September in the Bear Gallery

Opening Day: September 2, 2022, 12–8 p.m. Artists present from 4–6 p.m.

Exhibition on view: September 2–30, 2022

Gallery hours: Monday–Saturday, 12–6 p.m.

In a Time of Change: Boreal Forest Stories

The Alaska-based arts-humanities-science collaborative program In a Time of Change (ITOC) premieres its sixth major project, entitled In a Time of Change: Boreal Forest Stories, on September 2, 2022, at the Bear Gallery. For a period of more than 1.5 years, over 44 artists, writers, environmental educators, and organizations interacted with scientists to exchange knowledge, ideas, paradigms, and perspectives on the boreal forest and on storytelling and narrative across the disciplines. Participants then produced original works that communicate narratives rooted in the boreal forest, including its ecology, its inhabitants, and their interactions. Boreal Forest Stories presentations during September 2022  include a multimedia exhibit, literary reading series, live performance, and a book to be published by the USDA Forest Service. 

Margo Klass, Ree Nancarrow, and Susan Campbell are curating the visual art exhibit with design support from Jennifer Moss. Carolyn Kremers and Daryl Farmer are leading the writers’ cohort. ITOC is directed by UAF faculty member Mary Beth Leigh with funding from the National Science Foundation through the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Program. 

Boreal Forest Stories will be presented as part of the first annual Arctic Fest (Aug. 27-Sept. 3, 2022), a new annual festival of art, science, and culture focused on Alaska’s changing environment, co-organized by UAF, the Fairbanks Concert Association, and the Northern Alaska Environmental Center.

As part of Arctic Fest on Saturday, September 3, ITOC will hold a literary reading at 1 p.m. and a live performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Centennial Center Theater in Pioneer Park. More information about Arctic Fest can be found at arcticfest.org.

Artwork created by ITOC participants will be featured in the Bear Gallery gift shop during the month of September as our Gift Shop Artists of the month. 

More information about In a Time of Change can be found at itoc.alaska.edu, on Facebook @itocalaska, and on Instagram @In_a_Time_of_Change.

These ITOC events are free and open to the public.

Masks are strongly encouraged at all ITOC events.