THE FITCHBURG ART MUSEUM TO EXHIBIT DAVID ABBEY PAIGE'S ANTARCTIC PAINTINGS
ERNEST AUGUSTE GOUPIL—DUMONT D'URVILLE'S ARTIST
Elizabeth Truswell has written a very interesting and useful article on Ernest Auguste Goupil, the artist who accompanied Dumont d'Urville on his Antarctic voyages of 1838-40. It appears in the March 2011 issue of The National Library Magazine which is published quarterly by the National Library of Australia.
Goupil's art is probably the key factor in making the Atlas Pittoresque; Voyage au Pôle Sud et dans l'Océanie so highly coveted by collectors.
The article may be found at
http://www.nla.gov.au/pub/nlanews/2011/mar11/ernest-auguste-goupil.pdf
(21 April 2011)
FRANK WILD PLAQUE APPEAL
A recent letter from Angie Butler lays out her efforts to see a plaque commemorating Frank Wild installed in Grytviken.
ANTARCTIC ARTIST ROBERT C. HOGUE
Several years ago I was introduced to JQ Tierney-Holly an oceanographer who had participated in Deep Freeze I, through and beyond the IGY on Navy and Coast Guard ships in the Antarctic. JQ described a number of paintings, sketches and pastels which were done by Robert C. Hogue. My interest was piqued because almost all of the resources I could find only listed artists Robert Haun, Standish Backus, and Leland Curtis during the IGY.
I was anxious to get JQ to fill me in on the story. JQ had also been on the 1954-55 reconnaissance of the Ross Sea to set the sites for McMurdo air base and Little America IV. On his return he showed his slides to his buddy Walt Hogue. Walt asked if his brother Robert (Bob) who was an artist could see the slides and Bob was astonished at the color and scenery (ice is just white! Right?). Bob had to go! He asked Tierney-Holly if it was possible. JQ staffed a request up through the Task Force 43 offices to Admiral George Dufek the CO. Dufek agreed to take Bob as a "dollar a year man" … no salary but transportation would be provided. It appears that he also had to pay for food as an officer would.
Robert C. Hogue went South during the Austral summer, 1956-57 as a contract artist on several of the Navy and Coast Guard icebreakers. His first job was to paint the invertebrate specimens from Tierney-Holly's marine biology dredge nets. Watercolor was and still is very useful in recording the subtle colors of marine organisms in ways that a camera misses. Many of these paintings were sent with specimens to the US National Museum Natural History Division (Smithsonian). He also recorded a number of fish ((the so called "bloodless" (no red blood cells) Antarctic fish with a natural anti-freeze in their blood)).
Bob also painted and sketched extensively on the various ships he was on and also at some of the historic sites in McMurdo Sound such as Shackleton's hut (JQ has a photo of Bob painting Shackleton's hut in VERY cold plein air!). Various paintings and sketches of life onboard icebreakers were later displayed in the Pentagon. I have not been able to track where they went from there. He appears to have gotten around quite a bit as his work includes art from the sea ice at McMurdo, Cape Royds, Little America IV, Cape Hallet, Wellington and elsewhere. Some are naval scenes with ships and equipment and sailors, while others are scenes of "sea smoke", icebergs, and the seaward face of the Ross Ice Shelf.
The only further information that I have is that after his Antarctic stay Hogue worked for the Smithsonian. In November 1959 the Natural History Museum announced that he had painted the backgrounds for the famous Hall of the World of Mammals display.
If anyone has any follow-up or more information on this forgotten Antarctic artist lets hear about it.
Submitted by Steve Dibbern of Crozet, Virginia. E-mail: victoriadibbern@aol.com
(7 August 2008)
DUNCAN CARSE BUST APPEAL
We are raising £3500 to purchase a bronze bust of adventurer, surveyor and
broadcaster Duncan Carse and bring it to South Georgia.
In the UK he was better known as a broadcaster but in South Georgia he is known as the expeditioner and surveyor who led the South Georgia Surveys and made a very significant contribution to the Island. The incredibly accurate work carried out by Duncan and the South Georgia Survey teams between 1951-57 led to a new map in 1958 that has been the basis of all maps that followed, only recently superseded by satellite imagery. The maps, which proved especially important during the liberation of the Island in 1982, are still used today.
Duncan Carse made 8 expeditions to South Georgia. He first visited the Island in 1933 as part of the Discovery Investigations, returning in 1936 as part of the British Graham Land Expedition. In 1961, after the four South Georgia Survey visits, he returned alone to live on the south coast as part of a "personal psychological experiment", a venture that turned into a survival exercise after his hut was washed away by a freak wave. His last visit was in 1973, when severe weather prevented him retracing the Shackleton crossing. Despite the Island not always treating him kindly, he never lost his enthusiasm for South Georgia.
The slightly over life-size bust will be given to the South Georgia Museum to mark the relationship Duncan Carse had with the Island, and to highlight the achievements and work of Duncan and the men of the South Georgia Survey. The bust is worth £6000, but the artist Jon Edgar is charitably disposed to getting the bust "home" to South Georgia.
The Duncan Carse Bust Appeal has had generous support from the South Georgia
Association and the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
but needs your help to reach the target.
Please send cheques, payable to the "South Georgia Association", or make electronic transfers, to:
Natwest Bank, Ledbury Branch, The Home End, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 1BU.
ANTARCTIC ANIMATION
Antarctic Animation is an interesting website at http://www.antarcticanimation.com that is the work of Lisa Roberts at the University of New South Wales. (Also see her website at
http://lisaroberts.com.au. Both are linked to one another and are of a similar, very clean design.)
The Abstract explains the site:
WHITE HORIZONS: BRITISH ART FROM ANTARCTICA, 1775-2006 by David W.H. Walton and Bruce Pearson. (British Antarctic Survey for the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXIX, 2006) 54 pp., £5. Available from the shop at the Scott Polar Research Institute (www.spri.cam.ac.uk/shop/books)
This handsome, very cleanly designed publication is an offspring of an exhibition curated by the Walton and Pearson that was staged for the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXIX held in and around Edinburgh in 2006. It begins with a four-page introduction followed by chapters entitled: "Landscape and Discovery," "Scientists as Artists," "Conserving the Antarctic Natural Heritage,"Antarctic People" (Cook, Ross, Scott, Burn Murdoch, Shackleton, Fuchs, etc.), "Expedition Life" and "Artist Biographies." Many but by no means all of the works featured are from the modern era and many of these are the product of the British artists and writers program. Indeed, all the artists that have participated in this British Antarctic Survey/Arts Council of England program are included.
I counted a total of 64 images, mostly in color. Among the artists whose work appears: John Davis, Edward Wilson, Apsley Cherry-Garrard, Edward Seago, David Smith, Philip Hughes, John Kelly, Layla Curtis, Robert Nicholls, Richard M. Laws, Neil Mackintosh, Gordon Fogg, Sir Alister Hardy, Rolfe Gunther, Sandra Chapman, Keith Shackleton, Chris Rose, Bruce Pearson, John Gale, George Forster, John Webber, Henry Pickersgill, W.G. Burn Murdoch, Dennis Lillie, Reginald Grenville Eaves, L.D. Carmichael, Kite, Frank Debenham, Simon Faithfull and William Martin. Very useful biographies of nearly all of these appear in the concluding chapter.
Any Antarctic collector with an interest in the art of the southern continent will want to have this excellent publication.
