Today a guest blog from Clare Risman, Vice Consul for Devolved Administrations at the Consulate.
Growing up in London, the Natural History Museum was one of my favourite places. My children share a similar sense of excitement and wonder at the delights of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) – their imaginations have been inspired to take journeys to the ocean floor, outer space or a pre-historic world.
In early 2009, I enjoyed telling my sons about my meeting with Ross MacPhee, curator at AMNH, to discuss a journey of a different kind – to one of the harshest environments on earth, Antarctica.
Ross, aided by a number of images, outlined plans for the exhibition to bring Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen’s journey to a new generation. I soon discovered that Ross, a frequent visitor to Antarctica, was a leading expert on the Antarctic, and knows most of what there is to know about the early years of polar exploration. He aimed to highlight the successes, failures and the lasting legacy of the expeditions including, the infamous side visit to collect Emperor Penguin eggs. The exhibition would also look at modern Antarctica; the science, daily life and the environment. AMNH hoped to create an interactive map that would identify geological and weather features. Perhaps even, look at the impact of global warming on the region. This was a good opportunity for the British Consulate; part of our remit is to communicate British government views on the impact of climate change. We agreed to do this through the map and through associated programs. We will be hosting a symposium at AMNH on the national security implications of climate change – this takes place later this month and aims to engage representatives from political, military, diplomatic, academics, scientists and business leaders.
With each visit the exhibition came together. Images were transformed into a scale model which Ross “walked” me through; diorama here; penguins there; interactive map, with elements explaining the impact of ice melt, here. By the time of my next visit, the scale model had become the exhibition – and what an exhibition! Based on my small sample group of two boys, children throughout New York will be inspired by the bravery of those men and will be mindful of the impact climate change could have on those penguins.
The Race to the End of the Earth is at the American Museum of Natural History until 2 January 2011. To plan your trip visit www.amnh.com.