Matthew and Julie Chase-Daniel had their artist-in-the-park assignment at Dry Tortugas National Park interrupted by a hurricane/Kate Russell

Editor's note: The following article was written by the National Park Service staff.

Imagine being brave enough to spend a whole month on a tiny remote island, accessible only by boat or plane, no hotel, no resort, electricity only from solar power and having no phone, no cell service, no internet. Now imagine you carry in whatever you will need, and spend your days focused on creating art.

That was the plan for Matthew and Julie Chase-Daniel last September, after being chosen by the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) as artists-in-residence at Dry Tortugas National Park.  

The island, Loggerhead Key, is not for the faint of heart – the description of the residency makes it very clear that you will truly be out there in the middle of the Atlantic – 70  miles from Key West and 80 from Cuba.

Archival pigment print of sea urchins/Matthew Chase-Daniel

For those who are inclined to ask what is an artist residency? It’s a fair question. After all, for the most part, artists are indeed residents of someplace or other. A residency is different – it can be sort of like a working vacation that permits one to be prolific, without the stresses and demands of daily life at home. The National Parks Arts Foundation puts artists in U.S. national parks, in a program that fosters the important work of looking at our natural world with a unique lens, to share with the public and thereby excite people about the wonderful resource that is our National Park system. Even as these rather adventuresome residencies go, Loggerhead Key is in a class by itself.

Matthew and Julie Chase-Daniel/Kate Russell

The Chase-Daniels have been camping and hiking for decades in an effort to get to the heart of nature and capture its essence in their art, so were prepared for a manageable and even welcome stay. Until the hurricane, that is.

Arriving in early September, the couple were there only a week before being evacuated because of Hurricane Irma. After the NPAF raised additional funds to help with the unexpected expenses of evacuation, the Chase-Daniels went on to spend some time in a hotel with no power, and when the all-clear was given, they were brave enough to return to the island.

Alone at that point, they spent their days walking the perimeter (it only took 90 minutes to make a complete circuit), becoming intimately familiar with the flora and fauna of their temporary home. For the highly accomplished couple - Matthew has shown his work around the world and is part of many private and public collections, while Julie’s diverse writing has been shared in settings around the globe – the turmoil created by Irma provided food for thought in an otherwise idyllic setting.

The park and NPAF invite you to join Matthew and Julie on April 5 for a reception at the NOAA Eco-Discovery Center in Key West. There they will share the art they created as a result of their island stay and evacuation, including “The Blue Fold,” a book that came from the experience, which will be available for purchase.

The gallery will also be showing Mr. Chase-Daniel’s photo-assemblages of subjects from the island – many are rather dreamy and controlled at once, depicting details that show the beauty of various items – coconuts or coral, for instance – spread in a grid on a perfectly crisp white ground. Ms. Chase-Daniel will be reading from her island writings, which touch on many topics.

“Everything that’s there is countable: six egrets, four peregrines, one osprey,” said Ms. Chase-Daniel, to illustrate how small it is, and how well they came to know each part.

Their story is sure to get your imagination moving and the art sure to show details most of us miss.  NOAA Discovery Center is kid-friendly and the kids will surely enjoy meeting real-life Robinson Crusoes, so be sure to bring them, too!

Archival pigment print of gorgonians/Matthew Chase-Daniel