--R. Stephenson
Bill Fox's book has been a long time coming. We first mentioned his efforts back in April 2003. [See Bill's Antarctic Image Chronology which appears elsewhere on the Antarctic-Circle website.]
I haven't had a chance to dip into the book yet although I plan to take it with me to the Byrd Polar Research Center conference next week in Ohio [see 'Upcoming & Current Antarctic Events' elsewhere on this site for details]. I did look at the illustrations which make up an interesting collection of photographs and art, and at the bibliography, a 25-page listing that has useful annotations.
More after I've read it.
CONTENTS:
Over a two-year period, William Fox assembled the Antarctic's history of artistic, cartographic, and scientific images--both real and imagined--in order to understand how we represent its landscape. He then spent almost three months working on the continent at McMurdo Station, the Ross Sea Region, the Transantarctic Mountains, and the South Pole. The resulting work masterfully expands our understanding of human interaction with a landscape at the frontier of knowledge.
Fox recounts unnerving experiences like being caught in a whiteout, camping on the volcano Mount Erebus during a hurricane, and taking frigid hikes past the edge of the mapped world. Alternating lyrical first-person narratives with chapters that delve expertly into science and art, Fox creates a dazzling portrait of a vast empty continent.
About the Author
--From the publisher's website.
Everyone who has ever visited Antarctica would fit into a football stadium. Some are scientists. Some are cartographers. Some are artists. William Fox spent almost three months in Antarctica traveling and working with other researchers. Building on the common perception of Antarctica as a barren continent, Fox points to the many ways that life persists on the continent, from microscopic invertebrates to tiny insects, from Weddell seals and emperor penguins to human life and community, as found at McMurdo Station and the geodesic dome of the Amundson-Scott South Pole Station.
In Terra Antarctica Fox
• takes the readers on explorations of the Dry ValleysÑbare, arid land in stark contrast to snow-covered expanses
Fox balances the disorienting effect of the continent's "emptiness" with anecdotes portraying daily life in the Antarctic community. In prose that Library Journal calls "absorbing and easy to read," Fox describes encounters with scientists, artists, and even a handful of disoriented penguins.
Fox recounts conversations with others working at the sites he visits and weaves in anecdotal information about the continent's weather, ecology, folklore, and history.
Continuing his lifelong fascination with dry places, Fox explores how we portray in painting, photography, and other art an empty space. He pursues multiple lines of study to describe Antarctic explorations and cartographic surveys, and how humans attempt to understand one of the world's strangest places.
Fox writes about how we make sense of our surroundings, turning space into place and land into landscape. He examines the artistic, scientific and cartographic methods used to make the blank space of Antarctica comprehensible. Alternating lyrical first-person narratives with chapters that delve expertly into science and art, Fox creates a dazzling portrait of a vast empty continent."
--From a press release.
PREVIOUS MENTIONS BEFORE PUBLICATION:
Bill Fox e-mailed recently to say "I'm working on revisions for the Antarctic book, which will come out in fall of 2004." [See Bill's 'Antarctic Image Chronology' elsewhere on this site.]
Another update from Bill: "The revisions to Terra Antarctica are almost finished, finally, and I will submit the revised text to the publisher at the end of this month. My editor has suggested that we greatly increase the number of illustrations from the original eight color and 20-30 black & white images. In order to do so we will have to push back publication from fall of 2004 to spring of 2005, about a five month delay--but it's worth it."
Another update from Bill: "The copy edits for what is now titled Terra Antarctica: A Cognitive History of the Continent have been completed. This means that it will now be typeset and then I'll be sent galleys to proof. So we're moving along. The publisher, Trinity University Press, will be take the manuscript both to Book Expo in New York and the Frankfurt Book Fair later this year in hopes of interesting foreign publishers, as well (England, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia being candidates I at least think logical possibilities).
Another update from Bill: "Well, finally we have a book coming out in a few weeks. ... After much to-and-fro on the budget, the publisher (Trinity University Press) opted for 40 plates in color. More than I had hoped originally, but less than the maximum offered at one point. Still, artists such as David Rosenthal, Stuart Klipper, Anne Noble, Nel Law, Ty Milford, and Bill Sutton are well represented."
FIRST ANTARCTICA PAINTING ON SHOW
The first painting of Antarctica, which has been hidden under another painting for the last 200 years, is going on public view in London.
The painting was the work of artist William Hodges, who joined Captain Cook's second epic voyage in 1772.
The oil painting, later painted over with a view of a New Zealand harbour, is one of 80 Hodges' paintings on show at the National Maritime Museum.
An X-ray of the painting is being shown to prevent damage to the artwork.
"He was undoubtedly the most unjustly neglected British painter of the 18th Century," said naturalist Sir David Attenborough, launching the exhibition on Monday. It is on public view from Tuesday.
Hodges' painting, which shows the icebergs in the water, is the first eye-witness view of the southern continent ever captured.
Hodges' work has not been on public show since 1795. The artist, who was the son of a London blacksmith, was 28 when he joined Cook's exhibition to Antarctica.
"These pictures are absolutely lyrical. They show the southern ocean paradise as it was, almost untouched by outside influence," Sir David said.
"This is the real thing, not someone's overactive imagination."
Like the icebergs, the landscape of New Zealand's Pickersgill Harbour was painted on the voyage, not from memory. Canvases were often re-used on long voyages.
Hodges' work fell into obscurity after his suicide in 1795, when he lost all his money in a bank crash.
Hodges was married three times, with his last wife dying soon after his own death, leaving behind five destitute children.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3869477.stm
Published: 2004/07/06
--Thanks to David Wilson.
Antarctic historian Baden Norris and Mrs Chippy, at Karori Cemetery, Wellington.
MRS CHIPPY IN BRONZE: MARKER FOR UNSUNG HERO
Monday, 28 June 2004
By Robyn McLean
The unsung hero of Ernest Shackleton's doomed Antarctic expedition has been remembered in a ceremony in Wellington, but Harry McNeish's family are disappointed his part in the journey has not been formally recognised.
McNeish was the carpenter on Shackleton's ship Endurance, and his beloved cat known as Mrs Chippy, but actually a male, became the ship's mascot.
Nearly 100 people gathered to watch the unveiling of a life-size bronze statue of the cat on McNeish's grave at Karori Cemetery yesterday.
Despite the gesture, his family believe his contribution to the 1914 mission to the South Pole has been unfairly overlooked.
"It's a terrible thing that he was denied the Polar Medal," said his grandson Tom McNeish, 76, of Norwich, Scotland.
"Every person who was there should have got that medal. He was very, very badly done to."
In 1997, the McNeish family lobbied the British Government to get him honoured, but they were turned down on the grounds that it was too long after the event.
Mr McNeish is upset his grandfather's efforts have not been formally acknowledged. "If it wasn't for him, they would have all perished. His skills got them to safety. But all you hear about the expedition is Shackleton, Shackleton, Shackleton," he told The Scotsman.
However, Mr McNeish said the statue of the cat was a nice tribute. "I think the cat was more important to him than the Polar Medal."
The tabby cat and the sledge dogs were shot after the ship became crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea, marooning the men 560 kilometres from land. McNeish never forgave Shackleton for his cat's death and later led a brief rebellion against him.
With only three lifeboats to carry them to safety, the crew sailed to the uninhabited Elephant Island. Realising they had little chance of being rescued, Shackleton set out for South Georgia in the lifeboat James Caird with five men, including McNeish. After travelling 1300km, they reached land and five months later returned to rescue the remaining men. McNeish's carpentry skills are credited with ensuring the lifeboat, now on display in Te Papa, withstood the rough seas.
