Latest news with #AnchorageMuseum
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Historic exhibition featuring works by art icons Rothko, O'Keeffe opens at Anchorage Museum
Apr. 4—A new exhibit opening at the Anchorage Museum showcases iconic works of modern art, including paintings by Mark Rothko and Georgia O'Keeffe on loan from Outside museums. Some of the works are now on display in the museum's Art of the North gallery, and others will go on display Friday as part of "Cold War to the Cosmos: Distant Early Warning Systems." The exhibition explores the "atomic age" and Cold War — the era when many midcentury abstract expressionist artists were working — and its enduring impact on culture, politics and art in Alaska and beyond. The show represents the first time a work by Mark Rothko, an influential abstract expressionist painter known for his enigmatic "color field" paintings, has been on exhibition anywhere in Alaska, said Julie Decker, the Anchorage Museum's director. The paintings hang alongside the work of Alaska artists. "A lot of us associate these kinds of works with going to a museum in New York City or someplace that feels othered," Decker said. "Seeing them in your in your own neighborhood is distinct." Some of the works, including the Rothko and O'Keeffe, are borrowed from the National Gallery of Art's "Across the Nation" initiative, which loans artworks from the gallery's extensive collection to communities that might not otherwise get to experience them. Alaska was chosen along with museums in Nevada, Utah, Idaho and other states, Decker said. The initiative reached out with a catalog of hundreds of potential pieces, and museum staff worked to find ones that would live "in conversation" with the Anchorage Museum's focus on Alaska. "We were looking for works that really responded to the natural world," Decker said. Some of the works selected by the museum included a stark abstract winter scene painted by Georgia O'Keeffe, an American painter known as the "mother of American modernism" for her close-up renderings of inner workings of flowers, skulls and desert landscapes. The painting depicts the solitude of a snowy road to the artist's home in New Mexico during the winter. "She really liked the quiet and the solitude that winter represented, especially in a place like New Mexico when it was less traveled, and how that changed your experience with the landscape. We thought that was a lovely thing to talk about here," Decker said. "I think we can all relate to the quiet that snow brings." The National Gallery works are on loan for two years, Decker said. The museum also received loaned works from other famed midcentury artists, including a Franz Kline from the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, pieces by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning from the Smithsonian American Art Museum and a painting by Adolph Gottlieb from the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, according to a statement from the institution. "It's exciting to go somewhere else and to see these works," Decker said. "I think it's also really important that people here have access to them, without needing to get on an airplane."
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists issue warning over bizarre phenomenon spotted in Alaskan rivers: 'Have to be stained a lot...'
Scientists have issued a warning about a striking but alarming sight that's occurring in Alaskan rivers. Green Matters detailed that at least 75 rivers in the state have started turning orange, a phenomenon that is even visible from space. Canadian photographer Taylor Roades has been documenting the startling scenes and recently posted he will be exhibiting his work under the title "Alaska's Rust Rivers" at the Anchorage Museum in March. Brett Poulin — an environmental toxicologist at the University of California, Davis, and co-author of a study on the problem published in the Communications Earth & Environment journal — noted that the rivers "have to be stained a lot" to be seen at such a distance. Researchers said this was happening because of toxic metals entering rivers from melting permafrost — defined as ground that has been frozen for more than two years. Levels of zinc, nickel, copper, iron, and cadmium in rivers are increasing, with these metals once trapped in soil but now entering waterways because of rising global temperatures leading to increased ice melt. The U.S. Geological Survey, cited by Green Matters, pointed out that the mildly acidic water pH level caused by these metals is equivalent to lemon juice or vinegar. Scientists are concerned that acidic water levels, and the toxicity of the metals, could negatively impact both marine and land ecosystems. Notably, it's suggested that the degradation of water quality could harm spawning fish, which could later strike a blow to the U.S. fishing industry. On top of that, it's feared that if we don't make changes to slow the rate of rising temperatures — which is exacerbated by the production of human-caused pollution — more permafrost could melt in the coming years, releasing further toxic materials into water sources. Rising sea levels and increased soil erosion are additional worries following melting permafrost. Do you worry about air pollution in your town? All the time Often Only sometimes Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. It sounds like a colossal task, but we can all take steps to prevent permafrost melt by reducing our production of planet-warming pollution, which traps heat in the atmosphere and encourages thermometers to rise. Starting small, you could switch off electric devices at night to stop needless power usage. The electricity grid, while increasingly supported by wind and solar energy, still relies on burning dirty fuels to create energy. Stepping up slightly, you and your family could switch to one plant-based meal a week. According to Earth Day, doing so could prevent the equivalent pollution of taking your car off the road for over a month. Major actions include ditching your gas-guzzling car for an electric version or investing in sustainable domestic energy technology, like solar panels. Both of these changes could save you money in the long run, too. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
