Smithsonian Goes to the Arctic (Again)

The last time the Smithsonian had an Arctic exhibit, politics intervened. You may recall that in May 2003 photographer Subhankar Banerjee's photos from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were scheduled for exhibition in the main rotunda of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. After California Senator Barbara Boxer used Banerjee's images to bolster her case against drilling, however, the display was promptly kicked downstairs to a hallway near the loading docks -- the museum equivalent of Siberia.

Now, the Museum of Natural History is back with another Arctic exhibit as part of something called the Forces of Change Program. This one is called The Arctic: A Friend Acting Strangely, and it's launched with a slew of exclamation points and one nagging question:

Earlier spring thaws! Later fall freeze-ups! Greater storm impacts! Reduced sea ice! Unfamiliar species of plants and animals! What do these changes mean for the Arctic, its wildlife, its people—and for the rest of the planet?

Also on display is an exhibit called "Change is in the Air," which reverses the pattern; i.e., all questions and then an exclamation (in caps, no less):

What’s colorless, tasteless, and (mostly) odorless? Surrounds and protects us throughout our lives? Makes Earth habitable? Is so fragile that it needs our care and protection? OUR ATMOSPHERE!

This time, we hope, the museum will stand by its work. Robert Sullivan, the museum's associate director for public programs, certainly sounds resolute. As he told the Washington Post:

This is not a political position, it's just scientific data. ... There have been some suggestions that the data is unclear; well, the data is not unclear.