Three artists selected for summer residency at U-M Biological Station

PELLSTON — The University of Michigan Biological Station has selected three artists to explore their creative freedom away from home this summer and draw inspiration from the environment around Douglas Lake through its rustic artist residency program.

The 2023 Artist in Residence Program features environmental painter and printmaker Leslie Sobel in June, scientific researcher and artist Callie Chappell in July, and audio storyteller and podcaster Kyle Norris in August.

“Beauty is inspiring, especially in Northern Michigan,” said Dr. Aimée Classen, director of the U-M Biological Station and a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutional Biology. “The work of these talented artists is truly stunning. We can’t wait to see their work come to life at our field station within our community of ecology students and scientific researchers.”

Each artist completes a live-in residency at the more than 10,000-acre research and teaching campus just south of the Mackinac Bridge in Pellston, located at 9133 Biological Road.

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The U-M Biological Station’s Artist in Residency Program, which began in 2018, is designed to introduce new artists to the region and give them the opportunity to interact with the scientific community on campus.

For 114 years, students, faculty and researchers from around the globe have studied and monitored the impact of environmental changes on Northern Michigan ecosystems. The U-M Biological Station is one of the nation’s largest and longest continuously operating field research stations.

“We think by allying with artists and embedding them in our field station, together we can inspire deeper understanding and appreciation of local ecosystems and improve public engagement to support conservation,” Classen said.