Ucross Foundation has announced the Ucross Gala & Benefit, to be held November 6 at POST Houston in Houston, Texas. The event will celebrate the legacy of the nonprofit organization’s late founder through the presentation of the 2025 Raymond Plank Award for Visionary Leadership to Corbin Robertson, Jr., of Houston.

Ucross Founder Raymond Plank — World War II bomber pilot, entrepreneur, philanthropist and co-founder and longtime CEO of Apache Corporation — was known for his legendary independence, business acumen, and entrepreneurial vision. His generosity inspired, empowered, and supported generations of artists and executives to boldly pursue their own visions. The Raymond Plank Award for Visionary Leadership was designed to honor and celebrate business leaders, philanthropists and innovators who have forged their own path and had an enduring impact on business, the arts, or land stewardship. 

The inaugural recipient of the Raymond Plank Award for Visionary Leadership was former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of Forth Worth, Texas, at the Ucross Gala & Benefit in Houston in 2019. Additional recipients include the late U.S. Senator Al Simpson and Mrs. Ann Simpson of Cody, Wyoming (2024); CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources Scott Sheffield of Houston, Texas (2023); and former Ucross Chairman Jim Nelson of Big Horn, Wyoming (2021).

Robertson is a seasoned leader with more than 40 years of global investment and operational experience in the natural resources sector. He began his career in 1969 at Quintana Petroleum and later led its mining division, Quintana Minerals Corporation, eventually acquiring the company in the 1980s. He is currently Managing Partner of Quintana Capital Group and serves as Chairman and CEO of the general partner of Natural Resource Partners L.P. Robertson has also chaired multiple public and private energy and shipping ventures and holds leadership roles across a range of organizations, including the American Petroleum Institute, Texas Medical Center, and Baylor College of Medicine. Robertson attended The University of Texas Austin’s Business Honors Program and was named a UT All American Football player during his Junior and Senior years. He is also a member of the Texas Business Hall of Fame.

“Corby’s career is a testament to bold leadership, strategic vision, and a deep understanding of the natural resources that power our economy,” said Steve Farris of Houston, co-founder and principal of Forager Energy, a U.S. minerals and royalty company; former Chairman and CEO of Apache Corporation; and former Ucross Trustee. “Corby and his wife, Barbara, have also been tremendously involved in many philanthropic efforts and programs in Texas and beyond in the areas of education, the arts, sports and with underprivileged children. It is truly an honor to be able to call Corby a friend.”

“It is a privilege to honor Corby Robertson for the impact his visionary leadership has had in Houston and beyond,” said Ucross Trustee Roger Plank of Houston, Founder and Chairman of Apex International Energy, former President and CCO of Apache Corporation and son of Raymond Plank. “I know my father would be very gratified to see his legacy carried forward in this meaningful way.”

Roger and his wife, Connie Plank, will co-present the Ucross Gala & Benefit in Houston along with Ucross Chair Jesse and Cathy Marion, Steve and Vicki Farris, and Ucross Trustee Christian Nelson and Dan Schroeder. Outgoing Chair Jim Nelson and Judy Rossiter will also be in attendance, along with other members of the Ucross Foundation Board, as they celebrate Raymond Plank’s legacy, the nonprofit’s mission and Robertson’s award. 

Raymond Plank founded Ucross to foster the creative spirit of working artists through uninterrupted time, studio space, living accommodations and the experience of the majestic High Plains, while serving as a responsible steward of its historic 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming. Since welcoming its first artists in 1983, Ucross has developed into one of the most respected artist communities in the nation and has supported more than 3,000 writers, composers, choreographers, and visual artists. After their sought-after fellowships, Ucross alumni have gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes, Tony Awards, National Book Awards and Academy Awards, among many other accolades across disciplines. 

This fall, the Ucross Gala & Benefit will transport attendees to Ucross’s stunning ranch overlooking the Bighorn Mountains with featured former artists-in-residence. Ucross Fellow Don Stinson of Austin, Texas, will create an oil painting live throughout the evening; the main stage will feature a performance by Ucross Fellows Jack Wolff of Houston, Aoi Fujiwara of Osaka, Japan; and Eric Best of Indianapolis, Indiana. Wolff received the inaugural Lauren Anderson Dance Residency at Ucross as part of the residency program’s partnership with the Houston Ballet, thanks to a generous donation from Deborah and Edward Koehler and the Raymond Plank Philanthropy Fund. 

