Climate Change at the Poles
January 24 – June 7, 2009 | North & South Balcony Galleries
How do maps and a kayak relate to climate change? In conjunction with the current International Polar Year, a period devoted to polar research, this exhibition considers examples of material culture from the North and South Poles as evidence of human response to the regions where scientists indicate climate change is occurring most rapidly. These objects reveal how humans have attempted to understand the geographically remote and physically extreme Poles. The tools, textiles, and wayfinders produced by humans who inhabit the North Pole and study the South Pole reflect different ways of understanding these places. We believe that the innovative, adaptive, and analytical responses to the Poles manifested in the objects on view serve as models as we seek to better understand and respond to the challenges of our rapidly changing world.
Climate Change at the Poles is organized by Kate Meyer, curatorial assistant, prints & drawings; Jennifer Talbott, assistant to the director; and Angela Watts, assistant collections manager, with contributions from advisors Steve Goddard, senior curator, Jonathan Chester, Extreme Images, and Dan Wildcat, Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU). The project consists of an alliance with the National Science Foundation’s KU-headquartered Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS), cooperation with departments across campus, and collaboration with HINU. In addition, the Spencer has commissioned photographer Terry Evans to travel to Greenland to photograph the coasts and ice sheets—her work will be on view in the Museum’s Asian Gallery II.
Outreach plans include lectures, a film and book series, children’s art classes and other University, community, and regional efforts.
Public Programs
- 1.29.09
- Gallery Talk and Performance Preview: A discussion of Climate Change at the Poles
- 6:30 PM / North & South Balcony Galleries and Central Court
- Followed by a preview of the Lawrence Arts Center’s production of The Ice Wolf. / The Ice Wolf is based on an Inuit story and performed primarily by a cast of children. The play will be presented in its entirety February 13, 14, and 15 at the Lawrence Arts Center.
- 2.7.09
- It Starts With Art: Childrens art appreciation classes for ages 5-14 / How’s the Weather?
- 10:30 AM & 1:30 PM /
- Explore the exhibition Climate Change at the Poles and discover how you can create a “weather report.” / $ / To enroll, contact SMA Education Department, 785.864.0137 or smakids@ku.edu, or visit the Spencer's website to enroll online.
- 2.13.09
- Performance: The Ice Wolf
- February 14 & 15 / Lawrence Arts Center, 9th & New Hampshire
- The Ice Wolf is based on an Inuit story and performed primarily by a cast of children / Additional performances on February 14 & 15
- 2.19.09
- Book Discussion/Film Series: Climate Change
- Book Discussion: 6 PM Film: 7 PM / Book Discussion: North & South Balcony Galleries Film: SMA Auditorium
- This collaborative program pairs film screenings at the Spencer with book discussions sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library. In conjunction with the exhibition Climate Change at the Poles, the Library has created a book discussion group on the subject, and the Spencer has assembled a series of films with storylines or themes similar to those found in the literature. A book discussion precedes each screening. To register for the Book Discussion group, contact Maria Butler at (785) 843-3833 ext.123 or email mbutler@lawrence.lib.ks.us.
- 3.12.09
- Book DiscussionFilm Series: Climate Change
- Book Discussion: 6 PM Film: 7 PM / Book Discussion: North & South Balcony Galleries Film: SMA Auditorium
- This collaborative program pairs film screenings at the Spencer with book discussions sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library. In conjunction with the exhibition Climate Change at the Poles, the Library has created a book discussion group on the subject, and the Spencer has assembled a series of films with storylines or themes similar to those found in the literature. A book discussion precedes each screening. To register for the Book Discussion group, contact Maria Butler at (785) 843-3833 ext.123 or email mbutler@lawrence.lib.ks.us. Discussion leader: Dr. Edith Taylor, Professor and Curator, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
- Book Discussion: 6 PM / The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization by Brian Fagan / North & South Balcony Galleries
- Film: 7 PM / Nanook of the North /SMA Auditorium / This classic film documents one year in the life of Nanook, an Inuit hunter and his family as they struggle to survive in the harsh conditions of Canada's Hudson Bay region. Without the use of dialogue, this piece describes the trading, hunting, fishing and migrations of a group barely touched by industrial technology (1922, director Robert Flaherty, 79 minutes)
- 3.26.09
- Panel Discussion: Climate Change at the Poles
- 5 PM / North & South Balcony Galleries
- Co-sponsored by the Lied Center and the ’Art, Ideas, and Action’ program / Invited guest speakers Jonathan Chester (photographer), Brandon Gillette, (PolarTREC & CReSIS), Stephen Williams, photojournalist, and Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky) share their personal experiences at the Poles. / Panel moderator Stephen A. Ingalls, associate director – administration at Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) / In conjunction with Climate Change at the Poles / Reception follows.
