Ice Bear

Ice Bear features 30 photographs taken by photographer Ralph Clevenger capturing the frozen tundra surrounding Churchill in Manitoba, Canada. The images depict a time in early November, when snow is starting to fall across Hudson Bay, and temperatures are dropping steadily. By January, temperatures average around −20 °F, too cold for many species to survive, but the right temperature for polar bears to thrive. Once the ice on the bay is solid, the bears venture out to hunt for seals. What they catch on the ice in spring must sustain them during the summer and fall months, when the ice melts and food is scarce.

The exhibit depicts the turning point as hungry bears migrate toward the coast, after a summer of resting to conserve energy. In this liminal space, Clevenger captures moments of hunger and hope as bears safely venture back onto the tundra for their first real meal in months. An additional six photographs feature other bears of the West Coast, which are facing similar challenges of territory loss.

“Polar bears are in danger of going extinct in much of their range due to a warming Arctic,” said Clevenger. "As the first vertebrate species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, they remain threatened due to predicted climate change. This was a big reason I wanted to see wild polar bears in their natural habitat.”