Among its national partnerships, Ucross works closely with the Alley Theatre, Houston Ballet, the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program and Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, providing fellowships to Texan alumni. 

More information about the Ucross Gala & Benefit is available here.

Ucross Foundation announces the 11 producers participating in the annual Sundance Institute Producers Lab, which has returned this month to the nonprofit artist residency program on its historic 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming. Fiction producers were in residence at Ucross from July 14–19, and nonfiction producers are in residence from July 21-26.
 
“We are honored to welcome Sundance Institute back to Ucross,” said Caitlin Addlesperger, Ucross President and Executive Director. “We look forward to discovering how the transformative benefits of uninterrupted time for creative work impacts these producers on our beautiful ranch.”
 
This marks the second year of Ucross hosting the Producers Lab and the 26th year of the organization’s partnership with Sundance Institute. For more than two decades, the two nonprofits collaborated over the Sundance Institute Playwrights & Composers Retreat at Ucross. More than 100 artists benefitted from the partnership, including Billy Porter, Hannah Gadsby, Michael R. Jackson, Charlayne Woodard, Jeanine Tesori, Doug Wright, Annie Baker, Adam Guettel, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, and Tanya Saracho.
 
Over the last several years, the partnership evolved into an interdisciplinary retreat before transforming into the Producers Lab in 2024. 
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The Sundance Institute Producers Program champions independent producers across career stages, empowering them to refine their craft in recognition of their pivotal role in the storytelling ecosystem. The Producers Lab is the focal point of the program and kicks off a yearlong fellowship, creating a community for fiction and nonfiction film producers as they network and participate in professional development opportunities while working on a feature-length project.
 
This year’s participants experience a fresh energy that mirrors the changing landscape of contemporary storytelling — one that is increasingly fluid and cross-genre. Fellows enjoy blocks of solo creative time to create, augmented with organic conversations where they can reflect on process. While Sundance Institute has curated several artists who identify theatre as their primary discipline, for the first time, the group of selected fellows represents a multidisciplinary range of artistic work. As always, the Residency remains dedicated to uninhibited creativity, professional growth and peer mentorship.
 
Emerging independent producers selected for the Producers Lab build community while receiving project-specific support in one-on-one meetings and small group sessions with established producers and industry advisors. Fellows sharpen their leadership and problem-solving skills while cultivating creative thinking. They develop strategies for pitching, securing funding, managing production, navigating the marketplace, and achieving sustainability. The 2025 cohort includes six fiction film producers and five nonfiction film producers.
 
Following the lab, fellows receive ongoing support through a yearlong mentorship from a dedicated advisor, industry networking opportunities, regular cohort gatherings, Sundance Collab benefits, and participation in ELEVATE, Sundance Institute’s professional development track.
 
Fellows in the Feature Film Producers Lab include Ryan Bobkin with People You Follow, April S. Chang and Vicki Syal with Dying is Fine, Karen Madar with Little Phnom Penh, Steven Snyder with Tell Me a Secret, and Daniel Tantalean with Birthright. Fellows in the Documentary Producers Lab include Loi Ameera Almeron with Becoming Us, Wendy P. Espinal with Anna Borges do Sacramento, Crystal Isaac with Basketball Heaven, Elijah Stevens with Untitled Science Project, and Nicole Tsien with Spirited.
 
The 2025 Feature Film Producers Lab advisors are Anne Carey (Nightbitch), Sylvia Desrochers (MPRM Communications), Poppy Hanks (One of Them Days), Kimberly Parker Zox (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), Josh Peters (Dìdi (弟弟)), and Eugene Pikulin (Bruns Brennan Berry Pikulin & Jacobs PC). The 2025 Documentary Producers Lab advisors are Jamie Gonçalves (Caballerango), Rémi Grellety (Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat), Lance Kramer (Holding Liat), Andrea Meditch (Fathom), and Diane Quon (Minding the Gap).
 
