Walking as an Art Form and Community Practice
The Maine-Greenland Collaborations project integrates walking to comprehend local ecologies and the relationship of individuals and communities to the environment. The walks in Maine and Greenland, are seen in the context of art and community practice.
It has been said that walking unites the body with the mind and allows walkers to connect with something larger than themselves. When practiced with other people walking can build community.
Artists walk to feel the landscape and explore internal pathways through the mind.
Qassiarsuk Drift
Ogunquit Drift
Members of the Maine-Greenland project participated in a study of the sheep farming region of Qassiarsuk, South Greenland in June of 2023. We stayed at the residence of Ellen and Carl Fredericksen on a sheep farm established 100 years ago by Carl’s Grandfather. The lambing season had just closed, and the ewes and lambs had been turned out to free-range in the surrounding hills.
Our host Ellen knows native Greenlandic plants and took us on a day-long walk in the hills above the farm to identify vegetation. Plants are an integral part of the farmers’ lives, and the walk deepened our relationship with Ellen and the Qassiarsuk landscape. In addition to being food for sheep, many plants are used for medicinal purposes and in food preparation.
This writing and walking journey occurred at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. It began inside with a gathering by Long Island Drift, the mixed media installation done for the Shifting Sands exhibition. Participants then explored the vistas and vantage points of the exhibition and museum grounds with intervals of writing and sharing experiences.
Long Island Drift
A public walk offered in cooperation with PLATFORM PROJECTS/WALKS & SPEEDWELL PROJECTS & MAINE-GREENLAND COLLABORATIONS took place on September 19, 2020.
For more information: LONG ISLAND DRIFT
Photo Credit: Julie Poitras-Santos
Tasiusak Trek
Maine-Greenland Collaborators walked the gravel road to Tasiusak and the Sermilik Fjord on June 10th, 2022.
Video Credit: Samantha Comeau
Trek Map: Izaak Onos and Vinton Valentine