The $6000 statue of McNeish's cat by sculptor Chris Elliot was commissioned by the New Zealand Antarctic Society. "We can't go back and give him a Polar Medal, but this is one way of recognising what he contributed to the expedition," Mariska Wouters, chairwoman of the Wellington branch of the Antarctic Society, said.
At the unveiling, Baden Norris, Canterbury Museum's emeritus curator of Antarctic history, recalled meeting McNeish in Wellington shortly before he died. "The only thing I ever remember him saying was that Shackleton had shot his cat."
He said McNeish's contribution to the expedition had been "hugely underwritten" over the years and he had played a pivotal part in the survival of the crew.
McNeish arrived in New Zealand in 1925 and worked on the Wellington waterfront. He died in 1930, and was given a naval funeral. However, his grave remained unmarked till the Antarctic Society erected a headstone in 1959.
--From The Dominion Post; Thanks to Jonathan Shackleton.
Rob Tomlinson
A bronze statue of the ship's cat that was part of the crew of Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated ship, Endurance, will be placed on his owner's grave at a special ceremony in New Zealand tomorrow as a long overdue tribute to one of the forgotten heroes of the polar expedition.
The cat, called Mrs Chippy, belonged to the Scots-born ship's carpenter, Harry McNeish, whose contribution to the British Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole is thought by many to have been unfairly overlooked.
Unlike many other crew members McNeish, born and bred in Port Glasgow, was never awarded the Polar Medal for his part in the adventure, despite a campaign by members of his family to get him honoured. A rift between the shipwright and Shackleton is thought to be to blame and he never forgave the expedition leader for shooting his beloved pet.
The cat was killed along with the sledge dogs after Endurance became stuck in ice, leaving Shackleton and his men marooned 350 miles from the nearest land with just three lifeboats to carry them to safety.
Now members of the New Zealand Antarctic Society hope that the life-size statue of the cat, sculpted by New Zealander Chris Elliott, which will be placed on McNeish's grave at Karori Cemetery, in Wellington, will go some way to recognising the part he played in the Shackleton story.
Leaving Endurance crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea in January 1915, the men sailed by lifeboat to the inhospitable Elephant Island - but with little chance of rescue there, a team led by Shackleton set out to reach the uninhabited island of South Georgia.
It was McNeish's carpentry skills that ensured that the boat, the James Caird, withstood the battering of some of the roughest seas in the world during its 800-mile journey to South Georgia.
Despite his contribution, McNeish was denied the prestigious Polar Medal after incurring Shackleton's wrath for briefly rebelling while the men were moving camps on the sea ice.
The efforts by the New Zealanders to commemorate McNeish have been welcomed by his grandson, Tom McNeish, now 76 and living in Norwich.
"It's a terrible thing that he was denied the Polar Medal," said Mr McNeish. "Every person who was there should have got that medal. He was very, very badly done to."
As late as 1997, members of McNeish's family began lobbying the government in a letter-writing campaign to get him honoured. But after consideration, their efforts were turned down on the grounds that it was far too long after the event. Mr McNeish remains bitter that his grandfather's efforts in the expedition appear to have been taken for granted.
"If it wasn't for him they would have all perished. His skills got them to safety. But all you hear about the expedition is Shackleton, Shackleton, Shackleton."
Mr McNeish never knew his grandfather, who returned to Scotland after the expedition and lived with his son and daughter-in-law in Sourlie, near Irvine. But once again, wanderlust got the better of the man who would first run away to sea as a 14-year-old boy in Port Glasgow and he went to New Zealand in 1925 to work on the docks in Wellington. He died in 1930 aged 56, and was given a naval funeral, with pallbearers drawn from a Royal Navy ship. His grave remained unmarked until 1959, when members of the Antarctic Society put up a headstone.
Now the society has decided to honour his cat as well, knowing that he took the memory of the animal to his grave.
"We can't go back and give him a Polar Medal," said Mariska Wouters, who chairs the society's Wellington branch. "But this is one way of recognising what he contributed to the expedition."
Baden Norris, emeritus curator of Antarctic history at Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand, met McNeish when he was a boy. "The only thing I ever remember him saying was that Shackleton had shot his cat," he said. "In my view, he's the one man who saved the expedition. He made it possible for it to be saved through his expertise."
--From The Scotsman
AN ARTIST IN THE ANTARCTIC (FRANK WILBERT STOKES)
Included here as an Adobe Acrobat (pdf) document is an interesting article by Frank Wilbert Stokes--the artist on Nordenskjøld's expedition--that appeared in the August 1903 issue of The Century Magazine. Click here to download it.
OPERATION DEEPFREEZE I: 1955-56
An on-line art exhibit hosted the the Naval Historical Center, Navy Art Branch, Washington Navy Yard. Found at http://www.history.navy.mil/ac/exploration/deepfreeze/deepfreeze1.html
OPERATION DEEP FREEZE I: 1955-56. Featuring works by: Standish Backus (1910-1989) and Robert Charles Haun (1903-1975).
Operation Deep Freeze I was the codename for a series of scientific expeditions to Antarctica in 1955-56. The impetus behind these expeditions was the International Geophysical Year 1957-58. IGY, as it was known, was a collaboration effort between forty nations to carry out earth science studies from the North Pole to the South Pole and at points in between. The United States, along with Great Britain, France, Japan, Norway, Chile, Argentina, and the U.S.S.R agreed to go the South Pole--the least explored area on Earth. Their goal: to advance world knowledge of Antarctic hydrography and weather systems, glacial movements, and marine life. The U.S. Navy was charged with supporting the U.S. scientists for their portion of the IGY studies.
The U.S. Navy already had a record of earlier exploration in Antarctica. As early as 1839, Captain Charles Wilkes led the first U.S. Naval expedition into Antarctic waters. In 1929, Admiral Richard E. Byrd established a naval base at Little America I, led an expedition to explore further inland, and conducted the first flight over the South Pole. From 1934-35, the second Byrd Expedition explored much further inland and also "wintered over." The third Byrd Expedition in1940 charted the Ross Sea. After WWII, from 1946-47, Byrd was instrumental in the Navy's Operation Highjump that charted most of the Antarctic coastline. In 1948 Commander Finn Ronne led an expedition that photographed over 450,000 square miles by air. Then, in 1954-55, the icebreaker U.S.S. Atka (AGB-3) made a scouting expedition for future landing sites and bays.
Operation Deep Freeze I would prepare a permanent research station and pave the way for more exhaustive research in later Deep Freeze operations. The expedition transpired over the Antarctic summer of November 1955 to April 1956.
The exhibit is arranged by subject:
The artists:
Robert Charles Haun was born in Boston, Massachusetts on 31 December 1903. In 1927, he graduated from the Massachusetts School of Art, and after briefly operating an art studio in Boston, he moved to Providence, Rhode Island where he worked as an artist for the remainder of his life. Haun is represented by mural paintings and interiors in hotels, public and civic buildings, theaters, churches and private residences throughout New England. His relationship with the Navy began with murals he painted for U.S. Naval Station, Newport, Rhode Island, and the U.S. Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
In 1955, Haun volunteered his services as an artist to Operation Deepfreeze I. Rear Admiral George Dufek, USN (Ret.) replied to his request on 10 October 1955, thanking him for his enthusiasm but informing him that the artist billet had already been filled by "a Naval Reserve officer who had an outstanding record as a combat artist during World War II" [Commander Standish Backus]. Haun was encouraged to try again "next year when we shall have an even larger expedition." The artist must have pleaded his case, however, as well as cited his interest in documenting the work of the Mobile Construction Battalion (Seabees), because on 8 November 1955, Dufek invited him to participate as Staff Artist of Task Force 43.
