Exhibit echoes Antarctic

With the recent success of the documentary “March of the Penguins”

came a revival in public interest about Antarctica.

Although the timing is coincidental, the Newport Harbor Nautical

Museum opened its latest exhibit, “Echoes in the Ice,” Sept. 23. The

exhibit, which tells stories of many different explorers who have

traveled to Antarctica, features collage artwork by photographer and

documentarian Rik van Glintenkamp.

“He’s been fascinated with Antarctica since he was a little kid,”

museum Executive Director David Muller said of the artist.

Van Glintenkamp, now 68, wrote a letter at age 7 to Richard E.

Byrd, a well-known explorer who made numerous Arctic and Antarctic

journeys in the 1920s through the 1950s. In his letter, van

Glintenkamp asked to go along on an expedition, writing that he was a

good artist and would contribute to the journey by recording what

they saw with his drawings.

The admiral eventually sent the young van Glintenkamp a response

on official Department of the Navy stationary, and told him that with

the evolution of technology, explorers were taking photographers

rather than artists along on expeditions.

But van Glintenkamp’s fascination with the Antarctic stuck.

After a successful career as a commercial fashion photographer and

an award-winning documentary filmmaker, he began to revisit the

mystery of Antarctica.

His collages developed from ideas for a series of documentaries

about the Antarctic and the heroic men who traveled there throughout

history.

Although Byrd’s expeditions are well explored in van Glintenkamp’s

works, he also tells the stories of explorers Ernest Shackleton,

James Cook, Douglas Mawson, Adrian de Gerlache and Jean-Baptiste

Charcot.

Van Glintenkamp “would look for things that specifically represent

each explorer and what that explorer was looking for,” Muller said.

“Each piece tells its own story.... As a visitor, it’s important to

take some time, step back for a couple of minutes and really take in

what that artwork is trying to say.”

Muller said the lighting and the overall architecture of the

exhibit was designed to emotionally engage viewers.

“It’s a very dramatic subject, and it should have a dramatic

treatment,” van Glintenkamp said. “The museum takes great interest in

showing it right; it was beautifully done.”

“Echoes in the Ice” has been traveling the world nearly 10 years,

but it changes with each venue.

“Every show is very, very different and that’s what keeps it

fresh,” said Lois Steinhardt, the show’s curator, adding that van

Glintenkamp is always creating new pieces.

Steinhardt said 45 of the 90 works are on display at the Nautical

Museum, along with artifacts from the Byrd Polar Research Institute

at the Ohio State University and footage from Byrd’s Oscar-winning

film documenting his experiences in Antarctica.

“When we came to Newport, and we saw the space, I felt that we

could do something very different,” she said.

Steinhardt said she works to tailor each show to the space, while

fulfilling the venue’s statement or educational mission. The show,

she said, was designed to come full circle, starting and ending with

a dramatic thermal image of the earth showing a hole in the ozone

layer bigger than Antarctica.

“I just wanted people to see the importance of the Antarctic now,”

she said. “The Antarctic is so important to our future. Our planet is

fragile.”

Steinhardt said “Echoes in the Ice” explores a fascinating subject

that she believes will intrigue children and adults. She also said

the originality of van Glintenkamp’s presentation allows the public

to see what he experienced in an artistic and poetic approach.

“To me, it’s about art and poetry,” she said. “Rik’s work is

extremely poetic.”

For more information on the show, visit o7www.echoesintheice.com.

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IF YOU GO

* WHAT: “Echoes in the Ice,” an art exhibit that displays images

of explorers who traveled to Antarctica

* WHEN: Tuesdays through Sundays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sept. 23

through Feb. 26

* WHERE: Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, 151 East Coast Highway,

Newport Beach

* INFO: (949) 675-8915 or o7www.nhnm.org

f7”ECHOES IN THE ICE” LECTURE SERIES AND COLLAGE WORKSHOPS

* Oct. 6: Lecture by artist Rik van Glintenkamp, who will present

slides about his artwork and travel to Antarctica. Van Glintenkamp

will also sign his posters and books, available at the gift shop and

during the lecture, which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Cost is

$7 for museum members, $10 for nonmembers.

* Oct. 5 and Nov. 2: Lecture by Marine Biologist Nancy Caruso, a

local professional marine biologist with the California Coastkeeper

Alliance, who will present “Antarctica: Adventure, Adversity and

Adaptation.” Discover the early explorers, extreme weather and

diverse life of the polar region with this fascinating two-hour

class, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Cost is $20 for museum members

and $25 for nonmembers.

* Oct. 19, Nov 2, and Nov. 16: Collage workshops with Rik van

Glintenkamp -- Turn memories into art by combining photographs,

newspaper clippings and other mementos into a collage. Each workshop

includes a walk-through of the exhibit with the artist and two hours

of work time and instruction. Workshops are scheduled to begin at 2

p.m. Cost is $20 for members and $25 for nonmembers. For adults only.

* LINDSAY SANDHAM is the news assistant. She can be reached at

(714) 966-4625 or o7lindsay.sandham@latimes.comf7.