- 3.27.09
- Special Event: Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica
- 7:30 PM / Lied Center
- New York-based conceptual artist, writer and musician Paul D. Miller, the DJ prominently known as DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, presents a multi-media event Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica / An acoustic portrait of the rapidly changing Antarctic ice forms that incorporates Spooky’s original field recordings to create a unique and powerful moment around man’s relationship with nature. / In conjunction with Climate Change at the Poles
- 3.27.09
- Town & Gown: Perspectives on Nature & Art
- 10 AM-12 PM / SMA Auditorium
- Focusing on the exhibitions Climate Change at the Poles and Trees & other Ramifications: Branches in Nature & Culture, KU Professors Andrew Torrance, law; Michelle Hayes, dance; Simran Sethi, journalism; and John Hoopes, anthropology, will discuss the natural environment, offering new perspectives for understanding its meaning and impact on our lives / Co-sponsored by the Hall Center for the Humanities
- 4.2.09
- Opening Reception: Technology/Nature
- 7 PM / SUA Gallery, Fourth Floor, Kansas Union
- An SMA Student Advisory Board juried art exhibition. / In conjunction with Climate Change at the Poles and Trees & other Ramifications: Branches in Nature & Culture
- 4.8.09
- Lecture: Bruce Mau, principle of Bruce Mau Design, on Massive Change: the Future of Design and Life on Earth
- 7:30 PM / Woodruff Auditorium
- The Kenneth A. Spencer Memorial Lecture, Sponsored by The Commons / In conjunction with the University Lecture Series at The Commons.
- 4.9.09
- Book Discussion/Film Series: Climate Change
- Book Discussion: 6 PM Film: 7 PM / Book Discussion: North & South Balcony Galleries Film: SMA Auditorium
- This collaborative program pairs film screenings at the Spencer with book discussions sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library. In conjunction with the exhibition Climate Change at the Poles, the Library has created a book discussion group on the subject, and the Spencer has assembled a series of films with storylines or themes similar to those found in the literature. A book discussion precedes each screening. To register for the Book Discussion group, contact Maria Butler at (785) 843-3833 ext.123 or email mbutler@lawrence.lib.ks.us. Discussion leader: Stephen Ingalls, Associate Director – Administration, Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS).
- Book Discussion: 6 PM / The Two-Mile Time Machine: Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future by Richard Alley / North & South Balcony Galleries
- Film: 7 PM / Encounters at the End of the World / SMA Auditorium / Director Werner Herzog takes his camera to the Antarctic community of McMurdo Station, where a hearty crew of 1,100 people spend the austral summer. This group of researchers, scientists and assorted adventurers show us life at the bottom of the world as we see that we are not as invincible or as dominant as we like to believe. (2008, 99 minutes)
- 4.9.09
- Conversation: Bruce Mau, principle of Bruce Mau Design
- 9:30 AM / The Commons in Spooner Hall
- Sponsored by The Commons / In conjunction with the University Lecture Series at The Commons.
- 4.21.09
- Lecture: Dr. Edith L. Taylor on The Lush Vegetation of Antarctica: Understanding Ancient Climate from Fossil Plants
- 7 PM / Lawrence Public Library</a> Auditorium, 7th & Vermont
- In conjunction with Climate Change at the Poles / Taylor is professor, department of ecology and evolutionary biology and senior curator, paleobotany division, KU Museum of Natural History.
- 4.26.09
- Artists Talk: Terry Evans, artist, & Rex Buchanan, Kansas Geological Survey on A Greenland Glacier: The Scale of Climate Change Photographs by Terry Evans
- 2 PM / SMA Auditorium
- In conjunction with Climate Change at the Poles and A Greenland Glacier
- 5.2.09
- Arts & Culture Festival:
- 12-4 PM / SMA Galleries and Front Lawn
- Co-sponsored by SMA Student Advisory Board and Student Union Activities / In conjunction with SMA spring exhibitions
In case of rain, all activities will be held either on the 4th floor of the KS Union or indoors at Spencer Museum of Art.
- 5.14.09
- Book Discussion/Film Series: Climate Change
- Book Discussion: 6 PM Film: 7 PM / Book Discussion: North & South Balcony Galleries Film: SMA Auditorium
- This collaborative program pairs film screenings at the Spencer with book discussions sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library. In conjunction with the exhibition Climate Change at the Poles, the Library has created a book discussion group on the subject, and the Spencer has assembled a series of films with storylines or themes similar to those found in the literature. A book discussion precedes each screening. To register for the Book Discussion group, contact Maria Butler at (785) 843-3833 ext.123 or email mbutler@lawrence.lib.ks.us. Discussion leader: David Mechem, Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Science.
- Book Discussion: 6 PM / Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle over Global Warming by Chris Mooney / North & South Balcony Galleries
- Film: 7 PM / Art from the Arctic / SMA Auditorium / From 2003 to 2005, British artist/filmmaker David Buckland organized three sailing expeditions to the High Arctic as part of a series of collaborations between artists, educators and scientists, designed to create public awareness of global climate change. (2004, 59 minutes)
Elizabeth Schultz Environmental Fund of the
