Museum exhibit showcases landscapes of Southwest Alaska

Submitted by Kerynn Fisher
Phone: (907) 474-6941
11/03/06

FAIRBANKS, AK - Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum is renowned for capturing Alaska’s rich landscapes in his work. Beginning this weekend, visitors to the University of Alaska Museum of the North will have a chance to experience Ketchum’s work in the special exhibit Southwest Alaska: A World of National Parks and Wildlife Refuges at the Crossroads. The exhibit runs through Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007 in the museum’s special exhibit gallery.

From the bright red of fall on the tundra to the azure waters of Naknek Lake, Ketchum captures the vivid colors of the Southwest Alaska landscape, both in wide, aerial shots and in close-up photographs taken on the ground. The 39 photographs in the exhibit represent an area bounded by the Yukon-Kuskokwim river system, the Alaska and Aleutian mountain ranges, Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea. Photographs from Katmai National Park and Preserve, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Togiak National Wildlife Refuge and Wood-Tikchik State Park, the nation’s largest state park, are featured in the exhibit.

For 38 years, Ketchum’s work has focused on wild lands and the legislative policies that affect them. His photographs of Southwest Alaska, a region rich in wildlife and wildlife habitat, are presented in the context of an area facing a downturn in the fishing industry and the prospect of large-scale mining and offshore oil development.

Ketchum was one of the California Institute of Art first recipients of an M.F.A. in photography. He was also named one of the 100 most important people in photography by American Photo Magazine and has received numerous awards, including the United Nations Environmental Achievement Award and the Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography. His work has been featured in exhibitions across the country, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of American Art. This is his second exhibition at the University of Alaska Museum of the North; the first, in 1995, featured his photographs of the Tongass National Forest.

Two special events are scheduled around the exhibit, both on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the museum. Museum members will have a chance to visit with Robert Glenn Ketchum at a reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Individuals can join at the door if they aren’t already a museum member. At 7 p.m. that evening, Ketchum will offer a free public lecture, "Southwest Alaska at the Crossroads." During the lecture, Ketchum will talk about his experiences in Alaska and about how photographs can help increase understanding of complex issues. A book-signing will immediately follow the lecture. Ketchum’s books, "Wood-Tikchik: Alaska’s Largest State Park" ($45/hardcover) and "Rivers of Life: Southwest Alaska, The Last Great Salmon Fishery" ($50/hardcover) are both available from the Museum Store.

While in Fairbanks, Ketchum will also lead a seminar for UAF and UAA students interested in photography, photojournalism, natural resources management, art history and art education on Tuesday, Nov. 7 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The exhibit, Southwest Alaska: A World of National Parks and Wildlife Refuges at the Crossroads, is organized by the Aperture Foundation. The Fairbanks showing is funded in part by the City of Fairbanks Hotel-Motel Tax Fund, re-grant by the Fairbanks Arts Association, by the Museum Enhancement Fund and by private donations.

Admission to the special exhibit is included in the museum’s general admission price: $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for youth 7-17 and free for children 6 and under. Museum members also receive free admission. The museum’s fall/winter hours are 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. weekends. Information on the museum’s programs and exhibits is available at (907) 474-7505 and online at www.uaf.edu/museum.

Note to editors: High-resolution images from the exhibit are available on request. For more information on Robert Glenn Ketchum and his work, please visit www.robertglennketchum.com.