In 2023, I began to work as an expedition leader in Churchill, Manitoba. Churchill is a small, northern Canadian town that is unique in that it is the Polar Bear Capital of the World.
I’d like to tell the story of Churchill, specifically the story of how polar bears and humans co-exist. Churchill represents a conservation win. A small town changed their perception of polar bears from being a pest who invaded their garbage dumps to an animal that is worthy of protection. I’d like to tell this story through the eyes of Conservation Officers, Tourists, Guides, Townspeople and Researchers.
The photos below represent few photographs I took during season guiding in Churchill for Natural Habitat Adventures. It is inherently difficult to do photography while guiding and my aim would be to spend some time in Churchill as a photographer. I’d like to document the work of conservation officers as they manage polar bear populations.
I return as a guide in February for Northern Lights Season and again in August for Beluga Season and next fall for Polar Bear Season but would like to add some personal shooting time before/after guiding.
Considerations: Natural Habitat Adventures, WWF, Art Council of Canada, Art Councils of Manitoba, National Geographic Level 1 Grant, Polar Bear International, Other Polar Bear Communities (Canada, Russia, Alaska, Svalbard, Greenland) & Polar Bear Organizations
Why me:
I am a guide with Natural Habitat Adventures ft. WWF. Through this work, and my developing relationships with __, I’ll have access to people who have a deep connection to Churchill. I’m also a professional photographer with a biology background.
POLAR BEAR ALERT
August to November (August, September, October, November)
Emergency Transmissions Pat Perry (USA) Perry was tasked with painting ‘Miss Piggy’ a plane that crashed in 1979 on the Churchill tundra. The plane got its name from the sheer abundance of cargo she was able to carry, including, one time, a cargo of pigs. He draws a comparison between Churchill and Michigan, both areas in decline and on life support hoping that tourism will become a new economy. “I believe my greatest service to the people here is to acknowledge what’s happening in this town, what’s happening across the world, what’s happening across this continent. Post 9/11, post-Inauguration Day 2017, post-every treat broken, post-start of new extinction period, post-normalization of decline, equivocation now is intolerable. One way or another, in the end, we will all be facing this together.”
The Last Winter Dulk (Spain) Dulk has participated in group shows around the world, but Churchill is the most remote place he’s ever painted in. His mural represents the forced journey of a family of polar bears and belugas in the last winter on earth. “The cub grabs its treasured iceberg, which helps it to escape from the human impact on Earth.”
Encounters At The End Of The World Kelsey Eliasson (Canada) In addition to being an artist, Elisson is also a bear guide, photographer and filmmaker who lives in both Churchill and Whitehorse. “The bears stand as a record of Churchill as it is today, they are based on real bears that I have met over the years. As the two first bears weather and likely disappear, the ever-present beluga whales will emerge to take their place as the focal point of the piece.”
We Swim in the Same Waters Charles Johnston (Canada) Johnston is one of Canada’s most recognizable mural artists. He dedicated this piece to Danica, a young girl who died tragically. “My piece is about ancestral legacy, what was passed on to us and what we will leave for our children’s children. Whoever she is, from her open hands the Aurora is unleashed, the ethereal cosmic voice of the ancestors speaking to us.”
Location Scouting & Shot List
Aerial Shots of Churchill - Town of Churchill, Cape Churchill at Height of Polar Bear Season
Any & All Murals
Bear Holding Facility
Bears
Bear People
Historic
RESEARCH:
Ihttps://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2018/10/19/polar-bears-churchill-manitoba-archives-arctic-conservation-brian-davies-wildlife-animal-welfare/
https://churchillpolarbears.org/churchill/polar-bear-alert-program/
https://ca.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&ei=UTF-8&p=polar+bear+alert+program+in+churchill&type=E211CA714G0#id=3&vid=2068ede08fa7412a85f753f696a2d586&action=click
https://thenarwhal.ca/churchill-manitoba-polar-bears-ice/ (very good!)
POLAR BEAR ALERT
August to November (August, September, October, November)
CBC DOCS - 18 artists from around the world travel to Churchill, Manitoba, to create stunning public murals