Frontier Fellowship: Erin Elder

Erin Elder, Artist (Albuquerque, NM)

Erin Elder is an independent artist and curator guided by interests in land use, experimental collaboration, and non-traditional modes of expression. Her research-driven projects take highly participatory forms, working with a broad definition of art to bring audiences into a direct experience of particular places.

Underscoring Erin’s work is a commitment to the creative process and to artists. From 2009 – 2013, she cooperatively founded and directed PLAND, an off-the-grid residency program near Tres Piedras, NM. From 2012 – 2015, she was the Visual Arts Director at Santa Fe’s Center for Contemporary Arts, where she curated 50+ exhibitions and many public programs. She has also produced projects with a variety of institutions throughout the US and Germany.

Her writing has been published by University of Minnesota Press, University of Houston Press, various regional magazines; she recently self-published a book. Erin is contributing faculty at a number of universities and colleges. She is a 2017-2019 research fellow with Nevada Museum of Art’s Center for Art + Environment. With an MA in Curatorial Practice from California College of the Arts and
years of experience in the art world, Erin operates Gibbous, a consulting service that supports committed artists at pivotal moments in their careers.

What about Green River & the Frontier Fellowship excites you most?

I am appreciative of the time and support to produce a new chapter of my ongoing research project, The Rites of Land. The project looks at the land use history of a specific place through drawings, writing, physical exploration and other forms of creative, place-based research. Green River and its environs will be the subject of a new book as part of this growing series.