Haun left the Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, on 20 November 1955, by air transport in the company of a reverend, seismologist and eight Air Force men. Arriving at Christ Church, New Zealand, on 26 November, he worked on a special assignment, the design of a bronze memorial plaque for historical ceremonies by Rear Admirals Byrd, USN (Ret) and Dufek, held in the Cathedral. On 16 December he reported to Captain Lawrence Smythe, USN, Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Arneb (AKA-56), Flagship, which sailed from Port Lyttleton, New Zealand with the other vessels of the Task Force.
From the moment of departure, Haun began his own program of observation, sketching and painting. In all, he contributed 75 paintings and sketches in various media to record the operation of men, machines and ships in the performance of a colossal job. With the elements not always favorable, his sketches were often made in the cramped cab of a D8, Weasel or Snow Cat, sometimes from the top of packing crates on the ice, in the biting wind and cold, and at times in the only available space on board the ship: the ladies' retiring room. Haun also designed the official MCB (Special) Emblem for Operation Deepfreeze I.
During the return trip of the around-the-world-cruise of the U.S.S. Arneb, Haun decorated the Crew's Recreation Room and the Officers' Wardroom. He arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, on 5 May 1956, after which he returned to Providence and his work as a free-lance artist. He died in 1975.
Born in Detroit in 1910, Standish Backus graduated form Princeton University in 1933 with a degree in architecture. He studied painting the following year at the University of Munich, and later took instruction with a watercolorist in Maine. After his return from Europe, he settled in Santa Barbara, California, and worked full-time as an artist, developing in the style of the California watercolorists who were receiving national acclaim in the 1930s.
After being commissioned as an Ensign in the inactive Naval Reserve in 1940, Backus became an active duty officer in 1941. During most of the war he was assigned to the Net and Boom Defenses, first in the South Pacific and then in Washington D.C. In 1945 he was transferred to the Bureau of Naval Personnel to assist in establishing a special Graphic Presentation Unit. Late in the War Backus was assigned to cover operations in the Pacific as a Combat Artist. Backus received promotions throughout the war, attaining the rank of Commander before returning to civilian life in May 1946.
Returning to active duty, Backus accompanied Admiral Byrd to the Antarctica for four months in 1955-56 to record images of the exploration. Labeled "Operation Deepfreeze", this expedition did preliminary work for the one in July 1956, which widely explored the Antarctic in commemoration of the Geophysical Year.Ê
During the original exhibition of paintings from Operation Deepfreeze, Backus discussed why the Navy sends artist to cover Naval activities. "The Navy appreciates that the artist, in reporting his experiences, has the opportunity to convey to his audience a large sense of realization of a subject, the artist is obliged to contemplate the subject reflectively, seeking to penetrate beyond the surface of factual representation, in order to present the true nature of the experience."
After his work for the Navy was completed Backus returned to California and continued painting while also teaching at the University of California. As a dedicated member of his community, he served on the boards of several civic and arts organizations. He died in Santa Barbara in 1989.Ê
There are 72 works by Standish Backus in the collection
Press Release, 10 January 2001 PR No. 1/2001
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the primary organisation responsible for undertaking the UK's scientific research in Antarctica, has today launched an Artists and Writers Programme giving scholars in the arts and humanities the opportunity to visit and undertake a project in the southern continent.
As part of an ongoing programme of activities by BAS to raise awareness and understanding of the extensive science it undertakes in Antarctica, this new scheme will reach out to new audiences whose interest normally lies within the arts. The new initiative is a further attempt by BAS to bridge the cultural gap between the worlds of science and the arts. Scholars from the visual arts (painting and sculpture), photography, writing (fiction and non-fiction), history, poetry, drama and music, will have the opportunity to experience the Antarctic and the scientific research carried out there first hand, and to convey, through their chosen medium, a portrayal of its unique features.
BAS Director, Professor Chris Rapley, explains: "The primary objective of this new Programme is to increase public interest and awareness of BAS science and its importance to Earth System Studies. Antarctica is central to our understanding of global issues such as climate change and ozone depletion. Scholars through this initiative will engage society in Antarctic issues in a new and different way."
The Programme will allow two candidates to visit Antarctica during the summer season (beginning October 2001 - April 2002), who will have been chosen by an independent review panel of eminent individuals from the worlds of art and science.
Key issues to be considered by applicants include: the novelty and innovation of the project, its linkage to science, the feasibility of the proposed outcome, the capabilities, professional reputation and track record of the applicant and the potential for a significant audience and the efforts made to reach it.
More information and the application form is on the BAS website at www.antarctica.ac.uk/News/ArtistsAndWriters or by contacting Roger Kidd, Email: rmki@bas.ac.uk or telephone (01223) 221230. The deadline for completed applications is 30 March 2001.
The two successful candidates will be informed if they have been short listed by April 2001, with a final decision being made by June.
Issued by British Antarctic Survey Press Office.
Press enquiries to:
Athena Dinar - Telephone: (01223) 221414, Email: amdi@bas.ac.uk or
Linda Capper - Telephone: (01223) 221448, Email: lmca@bas.ac.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS:
This new programme is one of a series of activities being organised by BAS to link the arts and sciences, which includes the successful commission of a new Antarctic Symphony by acclaimed composer, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. This will be premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in May 2001. Sir Peter spent a month living with scientists and support staff in Antarctica back in 1997/8 gaining a valuable insight into the world's greatest natural laboratory. Renowned artist David Smith has also made two visits to Antarctica with BAS, the most recent being 1979/80.
On Artists and Writers Programme:-
General information about the British Antarctic Survey:-
[From the BAS webpage]
Note: BAS is to be congratulated in launching this program. In the above press release, though, mention might have been made that the likely model for this is the highly successful program of the same name established by NSF many years ago (and that several Britons were beneficiaries of it). [See next entry.]
--R. Stephenson
Overview: To enable interpretation and presentation of the Nation's Antarctic heritage, the Foundation's Antarctic Artists & Writers Program considers requests from particularly well qualified writers, historians, artists, and other scholars in the liberal arts to work in Antarctica. This is a limited opportunity that provides field support but no direct award of funds. The successful candidate will be well-established and working full-time in the appropriate field and will have a means of presenting his or her work to the public. Ask the Polar Information Program (703-292-8031 or dfriscic@nsf.gov) for USAP Information Series No. 31, Antarctic Artists & Writers Program.
NSF Antarctic Artists & Writers Program
The Antarctic Artists & Writers Program provides opportunities for a small number of scholars in the humanities (painting, photography, writing, history, and other liberal arts) to work in Antarctica. The purpose is to utilize serious writing and the arts in order to increase understanding of the Antarctic and help document America's heritage resulting from its activities there.
These visitors will be able to make observations at U.S. Antarctic Program stations and research camps and in wilderness areas. The National Science Foundation funds and manages the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is devoted mainly to the support of scientific research.
Deadline
Applications must be received in May 2000 (not before) or postmarked by 1 June 2000 for visits during the 2001 austral winter and the 2001-2002 austral summer.
