JASPER – Visitors to the Columbia Icefield have a new way to step into the world of glaciers through an art installation featuring landscape photography at the Discovery Centre’s Glacier Gallery.
Although visitors have been able to view “Meltdown: A Drop in Time” since May 15, Guardians of the Ice held an official opening on Thursday (Aug. 21), which included an IceWalks tour of the nearby Athabasca Glacier and a guided artists’ talk with photographers Jim Elzinga and Roger Vernon.
Elzinga, who is also the founder and executive director of Guardians of the Ice, explained during the event how the problem with raising awareness about melting glaciers was not denial but the passivity of individuals.
“The purpose behind our work is trying to look at ways that we can engage differently with the general public,” Elzinga said. “The scientific information is very, very useful, and a lot of people resonate with that, but a lot of people look at that information, and they just don’t know what to do or they become frightened by that.”
Guardians of the Ice, a non-profit organization focused on the rapidly shrinking Columbia Icefield as a leading indicator of the worldwide climate crisis, organized the exhibit with the support of Parks Canada.
Starting on this project in 2019, Elzinga and Vernon took aerial photos via helicopter and went on multi-day expeditions into the backcountry to capture some of the majestic images of local glaciers.
“Through using art as a way of communicating, it actually activates a different part of your brain in terms of just hearing how bad things are, and so we want to activate people in a way that they are creative and wanting to make a difference,” Elzinga said.
“Meltdown” recognizes the United Nations International Year of Glacier Preservation and raises awareness about how climate change is impacting the Columbia Icefield and includes tips on what actions individuals can take.
“It feels only fitting to have these tremendous works displayed here in a space where we and the Guardians feel they truly belong,” said Graham Wylde, visitor experience manager for Jasper National Park.
Wylde described how Jasper National Park is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site and featured some of the largest icefields and tallest peaks in the Canadian Rockies.
“These icefields and glaciers are vital,” Wylde said. “They feed the headwaters of the rivers that flow to the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Their presence, scale and beauty inspire millions of visitors to travel the Icefield Parkway. Those who experience a special place often leave changed, carrying with them the lasting connection to the land.”
He noted that the fate of these glaciers has grown more uncertain over the past several decades, and “Meltdown” offers a chance to pause and reflect.
“It invites visitors to consider how glaciers are coping while offering hope by showcasing their timeless beauty and fragile complexity,” he said. “The gallery space reminds us that our actions and our collective actions do matter.”
Keynote speakers included Graham McDowell with the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative; Brian Menounos, a geography professor at the University of Northern British Columbia; and Bob Sandford, chair for water and climate security at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health.
Losing Blue, a short film by Canmore filmmaker Leanne Allison, will be playing in the gallery’s theatre.
The exhibit, which premiered at Banff’s Whyte Museum earlier this year, will be in residence at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre for at least three seasons. The Glacier Gallery closes for the season on Oct. 15.
