The Arctic Museum Galleries in the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies are now OPEN!
Hours:
Tuesday thru Saturday
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Call (207) 725-3416 or email pmam@bowdoin.edu for more information.
In the spring of 2023, the Arctic Museum will open inaugural exhibitions in our new home, the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies on the Bowdoin College campus. One of the new temporary exhibits planned for this new facility will feature contemporary Inuit photography.
Museums bring collections to life by telling their stories. Often, donors share personal memories of objects. Recollections of community members where the works were made and used add additional meanings, and new research can unveil entirely new stories. Here we trace the growth of the Arctic Museum's collection through planning and serendipity and also highlight stories from the collection, with appreciation of the museum's many donors and collaborators.
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.
The landscapes and seascapes of the Arctic appear bleak and barren to those unfamiliar with the region, but Inuit know that they teem with life. Sea mammals and fish are abundant beneath the ice, and vast caribou herds graze on the tundra, willing to present themselves to respectful hunters. Inuit also know that among the animals they hunt to feed their families lurk more dangerous creatures. Monsters roam the land and swim in the icy waters, tempting the unwary into dangerous situations, stalking human prey, and even exacting revenge on behalf of malevolent humans. Come explore the world of monsters as envisioned by Inuit artists from the past and present.
In support of the Black Lives Matter Movement, the staff of the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum has been reflecting upon our institutional history and what we can do moving forward to better promote Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) voices, and to actively combat the white supremacy imbedded in our society.
We acknowledge that we are currently an all-white permanent staff at a predominantly white institution of higher education. The idea of the modern museum itself, as originally conceived, is a racist, colonial enterprise, and our particular museum is named for and owes its origin to two individuals who operated within colonial and racist frameworks.
For a long time, Arctic Museum staff have understood that museums are not neutral, and we have prioritized anticolonial practices and programming. Nevertheless, we recognize the reality that much more is needed.
The museum's complete statement and action items can be found here.
