The Museum of Life and Science in Durham as a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) bold campaign to protect 30% of Earth’s land, waters, and oceans by 2030, challenged area artists to harness art’s power to inform, educate and inspire by submitting works to 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science Exhibition. Entries in this juried exhibit convey a love of and concern for the natural world and inspire advocacy for protecting land, air, water, and our rich biodiversity.  The exhibition runs from Saturday, March 25, 2023, through Sunday, July 16, 2023.

I am honored to have my first work Vanishing Ice included in this exhibition. It is the first print from my Blue Glacier Then & Now project.

Artist’s Statement

I spent the summer of 1982 working alongside the Blue Glacier in Olympic National Park as a part of a Student Conservation Association backcountry trail crew. The experience left an indelible mark on my heart, mind, and soul. I had longed to return to that special place before it is changed forever, and the fortieth anniversary of my time on the mountain provided the perfect opportunity. In July 2022 I returned to the glacier to recreate a number of the images I had taken four decades earlier for my project Blue Glacier Then & Now.

Vanishing Ice is a double exposure created by overlaying an image of the terminus of the Blue Glacier taken in July 1982 with one taken from the same location in July 2022. I reduced the opacity of the top image layer so that both images are visible. The substantial loss of glacier ice can be seen with careful inspection. As with so many changes resulting from climate change, the impact of glacier ice loss is hard to see in the short term, but the long-term consequences will be severe.

Vanishing Ice