In October I am going to sail on the Tall Ship Antigua out of Svalbard Norway for the Arctic Circle artist in residence.  Their website says “Artist and scientist led, The Arctic Circle is an annual expeditionary residency program. Established in 2009, The Arctic Circle brings together international artists of all disciplines, scientists, architects, and educators who collectively explore the high-Arctic Svalbard Archipelago and Arctic Ocean aboard a specially outfitted Barquentine sailing vessel.”
I am incredibly excited about this chance to experience the Arctic and to make extremely personal art about the impact of climate change on the ice.  I was accepted In March 2020 for the fall sailing and the residency was instantly delayed to October 2021 due to the pandemic but after the year’s delay it is going forward.

  (photo credit Beau Carey from thearticcircle.org}

I've made climate-centric art for many years and have done previous high latitude field work camping on an ice field but I need help for this project. As you might expect it's expensive to get to Svalbard. The two biggest costs are my share of the ship - $5,700 and airfare to Svalbard which is likely to be $2000 or more. I have most of the winter gear needed but need to update a couple things and am hoping to add a newer second camera and a drone to my tech.  I'm looking to raise $12,000 overall.I expect to do loads of photography, some watercolor studies and photomicroscopy while there, bringing back a wealth of raw material to make work in the studio. My commitment to going to challenging environments to document the effects of climate change remains a core of my artistic practice and I hope you can help me with this next adventure and realizing the work that will come out of it.

I’ve been doing wilderness based fieldwork partnering with scientists for many years including in the deserts of the southwest, ice fields in the St Elias Mountains in Canada, working on the Great Lakes and now in the Arctic. My MFA from Hartford Art School was centered on regenerative culture with a strong focus on climate and I’ve been making, showing and curating exhibitions on climate and water issues for most of 20 years. I’m making some very cool premiums to thank you for helping support this venture and since I have fiscal sponsorship through Fractured Atlas your support will be tax deductible.  Thanks for reading and for your support for this project!