Camille Seaman, Dirty Iceberg, Cape Bird
Antarctica, December 25, 2006
The tremendous physical and climatic differences between the Arctic and the Antarctic are not always apparent in photographs. Both regions are consistently depicted as majestic yet desolate places, composed of daunting cold and perilous terrain. Despite-or perhaps because of-their difficult conditions, the polar regions have attracted many adventurous, visionary personalities throughout history, and they continue to attract many contemporary artists and scientists. The story told in these exhibitions opens with the mid-nineteenth century search through terra incognita for an ice-free polar sea and closes with the monumental images of icebergs created by contemporary photographer Camille Seaman (www.camilleseaman.com).
Frederick E. Nelson, a professor in the UD Department of Geography, was the expert consultant for Poles Apart. Asked to comment on the significance of both exhibitions, Nelson responded: “They illustrate the grandeur of polar landscapes, document human incursions into the Arctic and Antarctic, and reveal the varied motives for polar exploration. They also bear witness to technological advances that have made the Antarctic and Arctic accessible to humans and vulnerable to their activities.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's review of the photographs appearing in Poles Apart sets an appropriate tone to contemplate both the history and the future of the polar regions: “They testify to the force that Earth's extremities have imposed on the human psyche. [These] icy, desolate regions once represented the ultimate test of human survival, immutable and unforgiving lands that could crush and consume ships, lives and spirits. Today, though, the rapidly warming polar climates also represent something quite the opposite: the delicate and interconnected nature of the planet and the harsh effect human progress is having on it”
The exhibitions are part of the University of Delaware's contribution to the International Polar Year 2007-2008. They will be on view in the University Gallery, Old College, on the Newark Campus from September 9 to December 7. They are open to the public free of charge. Gallery hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 11-4; Wednesdays 11-8; Saturday and Sundays 1-4. For programs and additional information, please see our website: udel.edu/museums or call 302-831-8037.
The public is invited, Wednesday, September 24, to attend the programs that are offered in conjunction with these exhibitions:
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
5 pm: Lecture by Camille Seaman: Melting Away: The Last Iceberg
Theater, Trabant Student Center
6 pm: Opening Reception, University Gallery
RSVP: universitymuseums@udel.edu
September 24, 2008
7:30 pm: Lecture by Michael F. Robinson: The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration and American Culture
Gore Recital Hall
Louise and David Roselle Center for the Performing Arts
Reception to follow
Friday, October 17, 2008 and Wednesday, November 12, 2008
5 pm: Gallery Talk by Professor Frederick Nelson, Department of Geography
Information and location information: www.udel.edu/museums or 302-831-8037
Camille Seaman: The Last Iceberg was organized by the National Academy of Sciences. Poles Apart presents a variant of Photographs from the Ends of the Earth, organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and curated by Lisa Hostetler. The photographs, maps and paintings in Poles Apart appear courtesy of the American Geographical Society Library (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) and the American Geographical Society of New York City. These exhibitions and related events are made possible through a partnership between the University of Delaware's W.S. Carlson International Polar Year Events and the University Museums.