SUU Professor Selected for Two National Park Artist Residencies
Published: February 04, 2026 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 5 minutes
Southern Utah University Graphic Design professor Susanna Herrmann has been selected for two prestigious National Park Service Artist-in-Residence programs during the summer of 2026. Herrmann will serve as an Artist-In-Residence at Capitol Reef National Park in May and at Great Basin National Park in July, a rare dual selection that underscores both her artistic excellence and SUU’s growing role as a national leader in park-connected education.
Artist-in-Residence programs invite professional artists to live and work within national parks, creating original work inspired by the landscape while engaging visitors through public programs, demonstrations, and workshops. Herrmann was selected through competitive, juried processes that evaluate artistic merit and an artist’s ability to communicate the significance of park landscapes to the public.
“I’m honored to have been chosen for these residencies,” Herrmann said. Participating in an official National Parks residency is something I’ve been interested in for a while, and living so close to these parks makes it feel like a natural continuation of my exploration of this region. I’m especially excited to spend extended time really getting to know each park—its landscapes, its visitors, and the people who work there—in a way that’s not possible on a short visit.”
Herrmann’s Great Basin residency comes through the Great Basin National Park Foundation’s 2026 Artists-in-Residence program, which selected just four artists from more than 80 applicants nationwide. She was named the program’s regional summer artist, joining a cohort representing disciplines including painting, textiles, visual art, and dance. During her residency, Herrmann plans to paint across a range of park environments from alpines to caves, while scaling up the size of her work thanks to the extended time in residence.
“My research involves how different kinds of spaces—intimate forests versus vast mountain ranges—shape our imagination,” she said. “Great Basin will give me the time and place to explore those ideas in depth.”
At Capitol Reef National Park, the Artist-in-Residence program was suspended in 2024, but during the government furlough last fall, Susanna approached the park’s administration to see if they would be interested in reinstituting the program. Her enthusiasm was rewarded, and she was chosen to be Capitol Reef’s first Artist-in-Residence since 2023.
Both residencies are camping-based, with Herrmann living in the parks for approximately three weeks at each site. In addition to creating new work, she will present artist talks, lead painting demonstrations, offer a public workshop focused on outdoor sketching and inspiration, and donate a completed piece to each park’s permanent collection.
“At their core, these residencies are about public engagement,” Herrmann said. “They’re about showing people how art connects to the parks and encouraging them to bring their own creativity into natural spaces. In that way, they’re very similar to teaching.”
Herrmann’s selection highlights the many ways Southern Utah University’s faculty and students engage with national parks, reinforcing SUU’s designation as the only institution in the United States to hold the title of the University of the Parks. SUU sits within five hours of more than 20 national parks and monuments across Utah, Arizona, and Nevada, offering students and faculty unparalleled access to public lands as living classrooms.
“Being the University of the Parks is special because it’s not just about proximity—it’s about access, partnerships, and opportunity,” Herrmann said. “Programs like Art in the Park, class field trips, and internships allow students to use the parks as resources to think critically about conservation, creativity, and place. Even students who don’t consider themselves ‘outdoorsy’ can benefit enormously from experiencing new landscapes and perspectives.”
Through initiatives such as the Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative (IIC) and SUU’s nationally recognized federal internship program, more than 300 students each year gain hands-on experience with agencies connected to public lands, including the National Park Service. Faculty across disciplines regularly integrate parks into coursework, research, and creative practice, connecting classroom learning to real-world application.
Herrmann brings that philosophy directly into her teaching within SUU’s Filmmaking, Art, and Design department, where she encourages students to engage creatively with the surrounding landscape. Her own artistic practice, including plein air painting and experimental photography using natural materials, reflects the profound influence of southern Utah’s diverse environments.
“Living and working near the parks has completely shaped how I think about color, space, and scale,” she said. “That’s something I love sharing with students—the idea that place matters, and that creativity can grow directly out of our relationship with the environment.”
Herrmann’s work can be seen locally at Artisans Gallery in Cedar City and online at www.susannaherrmann.com or @sherrmannart on Instagram.
As SUU continues to strengthen its partnerships with the National Park Service and related organizations, faculty accomplishments like Herrmann’s dual Artist-in-Residence selections exemplify the university’s commitment to immersive, place-based education, both inside and outside the classroom, at the University of the Parks.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year which are complemented by the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) and Shakespeare Studies at SUU, and is affiliated with the Tony award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival (USF). Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.Contact Information
Kol Gibson
435-865-8667
kolgibson@suu.edu