Tauck Partners With Grand Teton National Park To Create American Indian Artist-in-Residence Program

The new program continues Tauck's longstanding support of the national parks, which have been prominently featured on many of the company's domestic land journeys since founder Arthur Tauck Sr.'s very first tour in 1925.

Tauck is fully underwriting the costs associated with this new program which will run from May through September this year, and the company has worked closely with Grand Teton National Park staff in selecting the four American Indian artists who will reside in the park on a rotating basis over the coming months. During their time in the park, each artist will share exclusive, small-group visits with Tauck guests visiting Grand Teton on three different Tauck itineraries; “Legends of the American West,” “Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks,” and a Tauck Bridges itinerary designed specifically for families, “Cowboy Country.” In addition, the artists will conduct several larger presentations available to the general public each week in the park's Craig Thomas Discovery Visitor Center.

RESTORING FRANKLIN AND ELEANOR ROOSEVELT'S HISTORIC GARDEN

Tauck has been an aggressive supporter of the national parks for many years, and the American Indian Artist-in-Residence program is just its latest initiative. The company is also in the midst of a two-year funding effort supporting the restoration of the historic two-acre Roosevelt Home Garden at the former residence of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in Hyde Park, New York.

The garden had been paved over to provide visitor parking when the Roosevelt home was first opened to the public in 1946, and that parking has more recently been relocated. The garden's restoration will be complemented by new outreach programs educating visitors and youth nationwide on World War II-era Victory Gardens and sustainable agricultural practices. Along with Tauck, other project participants include the National Park Service, the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt Conservancy, noted food entrepreneur and activist Alice Waters, the Park Service's Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, and Syracuse University's College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Other Tauck initiatives supporting the national parks have included a company-operated volunteer program in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Over the course of the program's 12 years (2003 – 2014), more than 17,000 Tauck guests visiting the two parks donated over 34,000 hours of labor to more than 100 park projects. The program was honored nationally by both the White House and the U.S. Department of the Interior. In addition, Tauck has provided hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in destination grants and other funding to various national parks projects, and hosted numerous employee volunteer events in national parks and other historic sites over the years.

TAUCK: BRINGING TRAVELERS TO THE NATIONAL PARKS SINCE 1925

Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2015, Tauck is a world leader in upscale guided travel, with more than 100 land and cruise itineraries to over 70 countries and all seven continents. The company has been bringing its guests to the national parks since founder Arthur Tauck Sr.'s very first tour through New England in 1925, which included historic sites in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, that later comprised Minute Man National Historical Park. Today Tauck brings travelers to National Park Service-administered sites in 21 different states plus Washington, DC. In all, 97% of Tauck's domestic trips include at least one national park or other NPS-administered site.

Many of Tauck's itineraries in the western U.S. are notable for including accommodations inside the national parks at historic inns and lodges. Subject to high demand and limited supply, these accommodations often sell out a year or more in advance. Travelers visiting the national parks with Tauck also benefit from the company's partnership with the renowned filmmaker Ken Burns, whose film “The National Parks: America's Best Idea” was honored with the 2010 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming.
The participating artists in the Grand Teton American Indian Artist-in-Residence program are:

• Black Pinto Horse. Hailing from North Dakota, Black Pinto Horse is of the Arikara and Hidatsa tribes. He attended the Institute of American Indian Arts and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Minot State University.
• Andrea Two Bulls. A resident of South Dakota, Andrea Two Bulls is an Oglala Sioux best known for her beadwork and painting.
• Kelly Looking Horse. Also from South Dakota, Kelly Looking Horse is an Oglala Lakota who crafts traditional drums and is also a gifted drummer, dancer and singer.
• DG House. DG House is a printmaker and photographer whose work is in permanent collections worldwide, including those of the Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, and legendary performers Paul McCartney and Elton John.

Those interested in more information can contact their local travel professional, call Tauck at 800 468 2825, or visit the company's website at www.tauck.com.