U.S. Antarctic Program Information
No. 31
13 September 1994
The Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, a part of the U.S. Antarctic Program, provides opportunities for a small number of scholars in the humanities (painting, photography, writing, history, and other liberal arts) to work in Antarctica. These visitors will be able to make observations at U.S. stations and research camps, along transportation routes, and in wilderness areas in order to create works that portray the region or present and past human activities there.
The purpose of this program 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.
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 of course the works themselves.
Applicants must provide a concrete plan and written proof that, as a result of a trip to Antarctica, they will produce a significant body of work that 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 hard and fast definition of "significant audience," but the National Science Foundation typically considers display at major galleries, a traveling exhibition, major articles in a general circulation magazine, or a book to be sufficient.
Art and other humanities projects should result in works that are representative of Antarctica or of activities in Antarctica. The applicant must demonstrate to the Foundation that travel to Antarctica is essential to the completion of the proposed work.
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 is responsible for all other expenses, including a medical examination, travel expenses between home and the place of embarkation, travel to a required 3-day orientation in the Washington, D.C., area (NSF pays for room and board during the orientation), any special gear required in the field, and any costs of completing the work and distributing it. The National Science Foundation can consider providing round-trip economy air travel between the home airport and New Zealand or South America if the selected applicant is otherwise qualified but unable to finance this travel. The Foundation does not award funds to successful applicants, but applicants are free to seek funds elsewhere, including from other Federal agencies.
To apply, one should write a letter to:
Polar Information Program, room 755
This letter and enclosures should demonstrate the
applicant's professional qualifications, indicate the
amount of time requested in the field and the places to
be visited, and show how the applicant meets the
selection criteria stated elsewhere in this document.
Samples of previous works, copies of reviews, a
curriculum vitae, and copies of correspondence
indicating commitments by publishers, galleries, etc.,
are required.
Familiarity with the way field activities are carried
out in the U.S. Antarctic Program will be helpful in
preparing the application. Preliminary inquiries (703
306 1031) will be accepted.
The next available opportunity to visit Antarctica will
be during the 1996 austral winter (Antarctic Peninsula
area only) and the 1996-1997 austral summer season.
Applications must be received by 1 June 1995.
A two-staged procedure will be used to evaluate the
applications.
In stage 1, the Foundation 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:
Numerical 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 October 1995.
In stage 2, the applicants who were highly ranked 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. Some,
none, or all of the highly ranked applicants will be
selected for travel to Antarctica. Notifications will
be given no earlier than February 1994, and travel can
begin thereafter in accordance with the approved plan.
Nena Allen. Painter. 1991. Shows at galleries in
southeastern United States.
Elizabeth Arthur. Writer. 1990. Knopf will publish
her novel Antarctic Navigation in January 1994.
Arthur Beaumont. Painter. 1958. Paintings of
antarctic military, historical, and other subjects.
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, 1994.
Watercolors and drawings displayed at shows and
galleries in New Zealand and in the United States.
Exhibition catalog.
Neelon Crawford. Photographer. 1989, 1991, 1992,
1993, 1994. Exhibitions at galleries in New York,
Baltimore, Washington. Southern Lights Portfolio
(photogravures).
Lucia deLeiris. Painter. 1985. Book (with author
Sanford Moss): Natural History of the Antarctic
Peninsula (Columbia University Press, 1988);
watercolors and drawings shown at museums and gal-
leries,
Jennifer Dewey. Painter, writer. 1985. Drawings and
two illustrated children's books (The Ad‚lie Penguin
and The Wandering Albatross, Little, Brown, 1989) in
her Birds of Antarctica series. A third book, On the
Edge, is planned.
Donald Finkel. Poet. 1968. Book-length poems:
Adequate Earth (Atheneum, 1972), Endurance (Atheneum,
1978). Poet Emeritus, Washington University.
Jody Forster. Photographer. 1992. Exhibitions in
galleries in the American Southwest and elsewhere.
James Gorman. Writer. 1991. Book, The Southern
Ocean, to be published by Harper Collins in 1994.
Mariana Gosnell. Writer. 1992. A book about ice.
Louis J. Halle. Writer. 1969. Book: The Sea and the
Ice, a Naturalist in Antarctica (286p., Houghton
Mifflin., 1973; paperback reprint by Cornell University
Press, 1989).
Ann Parks Hawthorne. Photographer. 1990, 1994.
Numerous credits in magazines. Represented by Black
Star.
Rebecca Johnson. Writer. 1991, 1994. Lerner will
publish two books for young adults: Investigating the
Ozone Hole in 1993 and a book about antarctic
scientists in 1994.
Stuart Klipper. Photographer. 1989, 1992, 1994.
Exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art and other
locations. Two Guggenheim fellowships. Future book of
high latitude photographs.
Daniel Lang. Painter. 1975. Paintings at galleries
and museums in USA and Europe. Traveling exhibition.
Barry Lopez. Writer. 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992.
Articles for Harper's and Washington Post Outlook.
Future book. Mr. Lopez is the award-winning author of
Arctic Dreams (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1987).
Charles Neider. Writer. 1969, 1970, 1977. Books:
Edge of the World: Ross Island, Antarctica (461p.,
Doubleday, 1974), Beyond Cape Horn: Travels in the
Antarctic (387p., Sierra Club Books, 1980).
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). Reprinted 1988 by Ballantine Books. Praised
by the New York Times Book Review (one of the 16 best
books of 1987), Scientific American, and others.
David Rosenthal. Painter. 1993. Paintings for
galleries and museums in Alaska and the Pacific
Northwest.
Galen Rowell. Photographer and writer. 1992. With
Barbara Rowell, an illustrated book about Antarctica.
Also: ``A most unearthly place,'' March 1993 Life.
Emil Schulthess. Photographer. 1959. Book: Antarcti-
ca, a Photographic Survey (198p., Simon & Schuster,
1960). A classic, depicting both antarctic scenes and
human activities there.
William Stout. Painter and writer. 1992-1993.
Exhibition and book, Lost World: Prehistoric and Modern
Life in Antarctica.
Rachel Weiss. Sculptor, arts administrator. Conceived
and produced the arts and sciences exhibition Imagining
Antarctica, displayed in several cities in 1986 and
1987. A book of that title was published.
James Westwater. Photographer. 1977. Photographs and
multimedia presentation (symphony orchestras with 3-
screen slide show).
Sara Wheeler. Writer. 1994-1995. Book, Terra
Incognita: the Human Culture of Antarctica.
Years indicate time(s) of antarctic travel.
For further information:
Polar Information Program, room 755
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson BoulevardDeadline
Selection criteria; notifications
ARTISTS AND WRITERS IN THE U.S. ANTARCTIC PROGRAM
National Science Foundation
Arlington, Virginia 22230
703 306 0139 fax
dfriscic@nsf.gov
