A sneak peek at some current and upcoming exhibitions and projects.

Anchorage Museum

Aiviq (walrus) and nanuq (polar bear) are perhaps the most ubiquitous creatures in the polar region. Through the lens of these animals, this exhibition at the Anchorage Museum—featuring works by Couzyn van Heuvelen, Nicholas Galanin and more, alongside pieces from the museum’s permanent collection—offers insights into a changing climate and the complex future of the North. We asked three ar tists included in the show to share a sneak peek of their works: Message is a hand-woven piece made of three short bars, three long bars and three short bars of polar bear guard hair in a Morse code pattern that form an SOS signal. The work is not so much about me, but the polar bear speaking about the issue of climate change and sending out a message. I really wish the piece could travel worldwide but, due to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, our request for a permit for the exhibition was denied. Therefore, because it is such a long piece, the work is being photographed and stitched together digitally to be presented as a single image. As an Indigenous artist and as an Inuk woman, my work is trying to raise awareness for our environment in the Arctic and our lifestyle. There should not be any borders or limits when we are trying to protect rather than exploit our land. – Maureen Gruben