ABOUT AIRIE

AIRIE was founded in 2001 through the efforts of Donna Marxer and the Everglades National Park’s Chief of Interpretation, Alan Scott (Ret). Believing in the transformative power of the arts, they sought a way for South Florida artists to spend extended time in the Everglades. They hoped to bring attention to the magnificence it had to offer and further a message of the necessity of this landscape and the challenges it faces with changes in climate and surrounding land development.

Alan and Donna worked with the National Parks Service to establish AIRIE as an official partner of the ENP, operating in tandem with the Volunteers-in-Parks program to manage the artist residency. An agreement was made to allow AIRIE artists the use of an apartment originally built for Park staff in the 1950s, now known as the AIRIE Cabin.

In 2021, under the stewardship of Board Co-Chairs Esther Park and T. Robertson Carter, we did a deep dive into the ethos of AIRIE and began the work to explore how to make the outdoors and the National Parks, a space of belonging for all. We engaged a National Advisory and along with the Board, we reimagined AIRIE. For the 2022 residency, we received more than 500+ applications, an increase of 200+% from years prior*.

In our 25th Anniversary Season (2025–2026), under the leadership of Zoe McKenzie (Board President), Cornelius Tulloch (Global Artistic Director), Riyaad Seecharan (Strategic Chair), and T. Robertson Carter (Acting Director & Board Member), AIRIE expanded its narrative and impact to embrace both the |E|nvironment and |E|verywhere. As we celebrate the first 25 years of AIRIE, we step into an exciting new era in 2026—one that engages with diverse voices and stories from beyond the Everglades and into environments across the globe.

Since its founding, AIRIE has welcomed over 250 artists, writers, curators, choreographers, musicians, and creatives into its residency program, enriching the national and international arts landscape with powerful interpretations and stories rooted in the Everglades—and now expanding beyond.

*estimated increase