'Vikings - North Atlantic Saga'
A major international exhibit describing the expansion of Norse culture
from its roots in Scandinavia, westward to Iceland, Greenland to Vinland.
Based in the Smithsonian's Musuem of Natural History, this is an international
effort. The official opening was spring of 2000 in Washington, the exhibit
then traveled to a number of large Canadian and American museums over the
next two years. The exhibit features many artifacts (like textiles) that
have never been seen in North America before.
I had a small consulting role in the orginal discussions, and created
about a dozen 'hands on' reproduction pieces for the related educational
programs.)
I then worked on various aspects of the educational programing at the
Smithsonian in Washington, the Denver Museum of Science and Nature, and
at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull.
www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/
Is a general description of the exhibit
The Smithsonian - Washington www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/start.html
American Museum of Natural History - New York www.amnh.org/exhibitions/vikings/index.html
Denver Museum of Nature and Science www.dmnh.org/vikings/index.html
(The following is the tour schedule from the Smithsonian's site.)
EXHIBIT
TOUR SCHEDULE
Washington, DC
April 29-August 13,2000
National
Museum of Natural History
New York City
October 21, 2000-January
21, 2001
American
Museum of Natural History
Denver
March 2, 2001 - May
28, 2001
Denver
Museum of Nature and Science
Houston
July 13 - October
14, 2001
Houston
Museum of Natural Science
Los Angeles
November 17, 2001-March
17, 2002
Natural
History Museum of
Los
Angeles County
Ottawa/Hull
May 7 - October 14,
2002
Canadian
Museum of Civilization
Minneapolis/St.
Paul, MN
November 23, 2002
- May 18, 2003
Science
Museum of Minnesota
'
Full Circle : First
Contact'
"Led by the Newfounland and Labrador Museum, this 2800 sq ft exhibit will tell
the story of the Vikings at L' Anse aux Meadows and contact with aboriginal
peoples, including the rejoining of the human race from its movement out of
Africa one hundered thousand years ealier. The exhibit will be touring nationally
and internationally late 2000 and 2001." Again, I had a small role in this exhibit
via the creation of about a half dozen objects for the related educational program.
The first two stops for the tour were St John's and Corner Brooke, Newfoundland
(to about Oct 1). The exhibit then traveled to Ontario, opening at the
Woodstock Museum on November 4, 2000 - to March 15, 2001. I will worked
with curator Shiela Johnson to implement the eductional programing here.
Newfoundland Museum - St John's www.gov.nf.ca/fullcircle/index
Woodstock Museum - Ontario www.city.woodstock.on.ca/museum/index.asp
I designed a promotional display to accompany 'Full Circle' at the Woodstock
Museum leg of the tour. The text I wrote, along with the images used to illustrate
the Mall Display can be seen : Here
The latest (Fall 2003) stop for Full Circle is at the Cranbrook
Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills MI. In conjunction to their
presentation of Full Circle, the Cranbrook Institute commissioned me to
produce an accompaning exhibit : World of the Norse. World of the
Norse is a 1000 sq ft exhibit, using about 175 replica objects presented
in three 'room settings'. These living history styled settings help to
put the individual pieces together in context.
For the virtual tour web site of World of the Norse GO
ON HERE
Viking Millennium International Symposium
An Interdisciplinary Conference, commemoration the 1000th anniversary
of Leif Eiriksson's arrival in North America. International scholars and
Viking experts will gather to discuss many aspects of Norse culture during
the period of exploration that spurred the New World journeys of Leif Eiriksson
and his family. I will be submitting a formal paper at this conference.
They have also asked me to give two lunch hour introductions to the Viking
Encampment interpretive program on Sept 19 &20.
web site at: http://www.vikingsymposium.nf.ca/
Norstead - a physical description of the site.
Added 7/20/2000
The current 'Norstead' program is entirely the work of the Viking
Trail Tourism Association, who is entirely responcible for its content
and implementation. They have commissioned a half dozen reproductions from
me, axes, spears and cooking pots - which comprises my total contribution
to the physical presentation.
In spring of 2000, the VTTA contracted me to create and impliment a training
program for its staff - "Interpreting the Viking Age". This 6 week course was
intended to be a general eduction in interpretive techniques, Viking Age history
and Norse period crafts.
The physical program presented at Norstead, the interpreter characterisations,
and the type and quality of the objects used is SOLELY the work of the
VTTA.
I have had no part in designing or implementing
the Norstead program.
This short article constists of a physical description of the ground
of the 'Norstead' site. This is the location of the major re-encator's
activities planned for this summer. This information was compiled spring
of 2000 (April / June).
go to 'Norstead Description'
A Mainlander's Guide to Newfoundland and L'Anse aux Meadows
with new revisions - 7/25/2000
If you are planning a trip out to 'the Rock' to visit the L'Anse aux
Meaodws NHS, - take a look at this guide. Covers travel to and within Newfoundland
and provides some information sources. As well there is some personal advice
on what the situation in the area is like, and some 'best of' recommendations.
go to 'Newoundland Guide'
This is one of the infamous 'Viking Poster Boy' images that were extensively
used around 2000. Orginally I had only given permission for them to be
used for tourism related or site promotion. Unfortuneatly - this was NOT
the case. Versions of the images were used for paid commercial advertising
(Newfoundland Telephone, a number of bus tour companies) - totally without
my knowledge or permission. To add insult to injury, they have been transfered
to 'T' shirts - and coffee cups. Needless to say, I'm not happy that corporations
and other individuals are personally profiting from the theft of my image.
return to Encampment index
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