“We’re energized by the singular storytelling in this year’s projects and the creativity and vision of the producers bringing them to life,” said Kristin Feeley, Director of Documentary and Artist Programs, and Shira Rockowitz, Director of Producing and Artist Support for the Feature Film Program. “Our team is excited to support these dynamic artists — from development through release — alongside the trailblazing group of producers and industry advisors whose wisdom and generosity play a vital role in their journeys.”
 
Launched in 2008, the Sundance Institute Producers Program boasts 174 fiction and nonfiction producer alumni, including Pierre Coleman (Ricky), Deidre Backs (Fancy Dance), Dan Janvey and Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Keith Wilson (I Didn’t See You There), and Kellen Quinn (Midnight Family). Program alumni have also garnered 8 Academy Award nominations overall for Nomadland, Moonlight, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Navalny, Time, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Minding the Gap, and Sugarcane. Program alumni have been nominated 16 times for the Independent Spirit Producers Award and taken home 10 of those prizes.

PROJECTS AND FELLOWS SELECTED FOR THE 2025 SUNDANCE INSTITUTE PRODUCERS LAB AT UCROSS
 
Feature Film Program
 
Ryan Bobkin with People You Follow (Canada, U.S.A.): Based on the memoir of the same name, People You Follow centers on Ellie, a young songwriter from Winnipeg, as she navigates the toxic labyrinth of the Los Angeles music scene, mistaking self-destruction for freedom and manipulation for love, until she is forced to confront herself to survive.
 
Ryan Bobkin is a Canadian producer focused on auteur-driven work, international co-production, and films with social impact. An experienced associate and co-producer of films that have screened at the Sundance Film Festival, the Berlinale, and TIFF, he is in post-production on Sophy Romvari’s debut feature, Blue Heron.
 
April S. Chang and Vicki Syal with Dying is Fine (U.S.A.): The worries of a suicidal woman disappear when she gets a piece of good news: brain cancer.
 
April S. Chang is a Los Angeles–based producer from Atlanta. Her experience spans indie and studio projects, through which she champions auteur filmmakers. Her work has been recognized by Sundance Institute, SXSW Sydney, and LAAPFF. She served as associate producer on The Bikeriders, released theatrically in 2024.
 
Vicki Syal is a Brazilian Indian filmmaker and producer whose work has premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Festival, and LALIFF and on HBO and PBS. A 2024 AT&T Untold Stories top 5 finalist and returning member of Rideback RISE, she fosters collaborative sanctuaries where stories flourish.
 
Karen Madar with Little Phnom Penh (Cambodia, U.S.A.): Spanning two sweeping decades and two continents, from post–Khmer Rouge Phnom Penh to early 2000s California, a Cambodian woman searches for family, home, and belonging as her first love continues to resurface over time.
 
Karen Madar, 2025 Mark Silverman Honoree, is a French producer and NYU alum based in New York City and Paris. Through NoMad Productions, she’s produced 15+ shorts, including Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites (2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction). She is the PGA’s 2024 Debra Hill Fellow.
 
Steven Snyder with Tell Me a Secret (U.S.A.): Eighteen-year-old Iranian immigrant Azi Rahimi becomes involved in a psychosexual game with an older woman, Elizabeth Kessler, who later goes missing. Years later there is an update with the case that forces Azi to contend with her biggest secret.
 
Steven Snyder is an independent producer whose latest short film, Azi, was an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. He is a 2024 Film Independent Fellow and was an executive producer on Dreamin’ Wild, which world-premiered at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival.
 
Daniel Tantalean with Birthright (Canada, U.S.A.): When a pregnant Métis woman is suddenly abandoned at her sister-in-law’s home in Alberta, she uncovers a sinister plan for her unborn child, igniting a desperate fight for both of their lives.
 
Daniel Tantalean is an award-winning producer and founder of Yellow Nest Films. He produced In The Summers, winner of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic and a 2025 Independent Spirit Award nominee. His work has screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Festival, Hot Docs, and beyond.
 
