Peary–MacMillan Arctic Museum

Explore the Arctic!

Arctic Museum Exhibits

At Home in the North

May 30, 2023 - June 1, 2026, Arctic Museum main galleries

From the sledge that carried Peary to the North Pole in 1909 to a SmartBUOY that tells contemporary Inuit travelers if the sea ice is safe, this exhibit examines life in the Arctic historically and today.

Up Coming Exhibits

How Cutting Up a Dead Elephant Helped Solve an Archaeological Puzzle
Professor of Anthropology Susan Kaplan recalls how she initiated an important archaeological experiment nearly half a century ago. It all started with the death of a celebrity elephant named Ginsberg in a Boston zoo in 1977.
Shining a Light on Inuit Artists and Printmakers
The latest exhibit at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum showcases the largely forgotten work of a group of Inuit artists and printmakers. On display is a collection of printed textiles produced in Arctic Canada in the 1950s and 1960s as part of an experimental initiative.
Final Call: See Two Arctic Museum Exhibits Before They Close
Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum’s two temporary exhibits, Collections and Recollections: Objects and the Stories They Tell and Northern Nightmares: Monsters in Inuit Art, end Sunday, March 23, 2025.

Land Acknowledgement

Bowdoin College is located on the ancestral homelands of the Wabanaki. Today the Wabanaki include the Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot nations, who have deep and enduring relationships with Maine’s lands and waterways. We acknowledge the painful legacy of the region’s colonial history and commit to better understanding it, while also celebrating the vibrancy of Native American cultures and working to build a more inclusive community.