The coastal location of both Portland, Maine and Reykjavik, Iceland has been a defining factor in their cultural development over centuries.  As advances in transportation and technology have enabled a major shipping corridor to connect these two cities, a new North Atlantic region has begun to be visible; Jaime DeSimone studies its emerging cultural, political and economic characteristics in preparation for the North Atlantic Triennial, a collaborative project of the Portland Museum of Art, the Reykjavik Art Museum and the Bildmuseet in Umea, Sweden in 2021.  DeSimone traveled extensively in Maine, the Canadian Maritimes, and major cities of Scandinavia in order to conduct studio visits, attend festivals in the region, and work with co-curators to identify the themes, ideas and modes of working that are unique to the region as well as to understand how they fit into the larger global (art) economy.