Documentary Film Program
 
Loi Ameera Almeron with Becoming Us (U.S.A.): Five donor-conceived siblings, their mothers, and their newfound biological father unite through a DNA test, forging a path to redefine family. Together, they re-create childhood memories on home videos to heal emotional wounds, embrace their Filipino American heritage, and reshape their shared identity.
 
Loi Ameera Almeron is a Jonathan Logan Family Foundation Elevate Award winner from Berkeley Film Foundation and a Saul Zaentz Fellow with BAVC Media. Her films have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and on PBS, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix, including a Student Academy Award winner and an NAACP Image Award nominee.
 
Wendy P. Espinal with Anna Borges do Sacramento (Brazil, Spain): In 18th-century slave-holding Brazil, Anna Borges fought for her freedom. Centuries later, Afro-Brazilian women “unarchive” her story through imagination and ancestral knowledge, weaving their own struggles and aspirations, bridging past and present into a compelling portrayal of Anna and themselves.
 
Wendy P. Espinal is a creative producer, filmmaker, and cultural manager. Rooted in research, process and meaning, she nurtures projects that open space for new Caribbean and Latin American cinema through a gendered lens, bridging diasporas, weaving memory, and crafting films through shared, collective creation.
 
Crystal Isaac with Basketball Heaven (U.S.A.): Kinston, North Carolina, a small majority Black town in Eastern North Carolina, is the single greatest producer of NBA players in the world. Basketball Heaven is a poetic look at the nuanced history and communal bonds that create the gritty athletes who come out of the ‘K.’
 
Crystal Isaac is an Emmy Award–nominated producer with more than a decade of experience in the documentary and news industry. Her work covers a broad range of issues, including education, poverty, race, sexuality, and criminal justice. You can see her work on HBO, CNN, PBS, BET, STARZ, and Paramount+.
 
Elijah Stevens with Untitled Science Project (Brazil, U.S.A., Belgium): A young chemistry student contemplates the nature of black holes.
 
Elijah Stevens is a producer in New York City, where he runs Space Time Films. With Sara Dosa and Shane Boris, he also runs Signpost Pictures. Prior work includes associate-producing Oscar nominee Fire of Love, King Coal, and Hollywoodgate, among others. He was a 2019 UnionDocs Collaborative Studio fellow.
 
Nicole Tsien with Spirited (U.S.A.): When a skeptical Hmong American is called to become a shaman, she turns the camera on her community, uncovering a clash of tradition, gender-based violence, and personal destiny — and reimagines healing as a new generation of spiritual leaders awaken, a once-in-a-century occurrence.
 
Nicole Tsien is a producer based in Queens, New York. She was previously the director of program development at CNN Films and the co-producer of POV on PBS. Tsien is on the Steering Committee for the Asian American Documentary Network (A-Doc) and is a board member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia.

Ucross Foundation announced today that Roxanne Everett of Seattle, Washington, is the inaugural artist featured in the Big Red Showcase, a new rotating exhibition series in the Ucross Art Gallery, on view through February 19, 2026. The exhibition will include a public reception on Tuesday, September 23, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Featuring a single former Ucross artist-in-residence at a time, the Big Red Showcase offers an intimate platform for collectible work, providing direct support to the artists and creating unique moments of connection between creator and viewer.

“We are thrilled to champion our artist-alumni in this new way, while giving visitors the opportunity to engage with contemporary artwork,” said Ucross President and Executive Director Caitlin Addlesperger. “Roxanne Everett’s landscape paintings transport the viewer to wild, beautiful places, from the Cascade Mountains in Washington to our own Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming.”

Everett’s works capture a deep reverence for wild places, drawing inspiration from her background in forest ecology and her years as a backcountry ranger in remote alpine environments.

“Whether it is a single endemic plant, an ecological community, or the view of a broad sweeping landscape, my goal as an artist is to bring some sense of the wild into people’s lives,” Everett stated. “With a passion for wild places and a master’s degree in Forest Ecology, the resulting work stems from a distinct combination of love and science.”

Evoking both awe and inquiry, her paintings focus on the intricate systems of land, light, and life. Her intention, she says, is to “inspire a deeper appreciation and understanding of the natural world, while forging new connections to pristine places.”

