White Buffalo Land Trust Launches Artist-in-Residence Program at Jalama Canyon Ranch — Call for Artists Now Open
Santa Barbara County, CA – July 24, 2025 — White Buffalo Land Trust (WBLT) announces the launch of its Artist-in-Residence Program at the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch. Applications for the 2025 Fall Residency are now open to artists interested in exploring the connections between art, ecology, and regenerative agriculture on California’s Central Coast.
Rooted in the vital role of art and artists in shaping cultural narratives and public understanding, the program invites artists of all disciplines to engage with the living systems on the land. Residents will have the opportunity to explore five distinct ecological zones across the 1,000-acre ranch, including oak woodlands, grassland pastures, sage scrub, riparian areas, and a working vineyard and orchard.
“This residency bridges ecological literacy and creative exploration, inviting artists to surface the layered relationships between people, land, and time,” said Ana Smith, Director of Programs & Engagement. “By making these connections visible, artists help us imagine narratives that move beyond extraction and toward regeneration. Through this work, we hope to build a creative community that shifts public understanding of what our food, fiber, and ecological future can look like.”
Residencies will range from one to three months and are open to artists working in visual arts, sculpture, ceramics, writing, music, dance, fiber arts, architecture, photography, or other mediums. Participants will receive a stipend, travel reimbursement, and cozy, rustic accommodations, with access to the ranch’s diverse landscapes for exploration and creative work.
Each residency includes at least one public-facing event— such as a workshop, performance, or gallery showing— as well as an educational visit with a local school to share the artist’s process and experience. Opportunities for collaboration and mentorship with WBLT’s land stewardship, education, and research teams are a core part of the program.
The Artist-in-Residence Program is made possible through generous seed funding from the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation. It builds on the success of previous artist-led workshops and a pilot residency, including the work of local painter and printmaker Holli Harmon. Her residency culminated in a solo exhibition at Santa Barbara’s Sullivan Goss Gallery and inspired interactive cyanotype and watercolor workshops at the ranch.
Artists can learn more and apply at www.whitebuffalolandtrust.org/artist-in-residence. The application period will close on August 15, 2025.