2027 Application Period Opens October 1!
We will soon be accepting applications for the Siskiyou Crest Artist in Residence Program at Bolan Mountain Lookout for the week of June 25-29, 2027.
After the success of the two residencies at Acorn Woman Lookout in 2025 and 2026, we are excited to expand its program to the National Forest Service’s Bolan Mountain Lookout in the Illinois Valley.
Artists of any medium are encouraged to apply between October 1 and 31, 2026. Check back to this page after October 1 to access the application.
About Bolan Mountain Lookout
The original cabin on Bolan Mountain, built in 1917, was replaced in 1954 with an L-4-style ground cabin to serve as a fire lookout. That building burned in the 2020 Slater Fire and was rebuilt in 2024 by the Siskiyou Mountain Club, creating what one reviewer called “the gold standard for all lookouts.” With glass windows on all sides, the lookout provides unparalleled views of the sheer drop-offs and sharp cliffs of the rugged Siskiyou Mountains and stands above Bolan Lake and a popular campground.
The lookout becomes a perfect artist’s retreat for five days, giving the artist time for reflection, meditation, and creative work centered on the mountains of this little known but ecologically important region—the views, the hikes, the wildflowers, the stars, the precious solitude.
Under the agreement of the program, SCC rents the lookout for the artist, and provides equipment support and a food stipend. Artists produce a piece of art inspired by that stay. Following the residency, the Siskiyou Crest Coalition will sponsor a public presentation highlighting the artist and the work of art produced by the stay at the Bolan Mountain Lookout.
Past Artists in Residence
Hover or click an image to read more.
About the Residency
This Siskiyou Crest Artist in Residence Program hosts one artist, of any medium, for five days, each year at a spectacular and historic Fire Lookout in the Siskiyou Crest.
2025 and 2026 artists were hosted at Acorn Woman Lookout on the Rogue-River Siskiyou National Forest. The artists had a chance to create art with endless views of the snow-capped Siskiyou Crest, with wildflowers in bloom, star-filled skies, beautiful sunsets, sunrises, and abundant bees, birds and butterflies.
We created this residency for adventurous, nature-loving artists to experience the beauty of the Siskiyou Crest, produce art inspired by the region, and help us work to protect these spectacular wild lands. The lookout has vast, 360-degree views across the Siskiyou Crest region, the Red Buttes Wilderness Area and the Applegate River watershed. It is the perfect place to appreciate the region, make art inspired by nature, and take some time out of your busy life to enjoy the wildlands of the Siskiyou Crest!
Accommodations at Acorn Woman Lookout
The Acorn Woman Lookout is located up a steep gravel road (Forest Service Road 350) in the Siskiyou Mountains southwest of Medford, Oregon, approximately 19 miles from Ruch, Oregon. The access road is steep and winding and has tight switchbacks which may not be suitable for low-clearance vehicles or large trucks. Trailers will not make it. Parking is limited to two vehicles at all times.
The one-room lookout is 14 x 14 feet with very simple and somewhat primitive accommodations and offers a wilderness-like, glamping experience, incredible scenery, stunning views and colorful wildflowers.
The artist are supplied with a sleeping cot, cooking supplies, water, lighting, a power source for charging cell phones and more. There is pretty good cell reception from the lookout, depending on your carrier.
There is a clean, pleasant wooden outhouse nestled in the shrubs just below the lookout.