PHOENIX – An award-winning State Park artist residency program piloted last year will continue this fall at Patagonia Lake State Park. The park will host a full three-week residency with Flagstaff artist Cory Woodall from October 29 – November 16 and a mini-residency with Bisbee’s Fernando Serrano from November 19 - 23. 

The State Parks Artist Residency program is a collaborative initiative between Arizona State Parks and Trails (ASPT) and the Arizona Commission on the Arts (Arts Commission), with funding provided by the Arizona Community Foundation. The program provides artists with dedicated time, space, and resources to create work inspired by local landscapes in State Parks, promoting aesthetic appreciation, environmental education, and community engagement. 

Woodall and Serrano were selected through an open application process. Through a panel review of all 93 applications, Woodall was selected for the full three-week residency. Serrano was nominated for the mini-residency from among all applicants who reside within 80 miles of the park.

Through the residency program, artists spend up to three weeks residing and creating art in an Arizona State Park. Tucked away in the rolling hills of southeastern Arizona, approximately 70 miles south of Tucson, Patagonia Lake State Park is popular for boating, fishing, camping, picnicking, and hiking. Previous artist residencies were hosted by Oracle State Park. 

The resident artists will receive an artist stipend and a reimbursable materials budget. Additionally, the park provides on-site housing and workspace based on the artist’s needs.

During their residency, artists are expected to host an open studio session, offer opportunities for public programming, and connect with locals relevant to the artist’s work.

"By bringing artists to our state parks, we’re fostering creative exploration that, through art, connects our communities with the environment,” said Arizona State Parks and Trails Deputy Director, Sarah Webber. “Patagonia Lake State Park — with its incredible diversity of wildlife, scenic landscape, important habitat, and rich cultural history — is sure to inspire the two artists joining us as residents this fall. We are confident their work will contribute to our mission of connecting people with the outdoors and heritage of Arizona.”

The Arizona State Parks Artist Residency program’s pilot year was honored with the Award of Distinction at Arizona Forward’s 43rd Environmental Excellence Awards. 

About the Artists 

Cory Woodall's work has recently focused on the historic medium of the cyanotype, one of the earliest forms of accessible photographic printmaking. Using paper hand-coated in light-sensitive chemicals and ethically sourced plant materials, Woodall takes an imaginative divergence in the tradition of botany studies, seeking to create images of ethereal luminosity. Botanic specimens are carefully selected, pressed, trimmed, and arranged to create interesting compositions that clearly delineate the plant’s form. Inspired by some of the earliest practitioners of the emerging photographic processes, the artist incorporates historic elements—subjects, techniques, formats—with a contemporary perspective.

Woodall is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, and is an art historian, curator, and arts administrator by profession. She currently resides in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Born in Arizona and raised in Naco, Sonora, and currently based in Bisbee, Arizona, Fernando Serrano has always lived between languages, cultures, and landscapes. That liminality deeply informs Serrano’s practice, which encompasses fine metals, fiber, ceramics, and printmaking, often combining traditional Mexican methods with a modern aesthetic. Through their brand, Queen of the Rodeo, and the community arts project, Border Loomers, Serrano tells stories of survival and transformation rooted in the borderlands.

Serrano is an active member of Bisbee’s Central School Project, where they help coordinate the Community Printmaking Studio and facilitate inclusive, bilingual workshops. 

About the Arizona Commission on the Arts

One of 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies across the United States, the Arizona Commission on the Arts is a 58-year-old agency of the State of Arizona and a leading force in the creative and professional development of Arizona’s arts sector. Through robust programs, research initiatives, and strategic grantmaking, the Arts Commission catalyzes arts-based partnerships that strengthen Arizona communities through the arts.

We imagine an Arizona where everyone can participate in and experience the arts.

About Arizona State Parks and Trails

Arizona State Parks and Trails serves the communities of Arizona through stewardship, partnerships, and conservation, and acts as an economic driver for the state. The agency manages and protects more than 30 parks and natural areas and oversees the statewide trails program, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and the Arizona Family Campout and statewide Off-Highway Vehicle programs. The agency administers more than five outdoor-related and historic preservation grant programs and manages statewide outdoor recreation planning.

Connecting people to the outdoors and history of Arizona to build a lifetime of memories.

PRESS CONTACT: Michelle Thompson at (480) 589-8877 - Email: pio@azstateparks.gov