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Museum to host symposium on exploration

Posted 5/19/23

HURLEYVILLE — In 1993, the Ohio State University (OSU) Byrd Polar Center, in partnership with the Hurleyville-based Frederick Cook Society, hosted a two-day symposium at the OSU campus, with …

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Museum to host symposium on exploration

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HURLEYVILLE — In 1993, the Ohio State University (OSU) Byrd Polar Center, in partnership with the Hurleyville-based Frederick Cook Society, hosted a two-day symposium at the OSU campus, with lectures by some of the world’s foremost Arctic scholars and historians. “Cook Reconsidered - Discovering the Man and His Explorations” presented 10 professional papers on the life and work of Hortonville native Frederick Albert Cook (1865-1940), which remains available online: https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/44488.

On the 30th anniversary of the symposium, the Frederick Cook Society will host its own version, titled “FA Cook, Reimagined.” Three speakers will present: author Darrell Hartman, curator Laura Kissel from the Byrd Polar Center at the Ohio State University, and Carol Smith, Executive Director of the Cook Society.

Distinguishing the Hurleyville symposium will be an exhibition of over 60 photographs taken by Dr. Cook between 1891 and 1909, during his expeditions to Greenland, Antarctica, Alaska, and the North Pole. The photographs, which have been mounted alongside quotes and excerpts from Cook’s own extensive collection of writings, present an authentic and comprehensive portrait of the man.

Dr. Cook wrote several important books about his expeditions and many articles on a vast array of topics, from Inuit health, to world hunger and climate change. A quiet, reflective man, Cook’s literary works were not just about his life, but about life itself.

“Frederick Cook’s papers and archives held at the Ohio State University Byrd Polar Center tells one part of the story,” noted Smith. “Darrell Hartman’s extensively researched book tells another part. The photographs, exhibited together with excerpts from Cook’s writings, we hope will offer a new perspective. Frederick Cook was a visionary artist, whose mythical accomplishments distinguish him as one of the most unique figures in the history of exploration.”

The symposium will take place from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, at the Sullivan County Museum, 265 Main Street, Hurleyville.

The project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Delaware Valley Arts Alliance.

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