Anneli Skaar - November 3, 2016
Posted on Nov 03, 2016
West Bay Rotary
November 3, 2016
Anneli Skaar
Creative Director Farnsworth Museum
Artist/graphic designer
Anneli has a very strong interest in the Arctic and has done a lot of art that is based on that.
Used winter as a theme in her work – did a show around it.
She wanted to go somewhere & get an art residency.
Lived in Norway as a young adult - thought it would be a good place to consider.
Svalbard – 800 miles to the north pole
Found a residency there
She lived in a former mining settlement that now has a lot of tourism
She was living at the gallery
She wasn’t allowed to leave town without someone who had a shotgun because of bears.
Very well wired, high tech place, but very isolated.
Not allowed to die or give birth there.
You can’t be buried there as a result of the permafrost
Hospital – 9 hospital beds
If there is something serious, you get flown to the mainland.
At the hospital they can do operations over wifi with physician in Norway.
Arctic areas have become politically loaded areas as a result of shipping routes, etc as a result of global warming.
Financed this trip largely on pre-sales of paintings –
Returned and wanted to do something like this again.
Dan Bookham told her about an Icelandic shipping co that is based in Portland
She did a residency on a ship
She left in February 2016 – she was hazed by the crew - they fed her lamb testicles
It is a very difficult life on the ship & it all revolves around the cook.
All of the social time revolves around the table
All Icelandic crew – very welcoming and friendly
It is dangerous on board the ship
It is not for the faint of heart
She learned about the idea “Old Sea” sky is clear but the ocean is rough from an old storm.
Everyone believed that there was a ghost on board the ship.
Outside of Iceland the water gets very choppy close to shore.
Q&A
Svalbard – wanted to pick a good time to go. Light or dark.
End of January to February – Civil twilight. The light was very beautiful
How many other women on the ship?
One other woman who was the engineer – her nickname was grandma dragon. Missing a finger that a fish got.
Did you run into bears? No
Did you see other ships?
Very rarely – maybe 2 – The route is dominated mostly by that specific company
You realize that you’re out of range of anything but other ships. There was no safety training. Feeling so connected with technology and but we were blip on a screen
Safety change after El faro? She doesn’t really know. The captain said – you had free range of the ship, but if you do anything that will put my crew in danger you are headed to your room.
Plans to do another trip?
Headed to Greenland in April
Buckets on the table – food pantry needs money for turkey dinners
Peter away next week – Mike will run the meeting.
November 17 – Myrotary.com sign up
Sandy will send registration sign ups to members
Community Service Update – Pretty busy
Finished work on the toboggan chute, finished painting picnic tables – habitat for humanity November 19.
More labor than paint – basic construction.
Hospitality House – working on a walking path around the property. We are installing a yellow heart for fundraising.
West Bay donates a tree to Camden for Christmas
Next Wednesday – monthly community service meeting. Review of foundation funding requests.
Best of the Best – November 16
Foundation Seminar for the district – November 19
Ron Hall – EREY
Steve Daily, Bill Hartman, Chase Lasbury, Kim Milton
Benefactor Society – leaving $1,000 or more to the Rotary Intl Foundation
Noel Cox, Etienne Perret, Suzanne Scott & Ron Hall
Christmas Trees
November 23-25 unload trees from the trucks
Maine Sport – starts the day after Thanksgiving
Tim Lawson – Unique original Christmas Cards that can be purchased on behalf of WBR
Interact – yes not sure when
Jim Potter – Vocational Committee completed 16th annual entrepreneurship class.
Polio Plus – sending check in to the west bay rotary foundation
Setting up an investment account – will be going with Charlie White