LAA+ Fellow to participate in artist residency in Arctic Circle

LAA+ Fellow Chris King

When you think of the Arctic Circle, it usually brings to mind a frozen landscape, polar bears, and perhaps, Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. Few people will likely visit this distant place, let alone create works of art there. However, a select group of scientists, artists, educators, and activists are chosen twice a year to join The Arctic Circle program, a one-of-a kind international residency. For three weeks participants live aboard a tall ship, working on individual and collaborative projects as they float through the icy world.

Chris King, a Founding Fellow of the Louisiana A+ Schools program, will be calling the Arctic Circle home from October 2-20, 2014. As an artist and educator, King has served as head of the Visual Arts Program and Gallery Director at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) in Natchitoches since 2008. His artwork includes painting, sculpture, performance, and video and has been exhibited in venues such as Diverse Works (Houston, TX), Acadian Center for the Arts (Lafayette, LA), Cirrus Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.

During the Arctic Circle residency, King intends to document his journey with digital photography and video – with plans to create a website upon his return. The ideas of innovation and experimentation are central to the residency, and King will explore various creative methods including drawings on ice and using ice as a mold for casting sculptural objects. The pieces he creates will result in an exhibition in 2015, as well as a public presentation at LSMSA about his experience in the Arctic.

The collaborative nature of the program is a source of inspiration for King and draws a striking parallel to the work he does with Louisiana A+ Schools program. He elaborates, “My dedication to being a Louisiana A+ Fellow inspired me to pursue opportunities for collaboration with experts in all academic areas, which led me to this residency program. This is a once in a lifetime adventure bringing artists and scientists together, and I intend to make the most of it. I can’t wait to share my story with the LAA+ community.”

To learn more about The Arctic Circle residency, visit www.thearcticcircle.org.