Content of NSF support
For selected applicants, the Foundation provides polar clothing on loan, travel between New Zealand or southern South America and Antarctica, and room and board and logistics in Antarctica. The applicant pays for a medical examination, possible travel to a familiarization session in the United States, and any costs of completing the work and distributing it. The National Science Foundation can provide round-trip economy air travel between a U.S. airport and New Zealand or South America. The Foundation does not award funds. Successful applicants are free to seek funds elsewhere, including from other Federal agencies.
Criteria for participation
Successful applicants will be prominent in their chosen fields, with a substantial record of critical recognition as measured by reviews of previous works, appointments to academic or professional positions, honors and awards, and the prior works themselves.
Applicants must provide a concrete plan showing that, as a result of a trip to Antarctica, a significant body of work will reach a significant audience. Many accomplished applicants find it difficult to convince the Foundation on this point. It is normally essential that an applicant collaborate with producers, publishers, art galleries, or other organizations appropriate to his or her genre to assure sufficient exposure of the results of the antarctic experience. There is no firm definition of "significant audience," but the Foundation typically considers display at major galleries, a traveling exhibition, major articles in a general circulation magazine, or a book to be sufficient.
Projects should result in works that are representative of Antarctica or of activities in Antarctica. The applicant must demonstrate that travel to Antarctica is essential to the completion of the proposed work.
Evaluation and notifications
A two-staged procedure will be used to evaluate the applications.
In stage 1 the Foundation, with the advice of a panel of experts assembled for the purpose, will identify those applicants deemed qualified to participate in the program. For each applicant, ratings of outstanding, very good, good, fair, or poor will be assigned to each of the three evaluation criteria:
Scores will be assigned to each applicant, with criterion 3 having as much weight as criteria 1 and 2 put together.
Based on the scores and on panel comments, applicants will be placed in one of two groups: those judged not qualified for the program and those who are highly ranked. Applicants will be so advised by September 2000.
In stage 2, the applicants ranked highly in stage 1 will be considered in light of their operational requirements and the ability of the U.S. Antarctic Program to meet those requirements. Most of the highly ranked applicants will be selected for participation in the U.S. Antarctic Program. Final notifications normally will be given about December 2000, and travel can begin thereafter in accordance with the approved plan.
In a typical year hundreds of people express interest in the Antarctic Artists & Writers Program and get a copy of this announcement. Roughly 12 to 22 applications are received annually; in 1998 and 1999 NSF received 32 applications, the record. Of these, typically three to six each year are found highly qualified and result in a working trip to the Antarctic.
Application procedure
To apply, send a letter to the address below. The letter and enclosures should state professional qualifications, the amount of time requested in the field and the places to be visited, and how you meet the selection criteria stated above. Samples of previous works, copies of reviews, a curriculum vitae, and copies of correspondence indicating commitments by publishers, galleries, etc., will help make the application competitive.
Familiarity with field activities in the U.S. Antarctic Program will be helpful in preparing the application. Publications describing the program are available as noted on the NSF Polar Research web site. Especially, note the program announcement written for scientists proposing research projects in the Antarctic and the operational requirements worksheets that are a part of that document. In your application, use any operational requirements worksheets that will help you explain your field needs. The manager of the Antarctic Artists & Writers Program (Guy G. Guthridge, gguthrid@nsf.gov) can be consulted when you are preparing your application.
Applications from abroad
Applications will be accepted from citizens of other Antarctic Treaty nations. An applicant must have the support of his or her own nation's antarctic program; NSF can give the address of the antarctic office in your nation, or see: http://www.comnap.aq/comnap/comnap.nsf
A plan for additional or joint field support by the non-U.S. nation will strengthen the application. The applicant must demonstrate that a significant audience will be reached in the United States. NSF does not provide airline tickets to non-U.S. applicants who are selected for participation.
Photography
Photographers submit roughly half the applications received each year. Only the most accomplished photographers demonstrating the likelihood of a very significant audience should expect to be selected.
Submit prints of at least 8 by 10 inches. Large-format photographers should submit prints in sizes representative of their work. Put your name on each picture.
Several years of panel reviews has shown that the reviewers do not respond well to slides. If you submit slides, send no more than 20 35mm slides in a 20-slide plastic sleeve (duplicates are suggested). Label each with your name. Number the slides if you want them to be viewed in a certain order.
Include sample copies of any books of your works. Because of their permanence, completeness, and accessibility, prior books and a plan to publish a book of photographs as a result of an antarctic trip will tend to strengthen an application.
Special opportunity for photographers
Photographers' applications in recent years for large projects that would result in comprehensive photographic coverage of the Antarctic have fared poorly-either because the Foundation has been unable to offer the operational support needed or because applicants with small, tightly defined projects were able to convince NSF that they would cover new and important topics and would be more easily supported in Antarctica.
Nevertheless, a well-planned proposal for a project that would result in a large, comprehensive book, Web site, and-or cd-rom documenting much of Antarctica could be attractive. NSF will be receptive to applications from U.S. photographers, who submit single-year or multiseason proposals in collaboration with photographers in other Antarctic Treaty nations, to produce a comprehensive photographic review of modern-day human activities in Antarctica.
Nena Allen. Painter. 1991. Shows at galleries in southeastern United States.
Elizabeth Arthur. Writer. 1990. Novel, Antarctic Navigation (Knopf, 1995).
Lucy Jane Bledsoe. Writer. 1999. Children's novel. Literary essays.
Arthur Beaumont. Painter. 1958. Paintings of military, historical, and other subjects.
James H. Barker. Ethnographer-photographer. 1996. Photographic documentation of the people of Antarctica.
Kenneth Bertrand. Historian. 1961. Book: Americans in Antarctica, 1775-1948 (554p., American Geographical Society, 1971). The definitive history of U.S. involvement in the Antarctic.
Alan Campbell. Painter. 1988, 1989, 1993. Watercolors and drawings displayed at shows and galleries in New Zealand, Chile, and the United States. Exhibition catalog.
Neelon Crawford. Photographer. 1989, 1991,1992, 1993, 1994. Exhibitions at galleries. Exhibition catalogs. Southern Lights Portfolio (photogravures etchings).
Leland Curtis. Artist. 1957.
Lucia deLeiris. Painter. 1985-86. 1995. 1998-99. Books: Natural History of the Antarctic Peninsula text by Sanford Moss (Columbia University Press, 1988);
Antarctic Journal text by Meredith Hooper (National Geographic, 2000);
The Island that Moved text by Meredith Hooper (Viking Press, 2004)
The Adélie Penguin: Bellwether of Climate Change text by David G. Ainley (Columbia University Press 2002). Watercolors and drawings shown at museums and galleries.
Jennifer Dewey. Painter, writer. 1985. Drawings and two illustrated children's books (The Adélie Penguin and The Wandering Albatross, Little, Brown, 1989) in her Birds of Antarctica series.
Donald Finkel. Poet. 1968. Book-length poems: Adequate Earth (Atheneum, 1972), Endurance (Atheneum, 1978). Poet Emeritus, Washington University.
Jody Forster. Photographer. 1992, 1995. Exhibitions in galleries in the American Southwest and elsewhere.
James Gorman. Writer. 1991. Book, Ocean Enough and Time: Travels in the Southern Ocean (Harper Collins, 1995).
Mariana Gosnell. Writer. 1992. A book about ice (for Knopf, nearing completion in 1999).
Louis J. Halle. Writer. 1969. Book: The Sea and the Ice, a Naturalist in Antarctica (286p., Houghton Mifflin, 1973; Cornell University Press, 1989).
Ann Parks Hawthorne. Photographer. 1990, 1994, 1996. Numerous photo credits in domestic and international books and magazines. Represented by Black Star (New York) and C&B Alexander (England).
Meredith Hooper (writer) and Lucia deLeiris (illustrator). 1998. Book on antarctic natural history emphasizing dependence of life on microscopic marine organisms (to be copublished by National Geographic and Frances-Lincoln).
Rebecca Johnson. Writer. 1991, 1994, 1997. Books for young adults: Investigating the Ozone Hole (Lerner, 1993), Science on the Ice: an Antarctic Journal (Lerner, 1995), and Women Working in Antarctica (Lerner, 1997); book on polar paleontology (forthcoming).
Stuart Klipper. Photographer. 1989, 1992, 1994, 1999. Major exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Art institute of Chicago; included in these museums' collections. Forthcoming book(John Hopkins University Press). Twice awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Daniel Lang. Painter. 1975. Paintings at galleries and museums in USA and Europe. Traveling exhibition.
Gretchen Legler. Writer. 1997. Book of literary essays, forthcoming.
Barry Lopez. Writer. 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992. Articles for Harper's (May 1989, p.43-49, "Our frail planet in cold, clear view: the South Pole as global laboratory"), Washington Post Outlook, and Orion (Winter 1994, p. 48-65, "Offshore: A Journey to the Weddell Sea"). Future book.
Sandra Markle. Writer. 1996, 1998. Children's book, Pioneering Frozen Worlds (Atheneum, 1996). Super Cool Science. South Pole Stations Past, Present, and Future (Walker and Company, 1997), Growing Up Wild: Penguins (Atheneum, 2000). Educational material on Internet, On-Line Expeditions: Antarctica (1996-) and Antarctic Journals (1998-)12. Numerous school and conference presentations.
Charles Neider. Writer. 1969, 1970, 1977. Books: Antarctica: Authentic Accounts. . .(anthology with introduction and notes, Random House, 1972; Cooper Square Press, 2000). Edge of the World: Ross Island, Antarctica (461p., Doubleday, 1974), Beyond Cape Horn: Travels in the Antarctic (387p., Sierra Club Books, 1980). Historic Guide to Ross Island.
Peter Nisbet. Painter. 1995. Landscape paintings and a book in progress.
Michael Parfit. Writer. 1984. Book: South Light, a Journey to the Last Continent (306p., Macmillan, 1986; paperback, 1987; U.K. edition, 1988). Articles in Smithsonian, National Geographic, and others.
Eliot Porter. Photographer. 1975. Photographs, traveling exhibition, and book: Antarctica (169p., E. P. Dutton, 1978).
Stephen J. Pyne. Historian. 1982. Book: The Ice: A Journey to Antarctica (448p., University of Iowa Press, 1987; Arlington Books, 1987; Ballantine Books, 1988; University of Washington Press, 1998, with new preface; Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1999). Named by the New York Times Book Review to its Best Books list for 1987.
Douglas Quin. Sound recordist; musician. 1996, 1999. Collection of natural sounds of Antarctica and production of music and CDs.
David Rosenthal. Painter. 1993, 1996. Paintings for galleries and museums in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and elsewhere.
Kim Stanley Robinson. Writer. 1995. Science fiction book Antarctica (HarperCollins UK, 1997; Bantam Books, hardback 1998, paperback July 1999).
Galen Rowell. Photographer and writer. 1992. "A most unearthly place," March 1993 Life. Book, Poles Apart: Parallel Visions of the Arctic and Antarctic (University of California Press, 1995).
Carl Safina. Writer, 2000. Book.
Emil Schulthess. Photographer. 1959. Book: Antarctica, a Photographic Survey (198p., Simon & Schuster, 1960).
William Stout. Painter and writer. 1992-1993. One-man exhibitions at various museums: 1997. Dinosaurs On Ice - William Stout's Antarctica. 1995. William Stout's Visions of Gondwana - Past and Present Life in Antarctica. 1994. William Stout - Lost Worlds. 1993. Studies From Gondwana - Landscapes and Wildlife of Antarctica. 1991-1995. Dinosaurs, Penguins, and Whales - The Wildlife of Antarctica. Numerous group shows. Forthcoming book. Lost Worlds - Prehistoric and Modern Life in Antarctica.
François Vuilleumier. Ornithologist. 1998. Book: Field Guide to the Birds of Patagonia and West Antarctica (Pica Press, forthcoming). The author is Curator, Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History.
Gabriel Warren. Sculptor. 1999. Ice-related sculptures. Indoor and outdoor exhibitions, public and private commissions. Art and landscape slide lecture tour. Forthcoming book of photography and writing.
Rachel Weiss. Sculptor, arts administrator ( chair, Arts Administration Program, Art Institute of Chicago). Arts and sciences exhibition and book Imagining Antarctica, displayed in several cities in 1986 and 1987.
James Westwater. Photochoreographer. 1977. Photographs and multimedia presentation (symphony orchestras with 3-screen slide show).
Sara Wheeler. Writer. 1994, 1995. Book, Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica (Random House, London, 1996; Vintage (paper), London, 1997; Heyne (German), 1997; Random House, New York, March 1998; Modern Library, 1999). Greetings from Antarctica (Peter Bedrick Books, July 1999).
Norbert Wu. Underwater photography. 1997, 1999.
News from Cardiff, Wales, is that the Captain Scott Society is cooperating with the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and other interested organizations to celebrate the centenary of the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration through an initiative known as "Antarctic 100." The focus will be on Captain Scott's first expedition ("Discovery") which commenced in 1901. In contributing to the celebration, the Society is commissioning a memorial to Scott and his heroic endeavors in the Antarctic. A location for the memorial in Cardiff Bay has been arranged and a fund-raising campaign is underway with a goal of £35,000. An unveiling is planned for Scott's birthday, June 6th, 2001. Those wishing to support this project may send checks, made out to "The Antarctic 100 Memorial Fund," to the Captain Scott Society, c/o The United Services Mess, Wharton Street, Cardiff CF10 1AG, UK.
The design for the memorial will be chosen in a competition. Details are included in the piece below that appeared in the February 4th issue of the South Wales Echo.
CHANCE TO MARK A GREAT MOMENT IN CITY'S HISTORY
Captain Scott was one of the most famous and admired men to have made Cardiff his base.
- All children's competition entries should be on either A4 or A3 white paper with name and address of the entrant and name and address of the school in top right hand corner.
- Adult entries may include three-dimensional models, and must include details of suitable inscriptions.
- All adult entries must be on at least A3 size white paper and include three dimensional drawings together with details of all dimensions, materials to be used, production and assembly methods and production cost estimates. Photographs of models may also be submitted.
- The design must take into consideration and be sympathetic with the intended location for the memorial in Cardiff Bay (near the Norwegian Church in front of the flagpoles).
- The design must be capable of withstanding storm force winds, sub-zero temperatures and those up to 45 degrees Celsius.
- All figures to be included should be life size or greater and suitably mounted to provide security and visual amenity.
- Designs should have at least a 100-year life span and take into consideration maintenance requirements.
- Designs should not be too abstract and must be easily identifiable with Captain Scott and the Terra Nova together with The Age of Antarctic Exploration, the centenary of which is being celebrated in 2001.
- Designs must be capable of being built and erected by April 2001.
- Send your entries with your full name and address and contact phone numbers to Captain Scott competition, c/o Jo Franklin, South Wales Echo, Thomson House, Havelock Street, Cardiff, CF10 1XR, UK, by April 30, 2000.
