New exhibit uses art to explore the poles

The Augustana Teaching Museum of Art will open the exhibition Art Above 66° 33', an exploration of the Earth’s polar regions, with a reception at 5 p.m. Nov. 18.

The exhibit runs through Feb. 10.

The exhibit is a collaboration between the museum and the Augustana Center for Polar Studies. The 66° 33' of the exhibit’s title are the latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic circles.

Dr. William Hammer, who holds the Fritiof Fryxell Chair in Geology at Augustana, is the director of the Center for Polar Studies. He discovered Cryolophosaurus ellioti, the first carnivorous dinosaur unearthed in Antarctica in 1991.  

“There are a number of faculty members on campus who do research in both of those regions. They were interested in finding a way for us to get people, through the visual arts, to think about the complex issues that face those regions, and our entire planet,” said Dr. Claire Kovacs, museum director.

Kovacs said the exhibit’s planners hope people will leave the exhibit thinking about the long history of those regions, and about climate change and other issues.

Dr. Jennifer Burnham, associate professor of geography at Augustana, has made several research trips to northwest Greenland (76° N, 68° W). She hopes the exhibit will open some eyes.

“The polar regions are far more complex and beautiful than the desolate white wilderness misconception that many individuals have of the high latitude,” she said.

The artists

Artists who use the Antarctic Circle in their work include Michael Bartalos, Lisa Goren, Oona Stern and William Stout. Stout, a fantasy artist/illustrator who has worked on more than 30 feature films, will be present an artist talk and gallery preview Nov. 30.

The Arctic Circle will be represented in works by Jonathan Harris, Andrea Polli, LeClaire, Iowa, native Ben Huff, and Danish photographer Morten Hilmer. On Nov. 16, Hilmer will give a gallery talk. His documentary, "Silence of the North," will be shown.

“The media varies quite a bit,” said Kovacs. “We have everything from very quiet, beautiful watercolors of whale bones to a sound installment that considers and utilizes weather data from a weather station near the North Pole. It turns that data into a sound experience, and then it’s combined with photographs from that weather station."

The exhibit also includes three prints from Augustana’s permanent collection. The prints from an Inuit printmaking workshop in Cape Dorset, Alaska.

Related events

Nov. 16: Artist talk and gallery preview with Morten Hilmer

The preview will begin at 6 p.m. in the museum. The lecture will move to Hanson Hall, room 304, at 7 p.m.

Danish photographer Morten Hilmer works in Greenland, where extreme temperatures and isolation are challenging. A documentary, "Silence of the North," follows Hilmer.

Nov. 18: Opening reception

The free reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. in the Foyer Gallery on the main floor of Centennial Hall.

Nov. 30: Artist talk and gallery preview with William Stout

The preview will begin at 6 p.m. in the museum. The lecture will move to Hanson Hall, room 304, at 7 p.m.

William Stout was a member of the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. He is a fantasy artist and illustrator with a specialization in paleontological art. His paintings have been shown in more than 70 exhibitions. He has worked on more than 30 feature films and has designed theme parks.

Jan. 11: Oona Stern and Cheryl Leonard performance

The preview will begin at 6 p.m. in the museum. The performance will move to Wallenberg Hall in the Denkmann Building at 7 p.m.

Leonard is a composer, performer and instrument-builder who uses the sounds made by natural objects for her "Polar Soundscapes." Several of her pieces include video by Oona Stern, art director, designer, and visual artist.