Meet Jordan Parks – Allagash Wilderness Waterway Visiting Artist 2022

Jordan Parks has a deep passion for creating art that she describes as inseparable from her being. For as long as she can remember, art has been a form of expression for Jordan. But it was not until middle school, at ten years of age, when she received an award for her painting of a bird of paradise, that she realized she had artistic talent. This encouragement set Jordan on her path of pursuing art as not only a personal passion, but as a calling and a career. She set her sights on art school. Photography was her intended major, but her love of drawing and a class in printmaking led her to working in woodcuts.

All of Jordan’s work is influenced by the human relationship with the natural world and to each other. Her focus is on cultivating interactive outdoor exhibitions that encourage people to engage with their surroundings, find a sense of adventure, and discover art along the way. She asks them to let go of their preconceptions about art and themselves… to freely feel what bubbles up within them as they interact with her art.

Sustainability is important to Jordan and has become the foundation of her art. Early in her career, she began asking where all the art materials she was using came from… what materials form the canvas and the paints? What impact do the materials have on the environment? How could she become a sustainable materials artist? Through this reflection upon art, and who she wanted to be as an artist, Jordan b

Visiting Artist based out of the Lock Dam Cabin. Jordan’s art will be featured during her stay through an open studio session and an evening program – dates and locations to be announced in our July newsletter. In the meantime, learn more about Jordan and her artwork at www.jordankendallparks.com

ecame a sustainable materials artist who constantly ponders, “What impact are we leaving as we move through this world?”

Much of Jordan’s work has been engaging communities with Maine’s coastal landscape, a passion which stemmed from her experiences as an environmental and outdoor educator. Another watery world – the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, will be the new artistic inspiration for Jordan during two weeks in August, when she will be the AWW

This article was written by Jocelyn Hubbel and first appeared in the Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands June 2022 Newsletter.

Photo credits: Lauryn Hottinger