UPDATE: The September 2000 Newsletter of the Society reported that the winner of the competition is local artist Jonathan Williams. "The design includes the faces of those who died on the tortuous trek from the South Pole and the bows of the "Terra Nova." The finished sculpture will be 7-1/2 feet high and it will stand on a 3 feet high plinth. The whole structure will be sited close to the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay. This site overlooks the point from which the "Terra Nova" sailed for the Antarctic in 1910." The hope is that the memorial will be unveiled at the Scott Birthday celebration, 6 June 2001.
UPDATE: The Autumn 2001 Newsletter reports that "Unveiling is not now expected until mid or late 2002."
UPDATE: From the "Upcoming & Current Antarctic Events" page:
UPDATE: The sculpture was unveiled by The Princess Royal on Friday, June 6, 2003, marking the centenary of the Great Age of Antarctic Exploration. The sculptor: Jonathan Williams. The site of the work is in front of the Norwegian Church and adjacent to the lock from which the Terra Nova steamed from Cardiff Docks on its fareful voyage south.
Source: Press release from the Museum.
More on Paige may be found at
http://library.osu.edu/projects/magic-of-antarctic-colors/paige.htm
(30 March 2012)
"As you know Frank Wild died in South Africa in 1939—where a lot of my research has taken place. We know he was cremated but sadly we do not know where his ashes were buried or scattered in South Africa. (It wasn't in Brixton Cemetery as reported). In short, one of the greatest Polar explorers of the Heroic Age has no memorial other than a plaque in Bedfordshire, UK [a memorial plaque was installed in St John the Baptist Church, Eversholt, in 1973. It reads: "In Loving Memory of | Commander Frank Wild | R.N.V.R., C.B.E., F.R.G.S. | of this parish. | Freeman of the City of London, Antarctic | Explorer who accompanied Scott, Shackleton, | and Mawson on five south polar expeditions, | between 1901 and 1922."]
It has been my wish for quite some time, to have a memorial relief plaque set up in his honour in Grytviken, South Georgia, to be near his beloved Shackleton. It is also the wish of his remaining family in South Africa who believe he would have loved to have been buried beside Shackleton. The project has been met with enormous support and encouragement by the South Georgia Heritage Trust and the museum curator Elsa Davidson and we are presently deciding whether it should be placed in the church or museum. I have a free berth on a ship offered to me from Ushuaia to South Georgia in late February next year and we will have a little unveiling ceremony with some of the passengers and staff on South Georgia.
As a sculptor as well as a writer, I will be making the relief plaque in bronze and have been fortunate to be offered a free berth by a company to take me from Ushuaia to South Georgia. (I am also married to James Butler RA the sculptor which is helpful!)
I am hoping to raise funds for the project, some £1,600 in total. Is there anyway you could help me with this? Would you be prepared to post something on your excellent website where perhaps people may like to contribute to this truly important project?"
(8 November 2008)
Ms Butler has supplemented this with the following, which I have edited somewhat to remove repetitious information:
"Frank Wild was one of the greatest Polar explorers of the Heroic Age. He made five expeditions to Antarctica, and accompanied Sir Ernest Shackleton on all three of his expeditions.
Frank Wild's achievements during this period contributed to some of the most significant events in Polar history. His 'furthest south' march during the Nimrod expedition, his leadership of the Western Base party on Mawson's Aurora expedition and his guardianship of the 22 men left on Elephant Island during the Endurance expedition, exemplify a few of his outstanding accomplishments. He is the only Polar explorer to be awarded the Polar Medal with four silver clasps.
He died in Klerksdorp in South Africa in 1939 where he spent the last 16 years of his life. Following his funeral at Braamfontein Cemetery, Johannesburg, on the 19th August—not Brixton Cemetery as usually quoted—his ashes were taken by Hobkirks, the funeral directors for 'safe keeping.' As to what happened to them after that, for now, remains a mystery. If there was a memorial plaque placed in the Wall of Rememberance in Braamfontein, as suggested, it is long gone. Although my research shows that this is unlikely.
I have been researching Frank Wild for the past four years, in particular his time in South Africa. … It seems fitting that he should be remembered on the island where he led a small party to erect the cairn and cross at Hope Point in memory of Shackleton and where his beloved 'Boss' is buried in the little cemetery.
… I shall be designing and modelling the bas relief plaque which will portray Frank Wild and his relevant dates. …
I have also been fortunate to be offered a free berth … from Ushuaia to South Georgia in late February 2009 and on arriving on South Georgia we will set up the plaque either in the church or museum (still to be decided) and have a short unveiling ceremony.
I shall be personally covering the majority of costs of this project, however, if any organisations, Trusts, Societies or Associations relevant to Antarctica and Polar history would like to contribute to the bronze casting costs which will be in the region of £1,600, this would be most welcome."
She has also provided a sketch of how the plaque might appear.
"Had a great time setting the plaque up in South Georgia. It is is the church—at the back—up the stairs and on the wall behind the gallery; but I might suggest to Elsa [Davidson] the curator that it should go into the new building that now houses the replica of the James Caird, etc. it is very light and airy. The plaque was very well received by everyone. The passengers (some 40) gathered in the church and we read a couple of Shackleton poems, one of the historians made a speech and then we drank a tot of rum!!."
Account Number: 23478136
Sort Code: 53 61 47
IBAN: GB63 NWBK 5361 4723 4781 36
Please write "Duncan Carse Bust Appeal" on the back on the cheque, or refer to the Appeal on the electronic transfer.
"Duncan Carse's extraordinary contribution to the Island of South Georgia will remain as one of the most important in the history of the island. His toughness, endurance, single-minded determination, integrity, loyalty and amusing sense of humour will be remembered fondly by many South Georgia veterans."
Any surplus funds raised by this Appeal will be used in a way that further enhances our knowledge, understanding and record of Duncan Carse and the men of the South Georgia Surveys.
(26 November 2007)
"The aim of this research is first to collect evidence of what the scientists, and others who have worked in Antarctica have observed and responded to in the landscape; second to devise an on-line animated interface through which to engage viewers with both the science and poetics of the data. Animation will be used to increase understanding of changes in Antarctic landscape as identified in the records and accounts provided by Antarctic base workers - the people who have studied it, and physically endured a full year of its changing landscape."
Among the more interesting sections is The Antarctic Thesarus which "aims to animate the Antarctic landscape through the eyes of those who have observed and experienced its changes; to enliven our understanding of what is happening in this icy desert. Links are made between The Antarctic Thesarus and some of the words from The Antarctic Dictionary." Included are some appealing images.
Lisa e-mails to say:
As I have begun in earnest now to build the thesaurus, to give voice to those who have worked South - including artists - I am very keen to have people contribute material.
I would also value feedback on the project, from anyone interested in the Antarctic, to comment on the (b)Log.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS SITE?
1. You can email me and send images about your Antarctic work, and we can find or make a place for it in the Thesaurus.
2. You may have data conducive to being animated that you allow me to explore, to visually illuminate what you have seen, or are are presently looking at, in the landscape.
3. If you have worked in Antarctica, you may have a story you would like to share that illustrates what you were aware of in the landscape - the weather conditions, the wild life, living conditions etc.
