Dassler Cabin at Scoville Point on Isle Royale is a place for artists in the artist-in-residence program to spend two to three weeks in the heart of nature, searching for creativity. The cabin has housed over 100 artists since 1992 and accommodates two people at a time. (Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service)

MARQUETTE — Wolf and moose are not the only things that attract Isle Royale visitors. Solitude and simplicity are one of the main drivers for artists searching for creativity. And Isle Royale’s Artist-in-Residence program provides an opportunity to explore the wilder side of that innovation.

During a multimedia presentation Tuesday, Terri Bocklund, Kathleen Heideman Rydholm and Curt Kowalski shared their artist-in-residency experiences on Isle Royale through their music and poetry at the Peter White Public Library. Bocklund performed original songs that were inspired by the remote, unspoiled wilderness, with her husband Kowalski accompanying her on percussion, guitar and backup vocals. Heideman Rydholm recited her poetry that was also driven by her time as an artist-in-residence. Clips from George Desort’s film “Fortunate Wilderness: The Wolf and Moose Study of Isle Royale” also played throughout the evening.

Bocklund and Kowalski first came to Isle Royale in 2011 for a week-long backpacking trip and immediately fell in love with the desolate nature of the untouched landscape. After hearing about the Isle Royale Artist-in-Residence program, Bocklund wrote up a proposal and submitted excerpts of her music, landing her a three-week stay at Dassler Cabin on Scoville Point of the island in 2013.

“We knew that we wanted more of Isle Royale experiences and Upper Peninsula experiences. We wanted the purity of that ecosystem, the simplicity and coming from a major metropolitan area where there was none of that available, none of it available, we decided we were going to make this big change and we moved up here,” Bocklund said.

Each summer, the program offers three to four artists a two to three week excursion, providing them quality time to get back to their roots and dig for creativity from within as nature peaks into their cabin. The application process begins Jan. 2 until Feb. 14. The park allows for the artists to stay in Dassler Cabin from mid-June through early September at a scheduled date.

The process of selection of the artist has become more competitive as the word about Isle Royale’s artistic base and its uniqueness has spread throughout the country over the years, Heideman Rydholm said. The program also now offers an Isle Royale Teen Artist Exploration program for youth aged 13 to 18.

Selected artists must volunteer at the park and donate a piece of their artwork that represents their experience to inspire other visitors that come to the island. The Isle Royale experience changed Heideman Rydholm’s life, recommending for other artists to venture on this quest because you are “surrounded by the concept of wildness and for three weeks, question your place in it.”

“It is the best artist residency in the entire national park system in my opinion and I’ve done a bunch of them,” Heideman Rydholm said. “… I think it changes your worldview, it changes how you perceive issues, environmental problems. It changes your perception in your role in things and your importance.”

Moving from the East Coast to the U.P., Bocklund added that the Isle Royale trips have indeed changed her perception and she is now a wolf conservationist. The “absence of distractions” inspired her album “Of Lake and Isle,” which is available online via Spotify and iTunes.

“My greatest fear going out there was, what if I don’t have any inspiration? What if I don’t create anything? Oh my gosh, it was just the exact opposite of that. It was very productive creative-wise,” Bocklund added.

Jackie Jahfetson can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248.