Reflecting on the Residency with 2024 SWWD Resident Artist, Sarah Lilja

Photographer Sarah Lilja says she won the jackpot when she was awarded the South Washington Watershed District artist residency. The Lake Elmo-based artist had only been professionally pursuing photography since 2017 when two of her first submitted photos were accepted into a magazine. “I actually won one category…and I thought whoa…I guess I do know something about taking a good photograph” This experience kick started her journey into fine art photography. 

In 2023, SWWD sought to incorporate something unique into its programming, to bring more visibility to the watershed’s water and environmental resources. An artist-in-residence (AiR) program seemed just the thing, a way to visually communicate the value and beauty of the watershed resources, and the District’s work in the community. Selecting photography as its medium, the District released a call for artist submissions. SWWD received many compelling portfolios from a number of local artists, but amongst those received, Sarah Lilja’s stood out to the review committee. Her photography, which captures vibrant colors and subtle details, was a perfect fit for the goals of the residency, and so Sarah was selected Sarah began right away, tasked with capturing the big and small of the over 65,000 acres of landscape that makes up the South Washington Watershed District. The big, included the official opening of the Trout Brook restoration site, the visual drama of a prescribed burn of Glacial Valley Park, and the nights of northern lights that blanketed the skies of the watershed in the fall of 2024. But amongst the vastness, there were the small details that Sarah says she is drawn to, “…I enjoy shooting landscapes, but what also really grabs my attention [are the] little things, and how I can I make them more apparent in a photograph…” Of the little things, Sarah notes that of the over 150 photos she created during the residency, one of her favorites was a moment from Colby Lake; she noticed a fallen oak leaf, holding a firm curved shape, perfectly reflected on the surface of the water. “[This is an] example of my love of detail…that something as small as a leaf, floating on a lake, inspired a whole new perspective for me on how to make an interesting and engaging photograph.”

But like anything new, there were challenges. Photographing a mixed environment, ranging from a Minnesota State Park to wide-spread suburban development, was a big part of capturing the watershed. At first, Sarah says, it was a challenge- “how do you make an engaging picture in a very suburban environment?” But as the residency continued, Sarah noted that this challenge also provided many opportunities to more deeply explore the water and environmental resources within the District.”…I feel extremely lucky that the Watershed District [is so] committed…it just speaks so highly about SWWD’s values and goals…”

As Sarah’s year-long residency drew to a close, SWWD celebrated the AiR with an exhibition of her work. The show was named Connecting at the Confluence. A confluence, defined as the junction of two rivers, holds multiple meanings for SWWD. First, it is a reference to the watershed district’s two largest drainage basins, the St. Croix and the Mississippi; whose confluence, at the southern tip of the District in Hastings, MN, is where the exhibition took place at Carpenter Nature Center. Secondly, it also is a reference to the heart of the artist in residence program, bringing together art and natural resources in order to explore what is at the confluence of those two things.

In 2025, the District will continue the Artist in Residency program, this time taking to the skies with an aerial drone photographer. The call for artists will be published sometime in January 2025.