Meltdown at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
It’s time for the Meltdown! The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies presents Meltdown: A Drop in Time. This exhibit is an exploration of precious glacial landscapes and their far-reaching effects on waterways and ecosystems. It is both a celebration of these unique formations and it opens the door to discussions about the changing landscape as these glaciers rapidly disappear.
It opened on Saturday, January 25 to a full house and a lineup out the door.
This exhibition marks the official launch of Canada’s participation in the 2025 United Nations International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. The UN has declared the International Year to raise awareness of the critical role that alpine glaciers play and to point to the social and economic consequences their changes will bring.
The show has a collection of artwork that explores glaciers and their importance to the surrounding ecosystems. It features landscape photography by Jim Elzinga and Roger Vernon of Guardians of the Ice. These very large, high-resolution images capture the beauty of the Columbia Icefield. They immerse viewers in a visceral experience of this magnificent landscape.
The exhibition also features a sculptural piece by Metis artist Tiffany Shaw. The sculptural glass impressions of the Athabasca Glacier provide a texture rarely seen up close. A short film by Leanne Allison, titled Losing Blue, rounds out the exhibition, evoking what it means to lose the otherworldly blues of our mountain lakes. The artworks combined present a picture of the glaciers at this moment in time, with the idea of the past and hints at the future.
Meltdown is a significant achievement for Guardians of the Ice, a not-for-profit that combines art and science to evoke people’s emotional response to the glacial landscape and the changes it’s currently facing. “When we launched Guardians of the Ice, our purpose was to mobilize the power of art to accelerate a crucial shift toward meaningful climate dialogue and action,” says Jim Elzinga. “Meltdown is a significant achievement for us.”
The exhibition is at the Whyte Museum until April 13, 2025.
For more information on this exhibition and upcoming events at Whyte, click here.
Follow Meltdown: A Drop in Time on Instagram and celebrate the achievement of this impressive display.
