Dix Park Conservancy Announces Preston Montague as Inaugural Artist in Residence
(RALEIGH, NC) - Jan 22, 2025 - The Dix Park Conservancy (DPC) is delighted to announce that Preston Montague is its 2025 Artist in Residence. Montague will have the opportunity to bring his artistic vision to life through environmental art at the park, as well as develop new community programming and educational initiatives in support of his work.
Montague is a resident of the Triangle and the owner and founder of Preston Montague Studio, an award-winning environmental design and art practice. The studio provides landscape architecture, horticulture, and educational services for residential, commercial, and municipal clients.
As a landscape architect, Montague—whose mother was raised on the property of Dorothea Dix Hospital—brings a unique artistic approach rooted in science to the Residency, one that aligns beautifully with DPC’s goal of uncovering and highlighting the origins and history tied to the land now known as Dix Park.
“I want to approach this opportunity as an artistic expression of an origin story. I believe we should begin the residency by acknowledging the history of the peoples who shaped this landscape and reveal the unexpected natural history of the park itself,” said Montague. “During my time as Artist in Residence, I look forward to sharing my passion for conservation landscape architecture as an art form and demonstrating the power of landscapes to solve big challenges.”
Montague’s goal for his time as Artist in Residence is the restoration of historic grassland ecosystems as cultural landscapes that visualize human and natural histories waiting patiently in the soil. These efforts align with many of the community priorities outlined in the Cultural Interpretation Plan (CIP), including restoring the park’s natural biodiversity and expanding its natural areas.
“Preston is an outstanding candidate for our first Artist in Residence. He is able to join us at a pivotal time for the park and work alongside us to honor the natural beauty of the land and build community through environmental, public art and programming,” said Marjorie Hodges, Dix Park Conservancy board member and chair of the arts task force.
The Residency comes with a total one-year budget of $80,000, including artwork fabrication and supplies for community events. The program will be hosted inside the renovated Physician’s House at Dix Park, originally built in the 1920s.
In the coming months, DPC and Montague will finalize the projects and community programming planned for 2025, with most of the work beginning in the spring of this year.