Everett received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Idaho and a Master of Forest Sciences from the University of Washington. After working as an architect, she pivoted to the National Park Service, where she spent extended seasons as a backcountry ranger. Everett was at Ucross in Spring 2024 and has been an artist-in-residence at programs across the U.S., Iceland, Australia, Canada, and Greece. Her work is held in the permanent collections of six U.S. National Parks and Monuments. 

Currently dividing her time between Seattle and a remote mountain community in Washington’s North Cascades, Everett is a member of Women Painters of Washington and regularly exhibits throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Everett's work at Ucross is on view throughout the Big Red Barn during regular Ucross Art Gallery hours: Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more about the gallery, the series, and Everett here. RSVP for the public reception on September 23 here.

Ucross Foundation announces today the debut of Confluences, a new site-specific sound experience created by internationally recognized artists and Ucross Fellows Teri Rueb and Laurids Sonne, at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 31, in conjunction with Ucross Founder’s Day.

Confluences is an emplaced sound experience blending the stories, sounds and seasons of Ucross in a layered composition that covers the main campus and selected ranchland of the residency program. Sounds play in response to one's movement as they walk with a mobile device, running a free downloadable app, while wearing headphones. Voices of valley residents sit ​alongside artist residents, the regional community, and the many caretakers of this place, all mingling with field recordings of the site taken in different seasons.

The title Confluences refers to the merging of Piney Creek, Clear Creek and Coal Creek on the Ucross campus, as well as the convergence of people, land, memory and time. Visitors are invited to slow down, wander and listen to the stories and rhythms that have shaped this unique and special landscape.

Originating in 2022, Confluences brought Rueb and Sonne into close relationship with the land and its rhythms.

“Time stretches in every direction and is marked by the metronome of one’s footsteps, as much as the geological record below,” Rueb said. “The earth, the water, the wind and the many voices of those who have made this artwork have breathed life into my very being and brought me back to the land, again and again — with gratitude.”

Rueb, a Ucross artist-alumna, has made land-based responsive sound installations using GPS since 1996. Her works have been commissioned by galleries, museums, arboretums, planetariums, cultural centers and communities across the United States, Canada and Europe. She has received awards and recognition for her work globally, including a Prix Ars Electronica Award of Distinction.

“In the Clear Creek Valley, this windy wheel that turns our lives tells of perseverance and ways of being with the world, of social and ecological relationships, stretching far beyond what the eye can see,” said Sonne. “But we can hear it if we stretch our ears. Listening requires care, a mutual care, a relational care. I am grateful to the vast communities of the Clear Creek Valley and beyond for their generosity, care and camaraderie, allowing me to listen, whether in the lee side of a barn or working windward in the unfolding of day.”

Sonne is a Danish documentary media artist, researcher and organizer who works with representational media, including moving and still images, installation work and sound. His work strives to develop new visual and sonic approaches for rethinking documentary practices.
Sonne was a member of the four-person international art collective Parfyme for a decade, working with relational and social-based processes; developing new platforms for community, interaction and exploration. Sonne’s work has been presented internationally: at festivals, art institutions and across land and public spaces.

Rueb and Sonne worked closely with software developer and media artist Cristobal Mendoza to create custom software for the app, which is designed to work exclusively onsite.

Rueb and Sonne will give remarks to the community, including the many local residents who participated in the project, at the Confluences debut during Ucross Founder’s Day on May 31 with an opening reception at 10 a.m. in the covered pavilion by the confluence of the three creeks. The reception will include complimentary copies of the printed field guide, as well as light refreshments.

You can find out more about and secure free tickets to Ucross Founder’s Day here.

Starting June 6, access to "Confluences" will be free and open to the public on Fridays. Participants can check in and get started in the Ucross Art Gallery between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Participants should bring headphones and a fully charged mobile device before beginning the sound walk. We recommend downloading the free app (iOS and Android) in advance over a WiFi network. A limited number of devices are also available for loan from the Ucross Art Gallery.

