An exhibition celebrating the pioneering mountain climber, photographer, filmmaker and inspirational writer.
Preston Park Museum is proud to announce the launch of a fascinating new temporary exhibition; Savage Arena: The Legacy of Joe Tasker, which will open on Tuesday 27 March.
Joe Tasker was an inspiring mountaineer, writer and film maker who disappeared alongside Pete Boardman on the North East Ridge of Everest in 1982.
Although born in Hull, Joe spent much of his early life in Port Clarence and then Billingham, giving his family a close connection to this area.
The exhibition will showcase and celebrate his life, from growing up in the North East, to his training to become a priest at Ushaw College, through to his mountaineering exploits in the Alps and Himalaya.
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Arts, Leisure and Culture, Councillor Norma Wilburn, said: “We are pleased to be hosting this exhibition in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, which proudly remembers the life of one of the area’s own.
“Our thanks go to the Mountain Heritage Trust for the loan of this exhibition and to Joe’s family and loved ones for the support of this project and their work in continuing his legacy.”
Joe’s second book, Savage Arena, was published in 1982 and is regarded as one of the most important and inspirational works about mountaineering published.
The Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature was partly-named in his honour, in recognition of his contribution through his writing, as well as his climbing.
This prize is awarded every year to authors writing with a ‘mountaineering’ theme and is a prestigious award unlike any other for mountaineering literature; another tribute to Joe’s legacy.
This exhibition was created by the Mountain Heritage Trust, Durham University and Ushaw College, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and British Mountaineering Council.
Savage Arena: The Legacy of Joe Tasker will be on display at Preston Park Museum & Grounds from Tuesday 27 March – Sunday 24 June, 10am-4pm (last admission 3.30pm). Free entry with museum admission.
For more information, visit: http://www.prestonparkmuseum.co.uk