OVERVIEW
We have been accepted to The Arctic Circle, a three-week international residency program to take place this fall aboard an ice-class Barquentine tallship—we will cruise and explore the High Arctic, departing Svalbard, Norway, just ten degrees from the North Pole! The program invites artists, scientists, educators, and architects to collectively explore a region of the Arctic and respond to this experience in their work. We applied for the residency indepently, never having met one another; since then we’ve developed a mutual respect for each other’s discipline and creative work. We celebrate the unlikely seripity that two New Mexico desert rat artists were chosen for this once-in-a-lifetime polar expedition by sea! We want to see polar bears, killer whales, walruses, arctic fox, and the giant lion’s mane jellyfish! We want to interact with our new colleagues who have similar interests and might become collaborators. We seek to stand on top of the world, uring hardships to attain it (as past Arctic explorers have), to obtain a clearer perspective of our world beneath. We will make brilliant artwork both during and after this momentous experience and mount an exhibition of the work here in New Mexico.

IMPLEMENTATION
The grant will assist in covering airfare and the Arctic Circle residency program fees. We will also buy materials with which to create our work.

DETAILS
The Arctic Circle expedition takes place Sept. 28 – Oct. 15, 2012. Work resulting from the voyage will progress through the winter and we hope to exhibit it in 2013.

IMPACT
Our work relies heavily on interactions with the environment. Georg creates esoteric, sculptural devices inspired by specific locations and historical accounts—devices whose meticulous craftsmanship ls them authority as functional implements, but which upon inspection may seem absurd or uncanny. Wood engages in immersive performances that address ideas of survival and belonging, sometimes mimicking the tactics of other, better-adapted creatures; these surreal, sometimes comical, actions provide imagery for her realist paintings. The Arctic will provide unfathomable material and inspiration for our indepent and collaborative projects.