The Nordic Heritage Museum is pleased to premiere Imaging the Arctic, an interdisciplinary exhibition featuring the work of local artist Maria Coryell-Martin, University of Washington scientist Dr. Kristin Laidre, and Finnish photographer Tiina Itkonen. This fascinating exhibition will be on display December 12, 2014 – February 22, 2015.

The exhibition Imaging the Arctic is a product of an interdisciplinary collaboration merging art and science. On view for the first time, Imaging the Arctic explores the impact of climate change on West Greenland’s ecology and culture through the work of three accomplished women. “The project is largely about inspiring interest, stewardship, and communication about the Arctic and climate science through a collection of stories which involve working with artists in the field,” said Laidre, “Our goal is to illustrate this interesting region, the people that live there and the issues that they’re facing.” Coryell-Martin said, “Collaborating with Kristin has given me the opportunity to explore a region that so few people can access. Her research brings deeper meaning to my sketches and paintings as they go beyond being just environmental portraits, to having a story within a scientific context. Working together, we can use art as a hook for scientific outreach and education."

“This exhibition deals with issues and themes that have long been at the forefront of public discourse in the Nordic counties: climate change, gender equality in the sciences, and the marriage of science and the arts,” said Nordic Heritage Museum CEO, Eric Nelson, of the Museum’s upcoming exhibition. “It is thrilling that we are able premiere the exhibition iteration of the work these brilliant women have been doing together.”

In the spring of 2013, Coryell-Martin accompanied Laidre and her research team to West Greenland. Coryell-Martin she created a collection of ink and watercolor sketches and stories while the scientists collected data on narwhals and polar bears. Her fieldwork is the basis for a series of large studio paintings further exploring the environment. Tiina Itkonen’s evocative photographs of the Greenland landscape and Inuit people add another intimate perspective on the rhythm of life in the Arctic. “There are parallels between art and science,” says Laidre, “how you perceive things, the use of creativity to interpret the world in some way, and to inspire and inform others.”