Maker Unidentified, George C. Leighton, Gigantic Iceberg Seen by the Arctic Ships—From a Sketch by an Officer of the Valorous from The Illustrated London News, 1875, wood engraving, 11 1/8 x 15 1/4 inches (sheet). Osher Map Library, University of Southern Maine.

The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration in American Culture

March 14 through June 21, 2009

In honor of the International Polar Year (March 2007 through March 2009), the Portland Museum of Art will present an exhibition of the story of Arctic exploration during its peak years from 1850 to 1910. Drawn from the collection of the Osher Map Library at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, the exhibition will feature more than 35 maps, books, prints, and other graphics dedicated to the arctic explorer. The Coldest Crucible will paint a new portrait of polar voyagers, removing them from the icy backdrop of the Arctic and setting them within the tempests of American cultural life.

Accompanying The Coldest Crucible on the Museum’s second floor will be Polar Dispatches, an installation of 18 contemporary works that will explore polar geography in a variety of ways, from specific encounters recorded in sound and image, to poetic abstractions in prints, drawings, and works on paper.

Press Release

Checklist

Images

Polar Dispatches Checklist