My Arctic Art Exhibit
Siberian Schoolchildren Express Environmental Awareness Through Art
The Arctic is an amazing place that is undergoing tremendous changes because of global warming. It is a key component of Earth’s linked physical and biological systems, as well as home to people, including many of the Earth’s remaining indigenous cultures, whose way of life is threatened by environmental change. In the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), grade school students have become key partners in a scientific research initiative exploring the impacts of climate change on the Arctic. This work, begun in 2003, is part of The Student Partners Project, a program led by Max Holmes, an earth systems scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center. In addition to the Siberian Arctic, the project has collaborations in Alaska and Canada. This initiative is not only advancing scientific understanding of a part of the world already experiencing climate change, but is also creating the next generation of scientists and scientifically-literate citizens. The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) covers over 3 million km2. Most of the artists are Evenki and come from communities north of the Arctic Circle, along the Lena River, where they still engage in the traditional activities of fishing, hunting, and reindeer herding. The artwork depicts the children’s environment and their perceptions of the environmental changes going on around them. The Polaris Project, funded by the National Science Foundation, includes faculty and students from several colleges, including St. Olaf and Carleton.
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