The Art and Science of Climate Change

an exhibit at the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center

in partnership with Kenai Peninsula College and Alaska Christian College

Welcome to the Art and Science of Climate Change in Alaska Exhibit.  The exhibit originated in the form of a question: How can we engage the various perspectives that represent diverse voices on a controversial and yet pressing issue of significance to the Kenai Peninsula community?

Climate change, global warming, greenhouse effect—these are all terms that have both scientific and expressive connotation.  In the last 50 years climate science has exploded in both volume and direction.  When does science become advocacy?  What is the difference between proxy data and documentary evidence?  Is climate change naturally occurring, human-influenced, or both?  Is warming the only concern? These questions and many others frame the work displayed here.

The exhibit is part of a larger theme—changing landscapes in Alaska—and addresses one issue in particular:  climate change.  The reflections here are meant to stimulate questions rather than simply provide “answers.”  The work—writing, art, and technology—is interpretive in nature and, we hope, provocative.  We invite more response and more questions as each viewer engages with the individual pieces.

This exhibit is a cooperative effort between the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center and Kenai Peninsula College faculty, students, and the Career and Community Engagement Center.  The text, technology, and artwork represent the voices of student artists, researchers, and writers. 

The exhibit has been funded in part by the Kenai Peninsula College Career and Community Engagement Center and the University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Community Engagement and Learning.