Artist In Residence

The ACA Soundscape Field Station, a partnership between Atlantic Center for the
Arts and Canaveral National Seashore, announces transdisciplinary sound artist,
Dani Ferreira Amaro as its 2025 artist-in-residence.


From February 24 – March 31, 2025, Dani Amaro will explore Canaveral National
Seashore to create a site-specific, tactile sound sculpture made from Sargassum
(seaweed) and materials representing the cultures of Florida, such as Sankofa
ironwork. She states, “sargassum is known to filter out unwanted debris from
our oceans as well as provide refuge for marine life such as shrimps and sea
turtles. One is invited to draw parallels and contemplate the similar functions of preservation, protection, intimacy, and shelter that Sankofa ironwork provides to the many homes of historically displaced peoples.” Amaro’s approach to environmental storytelling combines the process of sustainably creating textiles from organic materials to broaden her practice by exploring new ways audiences can tangibly experience music. She is a trained jazz musician and music teacher in Miami, Florida who shares her heritage across distance from the Global South to Florida. During the residency, she will invite the public to engage with her creative process while living and working on-site in the national park.

Public Events at Canaveral National Seashore – Free with park admission:

• March 8, 2025 at 11AM Soundwalk at Apollo Beach Visitor Center
• March 15, 2025 at 11AM Artist Talk & Performance at the Doris Leeper House, Eldora
• March 17–30, 2025: Open Viewing of Artist Sound Sculpture

This residency program invites musicians, composers, and ecologists to find innovative approaches that promote creative expression of a healthy and balanced soundscape for current and future generations. Atlantic Center for the Arts has over 45 years of
experience in producing artist-in-residency programs that attract distinguished
artists from all over the world. This residency coincides with the 50th anniversary
of the National Park Service designation of Canaveral National Seashore as
protected by the federal government. The artist will honor this momentous
occasion in her donated creative work to the park.

The Artist-In-Residence Program

The legacy of artist and environmentalist Doris Leeper has connected Canaveral National Seashore and Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) for many years. The two organizations are now embarking on a collaboration that uses creative arts to advocate for environmental health. Leeper’s home at Eldora, located on the grounds of Canaveral National Seashore, is the site of an environmental artist residency program unlike any other in the United States. ACA's Soundscape Field Station at Canaveral National Seashore is the first of its kind in the United States dedicated to preservation of natural sounds, following in the tradition of other types of successful National Park Service artist residency programs located in more than 100 parks throughout the country.

Arts in Park Around the Nation https://www.nps.gov/subjects/arts/air.htm

ACA's Soundscape Field Station at Canaveral National Seashore , managed jointly by Canaveral National Seashore and Atlantic Center for the Arts is designed to provide a creative platform where sound artists and scientists can discover sustainable solutions and raise awareness of sound as a natural resource. The goal for each artist-in-residence is to find innovative approaches that help preserve a healthy and balanced soundscape for current and futuregenerations.

From urban design to wildlife ecology, the sounds of our environment tell a story of wildlife biodiversity and the health of people living in that community. The World Health Organization has compiled evidence that, “the burden of disease from environmental noise” can cause:

• anxiety, hypertension, sleep deprivation, and high blood pressure

• lack of concentration, loss of hearing, and loss of communication

In addition, adverse effects of human-based noise on wildlife causes:

• changes in animal behavior, including, mating, navigation, migration, and feeding
  (source – National Park Service Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division)

ACA's Soundscape Field Station at Canaveral National Seashore is a:

• creative studio

• community classroom

• audio laboratory

Canaveral National Seashore is an ideal location for soundscape work due to its protected location on the east central coast of Florida. The park contains 58,000 acres of barrier island, open lagoon, coastal hammock, pine flatwoods and offshore waters, representing an excellent example of a relatively stable barrier beach backed by a productive lagoon system. This stretch of land is known as one of the darkest spots on the east coast of Florida and is the control for darkness studies on sea turtle disorientation. ACA's Soundscape Field Station at Canaveral National Seashore offers a unique opportunity for artists to contribute to the public understanding and appreciation of Canaveral National Seashore. The curation team for this program is led by Atlantic Center for the Arts, an organization with over 40 years of experience in producing artist-in-residency programs that attract distinguished artists from all over the world.

This program invites sound artists, musicians, composers, field recordists, and soundscape ecologists to live and work in a historic home in Canaveral National Seashore for 4-6 weeks. Artists are encouraged to explore innovative ideas about environmental health and soundscape preservation. Each resident is required to volunteer time each week to interact with park visitors and facilitate community outreach. In a continuing effort to offer interpretive programs to the public, artists are asked to donate a tangible creative work produced at the residency. These works may take the form of exhibitions, digital recordings, slide lectures, visitor center resources, or video documentation.

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Support the program
ACA's Soundscape Field Station at Canaveral National Seashore is funded by contributions from individuals, private foundations, and educational institutions.
Support this program by contacting Eve Payor, Atlantic Center for the Arts Director of Community Programs at 386-427-6975.