Spotlight
Professor Crawford to Travel to the Arctic
Professor Barbara Crawford, art history and studio art professor at Southern Virginia University, will embark on an 18-day expeditionary residency to the High Arctic on September 30, 2018.
Crawford will be part of The Arctic Circle’s 2018 Autumn Art & Science Expedition, a program that unites scientists, innovators, educators and artists as they live and work together on a Barquentine Tall Ship and sail the waters of Svalbard, one of the northernmost inhabited areas in the world.
The unique variety of professionals will provide opportunities to collaborate while participants also work on personal projects. “We’re like-minded in that we’re interested in the Arctic,” Crawford said. “You’re going to take something from this and bring it back and share it in your science, in your writing, in your music or in your art.”
Since the Arctic Circle program began in 2009, it has been one of Crawford’s top goals to participate. She applied and was accepted as an artist two years ago and will be dedicating her experience to research and preparation for an exhibit scheduled for the summer of 2019. The exhibit will be held at the St. Francis Museum in Italy, with its theme the examination of the past, present and future of the Arctic.
In Crawford’s absence, her classes will be conducted by guest speakers. When she returns, she plans to share what she learns with the Southern Virginia community. “I hope it inspires students to think beyond their comfort zones,” said Crawford.
Professor Barbara Crawford would like to express thanks to the 2016 Michael & Kay Elton Lectureship for Outstanding Teaching and Scholarship, which has provided funding for this trip, and the Southern Virginia University administration for its support.