Please note that select trailheads are not publicly accessible and will be available on guided walks. Participants are encouraged to contact Ucross at [email protected] or 307-737-2291 for access information.

Confluences was commissioned by Ucross Foundation with support from Jesse Marion of Spring, Texas. Additional funding was provided by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Research and Innovation Office and the Center for Documentary Media.

For more information about Confluences, visit https://terirueb.net/confluences

Ucross is pleased to announce that applications are now open for our Spring 2026 residency session. Visual artists, writers, composers, choreographers, interdisciplinary artists, performance artists, and collaborative teams are encouraged to apply. Dedicated Native American Fellowships are also available for visual artists and writers.

Located on a 20,000-acre working ranch in northern Wyoming, Ucross supports the creative process by offering uninterrupted time, studio space, living accommodations, and the experience of the majestic High Plains. Since its founding in 1981 and the start of its residency program in 1983, Ucross has supported nearly 3,000 artists.

“At Ucross, we are proud to champion the work of artists from around the world,” said Caitlin Addlesperger, Ucross president and executive director. “The residency experience allows time for deep focus and experimentation, and it’s a privilege to support such transformative creative journeys in this remarkable place."

The Spring 2026 session will run from early February through early June, with residencies ranging from two to six weeks. Each artist-in-residence receives a private studio, living accommodations, chef-prepared meals, staff support, and a stipend.

Applications are open to both emerging and established artists and are due by 11:59 p.m. MT on July 15, 2025.

For more information and to apply, please visit our residency page.

Ucross will host its fourth annual Founder’s Day celebration on Saturday, May 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free public event invites the community to explore the artist residency grounds on Ucross’s 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming and enjoy an afternoon of creativity, connection and conversation. 

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., guests will be invited to tour the studios of Ucross’s current artists-in-residence. This rare opportunity allows visitors to engage directly with working artists across a variety of disciplines, view works in progress, ask questions and experience the creative process in action within the inspiring setting of the residency grounds.
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Participating artists will include music composer Gelsey Bell of Brooklyn, New York; music composer Gregory Barnett of Houston, Texas; interdisciplinary artist Grant Cutler of Brooklyn, New York; sculptor Gina Herrera of Bakersfield, California; installation artist Ruth Jeyaveeran of Brooklyn, New York; filmmaker Erin Semine Kökdil of Norman, Oklahoma; poet Cindy Tran of New York, New York; nonfiction writer Raksha Vasudevan of Denver, Colorado; and poet Mathew Weitman of Houston, Texas. 

At 1 p.m., the Ucross Art Gallery will host a reception for the new exhibition, “Luminous Forms.” Curated by Emily McEwreath of New York, New York, a Ucross alumna and host of “The Art Career” podcast, the exhibition explores how contemporary artists engage with light as a material, metaphor and emotional force. From layered abstractions to surreal figuration and immersive video, the works examine how light reveals, transforms and connects us to memory, identity and the natural world. The opening reception will include a special curator’s talk. 

Guests are encouraged to enjoy a picnic on the lawns around the Big Red Ranch Complex. Ucross will offer homemade pizza and appetizers, along with special cold-brew coffee, tea and treats from the Ucross Café, available for purchase. Guests will also enjoy live music performed outdoors by ensembles from the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. 

“Founder’s Day has become one of our favorite community events, giving our friends, neighbors and visitors the special opportunity to meet our artists, explore the studios and enjoy the residency grounds,” said Ucross President and Executive Director Caitlin Addlesperger. “And this year, we are thrilled to introduce new special initiatives that will deepen the intersection of artists, community and land — to be announced that day. We believe our founder would be proud.” 

Founder’s Day honors the life and vision of Ucross Founder Raymond Plank, who was born May 29, 1922. A World War II bomber pilot, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Plank established Ucross as a nonprofit organization in 1981. Since welcoming its first residents in 1983, Ucross has supported nearly 3,000 writers, visual artists, composers and choreographers, many of whom have gone on to receive national and international honors, including Pulitzer Prizes, MacArthur Fellowships, Academy Awards and Tony Awards. 

Find more information and RSVP here.

