UCC art student produces ‘ice’ work
1/27/2009
IB1 student John Park has been to the Arctic — twice — and was so inspired by what he saw, formed a small environmental group at UCC. One of his oil paintings of a landscape has been exhibited at Kleinburg’s McMichael Gallery, which houses a Group of Seven collection.
The 17-year-old first went to the Arctic in August 2007 through a program called Students On Ice. The educational program takes about 60–70 students from around the world, along with about 30 education team members — including some world-renowned scientists — to the region.
“I was profoundly inspired during the trip. It is hard to put into words, but I grew a burning dream inside me. Art, the environment, wildlife and nature have been my interest — passion, for lack of a more expressive term,” says Park.
He decided to enlighten others about the Arctic and other related issues, and try to change the world through art. Park contacted Linda Mackey, the founder and president of a group of artists called Polar Artists Group (PAG), who go to the High Arctic and create art about it.
With Mackey’s help, Park got his first chance to spread the word about the Arctic through art. It was at an event that took place at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The purpose of the event was to publicize and share the PAG artists’ works, and to fundraise for future student initiatives.
“Linda gave me the job of organizing the student section,” says Park. “I e-mailed 70 global students from the trip to send me their photos, and I put together two student photo albums. I also put together panel displays and a poster that presented a summary of our trip.”
Park went back to the Arctic a year later and the experience encouraged him to volunteer for the World Wildlife Fund.
He was featured in a Toronto Star article, January 24, 2009.