Fiber Art Now coverage of the Denali climate history collaboration

As previously noted, Ree unveiled a new quilt in August as part of a collaboration celebrating 100 years of weather data at Denali National Park.

Details about this work and the August event is covered in a new article in Fiber Art Now: Art Meets Science: Celebrating 100 Years of Climate Observation in Denali National Park.

Pam Sousanes, the lead scientist behind this initiative, wanted to make the centennial milestone something that would not only highlight Denali’s scientific contributions but also reach a broader audience. “Celebrating 100 years of climate observations at Denali is a big deal, and I wanted to make the event memorable,” Sousanes explained. With support from a generous grant from Alaska Geographic, she sought out an artist who could translate the raw data into something more tangible and impactful for the public. Through a recommendation from her colleague, she found Ree Nancarrow, whose quilt work on a wildlife study had already made a lasting impression. Nancarrow’s ability to turn scientific data into compelling visual narratives made her a perfect fit for this project.

Ree (holding microphone) and other panelists at the Celebrating 100 Years of Denali Weather Climate Change Perspectives artist panel, August 23, 2024.

See more photos and read the full article at Fiber Art Now.

Ree featured as spotlight artist on Create Whimsy

Ree was interviewed as a spotlight artist in September 2024 by Create Whimsy. The interview delves into Ree's history, and her creative process.

"I am an improvisor on many levels. I took classes from Nancy Crow in the 1990‘s and learned to work improvisationally with fabric, cutting and sewing without rulers and templates. I still use this approach to construction. I produced very large abstract pieces working that way until 2006, when I was accepted as an Artist in Residence at Denali National Park. I spent my two weeks in Denali Park doing very representational drawings which then became very important images in subsequent work. I work with units that I mix and combine as I develop a piece.This allows me to make major changes in the piece right up until the very end if I want to."

Read the full interview at Create Whimsy.

Celebrating 100 Years of Climate Observations at Denali — New Quilt & Aug 23 Event

October 23, 2024 update — read the article in Fiber Art Now magazine about this work and the centennial milestone celebration.

Ree will be unveiling a new quilt commission on August 23, 2024 at Denali National Park.

Denali Weather : 100 Years celebrates 100 years of recording weather data at the Denali National Park dog kennels. For the past 100 years rangers have fed and watered the dogs first thing in the morning, and then recorded weather conditions.

A celebration of this history of weather data will be held on August 23, 2024 at the Denali Park Sled Dog Kennels, from 10am–12:45pm, and then continuing at the Denali Visitor Center from 1:30–5:30pm. Limited edition print reproductions of the quilt will be available (supplies limited). More information at this Park Service link, and at the bottom of this page.

Ree describes this new quilt…

“Pam Sousanes, National Park Service Physical Scientist for Central Alaska & Arctic Inventory and Monitoring Networks, approached me to do a commemorative piece for the August 23 celebration. She and I brainstormed how it might be possible to best tell this story. The project appealed to me on a personal level, as well as my interest in depicting the consequences of Alaska’s warming temperatures in the Arctic. 

"My husband Bill Nancarrow was a ranger at Denali from 1948-1952, and he would have been one of the people doing the weather recording at the kennels. He started the dog team demonstration program in 1952.  Soldiers brought their families to the park hotel — open in the winter at that time — for rest and relaxation. Bill suggested the program as an activity for them and their families.”

Denali Weather : 100 Years

The greens and blues of this piece visually tell the story of that recorded data. The change in temperatures over time, shown from left to right, is not linear but indicates a definite warming trend over time.

Each vertical stripe represents one year. The blues, broken into 5 groups, represent the lowest minimum temperatures ranging from -54 degrees to -25 degree. Darker blues indicate the lowest temperatures.

The green stripes, broken into 11 groups, are the average annual temperature of each year, ranging from 21.5 degrees to 35 degrees. Dark greens are the lower temperatures.

Three of the current sled dogs at Denali National Park are colored to represent average annual temperatures for certain time periods. From left to right:

• Dargo represents 26 degrees, the average temperature from 1950-1975.

• Gus represents 28 degrees, the average temperature from 1976-2012.

• Nepa represents 30 degrees, the average temperature from 2013 to the present time.

Friday, August 23 Events

More information here

Denali Park Sled Dog Kennels

10:00 am – 12:45 pm

The celebration starts at the park kennels where rangers record the weather

every day:

• Sled dog demonstration

• National Weather Service award presentation

• Tour of the weather station

• BBQ lunch

Denali Visitor Center

1:30 pm – 5:30 pm

The celebration continues with a science symposium and climate art exhibition:

• Science presentations

• Local art inspired by Denali climate data

• Climate change perspectives – panel discussion

• Keynote speaker: Rick Thoman, Alaska Climate Specialist and long-time supporter of the Denali “Doggie” Data.