Ucross and the Bighorn Audubon Society invite the public to a free, guided bird walk on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. The event offers a special opportunity to witness spring migration and explore the diverse ecosystems of the Ucross Ranch, one of Wyoming’s officially designated Important Bird Areas (IBA).

Participants will meet at the Ucross Art Gallery before setting off on a scenic, 1.5-mile loop through the ranch’s varied terrain, including wetland areas and open grasslands that provide prime birdwatching opportunities during the spring migration. The walk will last approximately an hour and a half. Guests are encouraged to bring binoculars, wear sturdy walking shoes, and dress for the weather.

Spring is an especially active time for birdlife in northeastern Wyoming. Likely sightings include mountain bluebirds, western meadowlarks, sandhill cranes, great blue herons, bald eagles, ferruginous hawks, Swainson’s hawks, wild turkeys, long-billed curlews, and greater sage-grouse.
“We’re delighted to welcome the public to this inspiring corner of the High Plains and to share the ecological importance of the Ucross landscape,” said Caitlin Addlesperger, President and Executive Director of Ucross. “It’s a chance to connect with nature and celebrate the wildlife that makes this place so special.”

The Ucross Ranch received its Important Bird Area designation in 2015 through the leadership of Dr. Jackie Canterbury, former President of the Bighorn Audubon Society. Located on the western edge of the Powder River Basin, the ranch offers diverse habitats—including riparian corridors, wetlands, native grasslands, and sagebrush scrublands—that support species of conservation concern. The designation reflects Ucross’s long-standing commitment to land stewardship, strengthened by habitat improvements from the Apache Foundation, environmental research by Yale University, and creative works by Ucross artists-in-residence that celebrate the region’s birdlife.

​The Bighorn Audubon Society, a regional chapter of the National Audubon Society, has served northeastern Wyoming since 1970. Through educational programs, field trips, conservation advocacy, and community engagement, the organization works to protect birds and their habitats while promoting a healthy natural world for future generations.

The Ucross Art Gallery is at 30 Big Red Lane in Ucross, Wyoming. The bird walk is free and open to all ages. To RSVP, visit tinyurl.com/UcrossBirdWalk. 

Ucross has launched our spring session, welcoming a new cohort of artists-in-residence to its renowned program. From February through early June, 59 writers, visual artists, composers, choreographers, and interdisciplinary artists will receive residencies on Ucross’s 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming.

"Every season, Ucross brings together an extraordinary group of artists, each with a unique voice and vision," said Caitlin Addlesperger, Ucross President and Executive Director. "We are proud to offer them an environment where they can fully immerse themselves in their work, free from the distractions of daily life. The impact of this time—both on their individual practices and on the broader arts community—is profound."
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Among this session’s distinguished fellows is Venezuelan-born jazz pianist and composer Edward Simon, whose work has earned him a Guggenheim Fellowship. Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, a novelist from Whittier, North Carolina, is the first enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to publish a novel with a major publisher. Victor Lodato, an award-winning writer and playwright from Ashland, Oregon, has had his short fiction and essays published in both The New Yorker and The New York Times. In the visual arts and interdisciplinary fields, Leila Weefur of Oakland, California, is known for their thought-provoking work in video and installation, while Tabitha Arnold, a textile artist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, has gained recognition for her intricate tapestries that explore themes of labor and social justice.

Fellowships range from two to six weeks, with a maximum of 10 artists in residence at a time. Ucross Fellows receive a private studio, living accommodations, meals prepared by a professional chef, and the opportunity to work in solitude amid the vast and inspiring landscape of the High Plains. The residency is fully funded and includes a stipend to offset expenses.

This session’s roster includes artists selected from 610 applicants by an independent jury of established artists, critics and arts leaders, as well as the 2025 recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Artists. In addition, several artists will join the program through partnerships with esteemed national organizations, including the PEN/Hemingway Award, Rice University Shepherd School of Music, University of Houston, and Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. 
The Spring 2025 fellows represent 17 U.S. states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming—as well as Belgium, Canada, and Japan.

