POLAR FAIR

The interactive Polar Fair will be held from 12 noon to 5:00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday in the Museum's Grand Gallery and the adjacent Hall of Northwest Coast Indians. The fair is designed for family involvement—lots of hands on activities, scientists and equipment, polar gear and clothing. Drop by and spend an afternoon at the poles!

Lakes & Mountains Under Ice? Lake Vostok and the Gamburtsev Mountains

With Robin Bell & Michael Studinger, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Uncover large lakes and mountain ranges buried under the ice. What role does each play in the past and future of Antarctic ice sheets?

Polar Landscapes in New York

With Dorothy Peteet, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and Miriam Jones, Sanpisa Sritrairat, Maia Beh and Calder Orr, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Learn how data from the bottom of the lakes, ponds, fens, bogs and swamps has been used to get a glimpse into the environment of the Hudson Valley in the last Ice Age.

Edge of the Icefiord, Ilulissat

With artist Marcia Clark

Marcia Clark captures the impact of change on the glaciers of Greenland. This is a unique piece created specifically for this weekend. Meet the artist and learn how a trip to the polar region inspired this artistic piece.

Arctic Ice Melt: Moulins of My Mind

With Cornelia Kavanagh

As a sculptor, my instinct is to render personal responses to life in form. For years I attempted to find inspiration within the tradition of organic abstraction, carving sculpture in the manner of Arp, Brancusi and Moore. Today, however, celebrating natural beauty per se no longer satisfies me. I feel a need to search for beauty in all aspects of nature, even those manifested by epic disasters. My earlier TSUNAMI PROJECT has led to a sculptural exploration of the devastating effect of Arctic Ice melt, focusing on ice tunnels called moulins that are formed when melt water rushes through glacial crevasses. These Moulin sculptures will be first presented at The American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY during the International Polar Weekend, February 7 – 8, 2009.

Shrinking Arctic Ice

Stephanie Pfirman, Barnard College

What are the causes of the shrinking ice in the Arctic? Why is this so devastating to the people and the wildlife? See evidence and participate in a hands-on activity.

Drilling Back to Our Future

With Steve Pekar, Queens College

Learn how this researcher, back from the a recent Antarctic expedition , has examined Antarctic’s climate secrets.

Science Bulletins

Montanas en Movimiento, National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology, AMNH

Learn how these Arctic researchers are examining the impact of glaciers on the mountains from the clues they leave behind. Spanish subtitles.

Peary & Henson 100 Year Anniversary—To the North Pole!

With Deirdre Stam, Palmer Library & Genevieve LeMoine, The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum

Peary and Henson were two very different people, from very different backgrounds worked together to head towards the unattainable…the North Pole in 1909.

One Woman’s Journey to the North Pole at 75 Years of Age

With Barbara Hillary

On April 23, 2007 seventy-five year old Barbara Hillary of Queens New York became the first African American woman on record to reach the North Pole on skiis. Come and meet this inspiring individual.

Celebrating Native Polar Art and Artists

Sponsored by Look North Gallery

View a selection of Inuit sculptures that portray their way of life in the Arctic, with an accompanying video of rare Inuit footage.

Northern Lights: Aurora Borealis

With Pål Brekke, Norwegian Space Centre

See how this fascinating display lights up the sky – what is the reason for their occurrence.

Norwegian Sami Culture & Life in the Circumpolar Region

With Norwegian Counsel Guests and Sami performers

See a Norwegian Sami tent, learn about the life of a reindeer herder; what are the Northern Lights. Visit our special guests from the North and learn about their life and experiences.

Fossils in Antarctica and the Arctic? What used to live there?

With Carl Mehling, AMNH

Come face to face with who and what has lived before in these cold areas of our planet—but were they always cold? Come and see for yourself.

Create Polar Art: Illustrating Polar Books

With Girl Scouts of America

Participants will illustrate polar themes on the changing climates. Art will be displayed and some will be posted online.

What Is It Like to Work at the Poles?

With Ken Hunkins & Chuck Hubbard, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Enter an actual portable polar workstation, see field equipment and learn what it is like to work in the poles. Talk with some scientists who have spent months in the field, some on the floating Ice Station ALPHA a scientific drift station during IPY 1957-1958.

Polar Warming and Melting

With David Holland, New York University

What do we know about sea-level change? What do we know is changing? What don’t we know? And what are we doing?

Exploration and Polar History

With Milbry Polk and Wings World Quest & Students on Ice

Learn about other early explorers and participants in the early exploration and science of the poles, and some of the current women explorers in the current IPY. Share the experiences of this group of New York City Students who have traveled to the poles learning about the issues facing these amazing locations.

Teachers on Ice

Elke Bergholz, United Nations International School; Vanessa Miller, Central Park East II

Join these New York City teachers who have traveled to the Poles – how did they stayed warm? What did they learn from under the ice? Drill an ice core and see what you can learn from what is trapped inside. Explore Antarctica.

Penguins and Polar Bears and the Tip of the Iceberg

With the Central Park and Bronx Zoo

How big is a polar bear foot? Is that the size of a penguin egg? Join the staff from the zoo for some exciting activities and games to learn all about life at the two poles.

The Color of Ice!

With Malcolm LeCompte, Elizabeth City College

Did you know ice had colors? Using an infrared camera learn how ice can change colors as temperatures change.