Artist in Residence.
Linda Roesch
My name is Linda Roesch; I am a watercolor and acrylic artist from Roscoe, South Dakota. I have been working as Artist in Residence in Jamestown through the The Arts Center since 2018, along with completing several other residencies around North and South Dakota through the North Dakota Council on the Arts and the South Dakota Arts Council. I love working with the students in Jamestown, and with the staff at the Arts Center, and I am excited for the opportunity to spend the 2021-2022 school year working in the Jamestown Elementary Schools once again!
In 2018, I had the opportunity to participate in an Artist in Residence mentorship through The Arts Center, and this hands on training gave me the tools I’d need to help me hone my artistic skills into creative learning opportunities for children. Since that time I’ve attended several additional professional development classes conducted by exceptional teaching artists, and over the last few years students at the Jamestown Elementary schools have studied watercolor and oil pastel techniques, color theory, basic composition, landscape drawing, and character design.
The 2020-2021 school year looked a little different for everyone; instead of bringing art lessons to the classroom, Artist in Residence happened online using Zoom. This meant new challenges for me and the classroom teachers, but school staff was accommodating to the challenges that arose, and students excelled at their art lessons, learning advanced techniques for coloring and shading with common supplies already found in the classroom… like marker, crayon and colored pencil. I hope to be back in the classroom for the upcoming school year, bringing new art supplies for the students to try, such as watercolor pencils or watercolor markers.
When I am not teaching art, you can usually find me painting murals around North and South Dakota or sketching outdoors in the summer months, and creating custom commissioned pieces and online video lessons in the winter. I specialize in colorful pet portraits and landscapes in watercolor and acrylic paint, and I’m greatly inspired by my travels. Though I still call the prairie home, I love the ocean, the desert, and tall redwoods—so I run away to California whenever I can.
You can learn more about me by visiting my website: www.sketchingspot.com and you can view some of my online art lessons or on site painting videos by checking out my YouTube channel, Sketching Spot.
Become our next artist in residence
The Artist In Residence Program (AIR) serves K – 5 students in all six Jamestown elementary schools following the school calendar. Residency options include a fall semester and a winter/spring semester, or both. Artists follow a visual arts curriculum structured on basic design elements working with teachers and administrators. Each rotation requires a completed “Unit Plan” which includes lesson plans or goals, supplies needed, and a section for teacher feedback.
The resident artist may use the rest of the day and the weekends for personal studio time, including access to the pottery studio and print shop, and teaching classes at the Arts Center.
Exhibition Opportunity
Artists who are contracted far enough in advance (at least 6 months) may have the opportunity to exhibit in the Arts Center Gallery while they are in residence.
Stipend Includes
Living quarters-furnished: two bedroom apartment above The Arts Center, studio space and classroom supplies, and hourly compensation for teaching. Artist is responsible for own meals, etc.
The Arts Center Facility: The Arts Center is operated by the Jamestown Fine Arts Association that has been in existence for over 50 years. The Center’s current facility was renovated in 2012 and features a 2000 sq. ft. exhibition space, a performance/stage area of approximately 400 sq. ft., and a classroom used for all media and exclusively for children’s classes. In 2009 the Arts Center added an annex called the Hansen Arts Studio, which includes one classroom dedicated to ceramics and kiln operation, an adult art classroom, and the Arts Center is in the process of developing a print shop.
How To Apply
Submit resume. Visual artists should submit up to 20 JPEG images of personal and student work. Submit contact information for references, one personal and two professional. Email to Executive Director: Mindi Schmitz
Selection Process
Selection is based on artistic merit and quality of teaching curriculum selection process is on‐going.