The Spring 2025 Ucross Fellows are:

LITERATURE

Yu-Mei Balasingamchow; Fiction; Jamaica Plain, MA
Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle; Fiction; Whittier, NC
Naomi Cohn; Nonfiction/Poetry; St. Paul, MN
Mashuq Mushtaq Deen; Playwriting; Bronx, NY
Claire Fowler; Screenwriting; Los Angeles, CA
Siham Inshassi; Fiction; Old Bridge, NJ
Tajja Isen; Nonfiction; Las Vegas, NV 
Christiane Jacox; Poetry; Ridgefield, CT
Renee Lepreau; Poetry; Oakland, CA
Karolina Letunova; Fiction; Davis, CA
Victor Lodato; Fiction; Ashland, OR
Mimi Lok; Fiction; San Francisco, CA
Kyla Marshell; Nonfiction; Brooklyn, NY
Olivia Morgan; Nonfiction; Woods Hole, MA
Erlina Ortiz; Playwriting; Haddonfield, NJ
Alex Park; Nonfiction; Oakland, CA
Aelita Rose Parker; Fiction; Brooklyn, NY
Hilary Peach; Fiction; New Westminster, CAN
Craig Morgan Teicher; Poetry; West Orange, NJ
Cindy Tran; Poetry; New York, NY
Raksha Vasudevan; Nonfiction; Denver, CO
Carvell Wallace; Fiction; Oakland, CA
S. Kirk Walsh; Fiction; Austin, TX
Mathew Weitman; Poetry; Houston, TX

MUSIC, DANCE & PERFORMANCE

Kristel Baldoz; Dance; Long Island City, NY
Stephanie Barber; Performance; Philadelphia, PA
Gregory Barnett; Music Composition; Houston, TX
bashexo; Performance; Medford, MA
Gelsey Bell; Music Composition; Brooklyn, NY
Caroline Davis; Music Composition; Brooklyn, NY
Mychal Fisher; Music Composition; St. Paul, MN
Sid Gopinath; Music Composition; Brooklyn, NY
deVon Gray; Music Composition; St. Paul, MN
Amelia Heintzelman; Dance; Flushing, NY
Sarah Ortegon HighWalking; Performance; Denver, CO
Anne Mason; Theater; Laramie, WY
RaShonda Reeves; Music Composition; Richmond, TX
Edward Simon; Music Composition; Emeryville, CA
Eli Winter; Music Composition; Chicago, IL
Nathan Wooley; Music Composition; Brooklyn, NY

VISUAL ARTS

Tabitha Arnold; Sculpture; Chattanooga, TN
Rachel Bacon; Drawing; Brussels, Belgium
Tulu Bayar; Printmaking; Lewisburg, PA
Jennifer Berger; Drawing; Los Angeles, CA
Jennifer Gunlock; Installation; Los Angeles, CA
Véra “V” Haddad; Film/Installation/Drawing/Photo; Palenville, NY
Gina Herrera; Sculpture; Bakersfield, CA
Ruth Jeyaveeran; Installation; Brooklyn, NY
Erin Semine Kökdil; Film/Video; Norman, OK
Summer McCorkle; Mixed Media; Brooklyn, NY 
Marisol Ruiz; Painting; Brooklyn, NY
Rivers Qinnan Zhu; Mixed Media; Tokyo, Japan

INTERDISCIPLINARY

Jamal Batts; Philadelphia, PA
Woohee Cho; Los Angeles, CA
Nan Collymore; New York, NY
Grant Cutler; Brooklyn, NY
Erin Elder; Albuquerque, NM
Laura Heit; Portland, OR
Ra Malika Imhotep; Atlanta, GA
Leila Weefur; Oakland, CA

The public will have an opportunity to explore the studios and work of the final cohort of artists during Ucross Founder’s Day on May 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Since Ucross’s first residencies were awarded in 1983, nearly 3,000 artists have received the gift of time and space. Distinguished Fellows include Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Bill Morrison, Theaster Gates, Anthony Hernandez and Tayari Jones. National Book Award winners Susan Choi, Sigrid Nunez, and Sarah M. Broom have been residents, as have Academy Award and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Emmy Award winner Billy Porter, Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, and former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. To learn more about Ucross and its residency program, visit ucross.org. ​