4. You can read entries in this Log and write a comment.
E-mail: lisa@lisaroberts.com.au
(26 August 2006)
TERRA ANTARCTICA; LOOKING INTO THE EMPTIEST CONTINENT by William L. Fox. (San Antonio: Trinity University Press, 2005.) 312pp. $35. ISBN: 1-595340-15-7. Web:
http://tupress.trinity.edu
Acknowledgments
Preface
Map
1. The Mirror & the Eye
2. The Eye & the Mirror
3. Transantarctica I
4. From Chart to Art
5. The Physical Plant
6. Navigating Nature
7. Pole
8. The History of Ice
9. Transantarctica II
10. Orbiting Antarctica
11. On the Mountain of Myth
12. From Art to Chart
13. On the Edge of Time
Bibliography
Index
"The Antarctic is famously the harshest ontinent; everyone who has ever visited it would fit into a football stadium. Terra Antarctica traces how humans have attempted to comprehend the most alien place on the planet, a continent that our species is superbly ill-equipped even to imagine, much less live on.
"Penguins are driven to journey across Antarctica's forbidding landscape. What brings humans to Antarctica? How do they make sense of the continent's vast emptiness?
William L. Fox is the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and the author of several books, including The Black Rock Desert and The Void, the Grid, and the Sign: Traversing the Great Basin. He has been a visiting scholar at the Getty Research Institute and a Lannan Foundation Writer in Residence. He lives in Burbank, California."
• hikes solo over snow and ice, past the edge of the mapped world
• makes unnerving snowmobile trips through whiteouts
• camps on the volcano Mount Erebus in a hurricane
(19 April 2003)
(18 September 2003)
Artists who have works slated to be reproduced in the book will in a few
days receive e-mails from me about preparations for reproduction.
Some of you may know that an essay of mine called "Leaving the Ice" appeared
in the January/February issue of Orion Magazine (on the front cover it's
referred to as "Out of Antarctica". Go figure). Anyway, it's handsomely
illustrated with photos by Stuart Klipper and Bill Sutton. You can find the
magazine at www.oriononline.org, although the essay is not online."
(12 April 2004)
(20 August 2005)
Photo by Kim Griggs whose article "Antarctic Hero 'reunited' with Cat"
can be seen at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3818613.stm
FORGOTTEN FELINE AND HEROES OF THE ICE PACK
(26 June 2004)
Getting to Antarctica
Each section has several thumbnails that can be enlarged, title, artist, date, medium, description, etc.
Clothing in Antarctica
Icebreaking: The Way through the Bay
Offloading the Ships
Tractors Pull Through
Seabees at Work
Two Tragedies
LTCDR Jack Bursey Heads Trail Party
Life in Camp
Amazing Antarctica
Coming Home
Robert Charles Haun (1903-1975)
--R. Stephenson
Standish Backus (1910-1989)
(19 April 2003)
BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY LAUNCHES ITS ARTISTS AND WRITERS PROGRAMME
The Programme specifically excludes those wishing to visit the Antarctic as journalists or documentary filmmakers who should make separate application under the BAS Media Programme. Please contact Linda Capper at BAS Press office as above.
British Antarctic Survey (BAS) undertakes a world-class programme of science in the Antarctic and related regions, addressing key global and regional issues through research, survey and monitoring. BAS also helps to discharge the UK's international responsibilities under the Antarctic Treaty System. In so doing BAS sustains for the UK an active and influential regional presence, and a leadership role in Antarctic affairs, especially concerning environmental protection and management.
BAS has a complement of over 400 staff half of which are deployed in the Antarctic during the southern summer. Scientific programmes and logistics are co-ordinated from the BAS Headquarters in Cambridge, the hub of communications with research stations, ships and aircraft. BAS HQ houses offices, a range of laboratories and workshops, in which science programmes are planned and the results analysed.
British Antarctic Survey is responsible for most of the UK's research in Antarctica. It is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council. More information about the work of the Survey can be found on our website: www.antarctica.ac.uk
NSF ANTARCTIC ARTISTS & WRITERS PROGRAM [Adapted from the NSF webpage -- http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/]
1. capabilities of the applicant
2. value of the proposed trip and work
3. likelihood of a significant audience
PARTICIPANTS ANTARCTIC ARTISTS & WRITERS PROGRAM [Note: many of those listed below have websites which are linked on the NSF webpage -- http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/]
Application address:
Antarctic Artists & Writers Program
National Science Foundation, room 755
Arlington, Virginia 22230 USA
Program Manager: Guy G. Guthridge, Manager, Antarctic Information
703-292-9079 fax gguthrid@nsf.gov
CAPTAIN SCOTT "ANTARCTIC 100" MEMORIAL, CARDIFF BAY
by Jo Franklin
Scott ofthe Antarctic as he was otherwise known sailed from Cardiff to conquer the Antarctic in 1910 and never returned.
Today the Echo has teamed up with the Cardiff-based Captain Scott Society to
launch a competition for people to make their mark on the city by designing a
historic memorial commemorating Captain Scott.
There is a £1,000 prize for the person whose design is chosen to be built in Cardiff Bay, at the exact spot where Scott's ship left Cardiff.
Children, too, can enter the competition with a £100 and £50 voucher up for grabs to spend on their own adventure gear at Blacks.
On June 15, 1910, the British Antarctic Expedition led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott made its final journey from Cardiff Docks on the ship, the Terra Nova.
Prior to the departure Scott had launched a national appeal for funds and the money donated by the City of Cardiff and South Wales exceeded that contributed by any other city in the UK.
It was in recognition of this generosity that Scott designated the city as the home port of the Terra Nova in addition to being the port of departure for the expedition.
But he was never to return.
Bitter cold and snow trapped Scott and his companions in their tent, making it impossible to reach their food station.
But history considers him a hero none-the-less for braving the odds to conquer the unknown and capture the imaginations of Britons.
In the last 100 years Antarctica has grown in world importance from the last great unknown wilderness to the largest science laboratory in the world.
Much of this development can be traced back to the exploits of the heroic leaders of expeditions to the white wilderness, like Scott.
Next year will mark 100 years since Scott's first expedition in 1901 and a nationwide celebration of the age of exploration is being held, called Antarctic 100.
The Cardiff-based Captain Scott Society's memorial forms part of that celebration.
The actual statue will be chosen from the adult entries (aged over 16).
But the competition is also open to children, with prizes for the best design by a nine to 11-year-old and a 12 to 16 year-old.
The deadline for entries is April 30, 2000.
For further information, call Julian Salisbury, of the Captain Scott 'Society, on 01222 754830.
COMPETITION DETAILS
--17 October 2000
UNVEILING OF SCOTT MEMORIAL IN CARDIFF
The long-awaited memorial to Captain Scott and the Polar Party will be unveiled in Cardiff on Friday 6 June 2003 at 12:15 pm by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal. The work is referred to as the Antarctic 100 Memorial. Sculpted by Jonathan Williams, the "work was commissioned by the Captain Scott Society to commemorate the City of Cardiff's substantial investment in Scott's important, scientific and, ultimately, tragic British Antarctic Expedition, 1910. The design won a competition organised by the Society in conjunction with the South Wales Echo. ... The sculpture is cast of glass reinforced plastic and clad in irregular pieces of white and grey glazed ceramic tile, evoking the shimmering harshness of the frozen landscape they encountered. The surface is similar to that of some of the works of Gaudi in Barcelona which have survived a century of close public scrutiny. The Memorial is intended to be presented as a gift to the City of Cardiff, to be positioned beside the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay."
The event is being held in association with the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.
--Adapted from the Captain Scott Newsletter, Autumn 2003.