow and Tsitsistas/Northern Cheyenne) and Dr Shane Doyle (Apsáalooke/Crow) share their plans for the historic event, which also aims to provide healing and reconnect local tribal groups with the land. We also find painters Robert Spannring, Wilson Wylie and Alli Rosen participating in a plein air event on the Yellowstone River, just north of the park in Paradise Valley. As the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is impacted by the climate crisis, the close observations and recordings of artists working in the field could yet play a pivotal role in winning over hearts and minds today. Music: "Reclaim the Land” composed and performed by Kirsten C. Kunkle (Mvskoke/ Muskogee) Reader: Alexander Tol Produced by Victoria Ferran A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 3