Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camp Collection: Online Repository and Virtual Gallery  (Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camp Collection)

Outline
Athabasca University (AU) is partnering with Writing on the Ridge (WOTR) to promote wilderness preservation and to raise awareness about one of North America’s few remaining intact wilderness areas - the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area (M-KMA). Writing on the Ridge (WOTR) has created a program - the Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camp - that provides opportunities for Artists to experience the natural history of the M-KMA. The Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camps bring aboriginal and non-aboriginal artists working in a variety of disciplines (visual art, writing, performance art, photography) into the wilderness area with the hope that the dialogue the artists begin, and the artwork they produce, will maintain awareness of the M-KMA. Each year’s camps reserves 2 spaces for artists under the age of 18. AU proposes to develop an online repository to host each year’s artwork. High resolution images of the artwork, and sound recordings of the literature produced will be searchable to an on-line audience. The website will also include features on the artists who participate, and a blog to encourage dialogue on art and wilderness. AU will also develop a virtual gallery for each year’s artwork and capture it on a DVD. The first DVD will be produced in 2008 to celebrate and promote International Polar Year. It will include artwork and literature from the 2006-2007 camps and AU hopes to share it at the International Arctic and Social Sciences Association (IASSA) Conference in Nuuk, Greenland in August 2008. The DVD will also be mailed to museums, galleries, educational institutions, and libraries so they can share the virtual gallery with local audiences around the globe.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The actual artwork will be placed in a permanent collection and a book will document the camps, establishing a legacy for Northerners, Aboriginal Communities, and all Canadians. The online Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camp Collection will encourage a wider audience to continue to be engaged with the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area. As the metadata for the collection will be compatible with Dublin Core metadata standard, it will be easy to transfer this collection to future systems, keeping it viable over the years. As well, the metadata will allow the collection to be harvested from other institutions and repositories.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Will collaborate with the University of the Arctic to distribute the virtual gallery on DVD. Will also present at the IASSA conference in Nuuk, Greenland in August 2008.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camps take place in the Muskwa-Kechika Management area, which is located in the Rocky Mountains of north central British Columbia, Canada, and covers over 64 million hectares. The Artist Camp participants are brought in by helicopter into the camp from Muncho Lake, British Columbia, Canada.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 07/08 – 08/08      07/09 – 08/09      07/10 – 08/10
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
This project requires helicopter support for transporting the participants and gear into the area. These resources can not be usefully shared with other projects.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
The online gallery will provide a legacy of artwork and literature and the accompanying metadata will be transferable to future systems making it accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime. The artwork will belong to a permanent collection. The Artist Camps themselves operate from a leave-no-trace perspective, meaning that there will be no legacy of infrastructure in the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Commercial operator
Own support

Athabasca University will use its IT expertise to create the online gallery, DVD and other digital projects. The Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camp is run by Writing on the Ridge (WOTR) and Wayne Sawchuk of Muskwa-Kechika Adventures and they will coordinate the logistics of the Artist Field Camps

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
An application is currently under review for IPY funding for Communication, Training, and Outreach. The project has been endorsed by the Canada Virtual University and by University of the Arctic.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Yes

The Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camp Collection is a component of an existing programme – the Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camp that began in 2006 and plans to continue through to 2010. Work on the online repository and online collection will begin in 2008 and follow the camps through to their conclusion.

How will the project be organised and managed?
Athabasca University will organize and manage the creation of the online repository and virtual gallery for each year of the camps. Writing on the Ridge, an organization which has extensive experience handling the logistics of the Artist Camps, will continue to organize and manages these.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Education, outreach, and communication is the main focus of this project. The Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camp Collection will be a learning resource of artwork and literature. It will include artist biographies and oral histories and will be disseminated by mailing out copies of the virtual gallery on DVD as well as it will be available to a global audience online.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
AU library is a participant of the Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries’ (COPPUL) LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) alliance network project. The LOCKSS network manages and preserves digital content and data collectively. It is OAIS-compliant and operates on a peer network.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
We are waiting to hear about IPY funding for Communications, Outreach and Training. If this funding is not awarded we will look for other funding possibilities.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
AU Library’s digital collection of artwork, sound recordings, and features on the artists will be an important learning resource that encourages dialogue on art and natural history conservation. World wide earners interested in art, or the environment, northerners, and anyone interested in natural history conservation and will.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Tony Tin
Athabasca University, #1 University Dr.
Athabasca, Alberta
T9S 3A3
Canada

Tel: 1-780-675-6486
Mobile: no
Fax: 1-780-675-6477
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation