Cleveland, Alaska

This title may be a stretch... but there are Juneau connections even in Cleveland, OH apparently! Since I have been here (August 2012) I have seen two Southeast Alaskan artists represented at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. 

Back in October I went to see a whale exhibit called Tohora! This was a fantastic display that involved the reconstructed skeleton of a full-sized sperm whale and many pieces from Maori culture. As I ambled towards the gift shop, my eyes alighted on an all-too-familiar coffee table book. There sat Flip Nicklin's Among Giants. I was so excited, I immediately texted Flip's wife Linda about my cool find. I have worked with Linda now for four years at Gastineau Guiding Company. She is a valuable trainer and professional colleague who offers humor and sound naturalist information. Flip, of course, is one of the most pre-eminent whale photographers in the world, popularized as a National Geographic shooter. His family heritage provides an ironic twist on his choice (along with Linda) to do massive work on cetacean conservation throughout the globe with Whale Trust. I have even sat down to a delicious dinner with them in their condo in Juneau, so it was nice to see the work of people who inspire me having eclectic audiences abroad.

On March 29, 2013 I returned to the museum with my friend Kelly and her two children. The main attraction for this visit was an installation on Megalodon. After we had seen the jaws of the behemoth and learned that he enjoyed dining on whales we stumbled into an adjacent gallery full of brightly saturated paintings. While gazing around I enjoyed the antics of the work and had this nagging feeling that I had seen it somewhere before. I actually whispered to myself, "Wow, this artist's stuff looks a lot like Ray Troll!" When I found the artist's statement I had an AHA moment and learned that it was the art of Ray Troll! The Sharkabet show had come to Cleveland to dazzle the bright eyes of children! I felt self-satisfied at being such a "fin art" connoisseur too. My point of pride came with the fact that although I have never met this Ketchikan-based artist, I rent a studio from his sister Kate on Douglas Island in Juneau.

Sharkabet by Ray Troll on display at the Cleveland Natural History Museum in Cleveland, OH on March 29, 2013. 

I asked Nico (left) and Anna (right) to find their favorite painting and stand in front of it for a picture. They chose the frilled shark piece because Nico is a fan of squid. Their mother Kelly looks on. 

Me, hanging with the cookie cutter sharks and the dangerous bull shark!

When living far away from the aesthetic and social comforts of a place like Alaska, it rekindles my weary spirit to be reminded of how wonderfully interlinked the Great North is to the Lower 48.... if you look closely!