Please join The Whyte on January 25th from 7-9pm for the opening of our Winter exhibitions, MELTDOWN: A Drop in Time and Etched in Ice.

This event is free & open to the public, no registration is required. Catering will be provided by the Rimrock Hotel. Make it an evening to remember as you enjoy the beautiful art and bring your friends!

In honour of the 2025 United Nations International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, MELTDOWN showcases a powerful collection of artworks focusing on glacial landscapes by Jim Elzinga, Roger Vernon, Tiffany Shaw, and Leanne Allison. This exhibition draws viewers deep into the heart of Canada’s glaciers for an unparalleled immersive experience. This exhibition marks the grand opening of Canada’s participation in the UN Glacier Year. Celebrate the grandeur and fragile beauty of the Columbia Icefield, the crowning glory of the Canadian Rockies. Illuminate the meaning and significance of what is being lost. Discover your place in the living systems that sustain us all.

Etched in Ice includes images by Glen Crawford from the Campbell Icefield and surrounding glaciers offering an intimate look at glacier ice in a time of change. Glaciers are typically found in remote hard to access locations. Over decades and centuries, they have existed exhibiting only the changes that have taken place at well, a glacial pace. This means that glacial ice serves as a living archive of Earth's history, preserving ancient layers that record the passage of time. Glaciers in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, once steadfast in their frozen stillness have come to represent all that we love about wilderness. The common view of glaciers as lovely white masses of snow and ice adorning high mountain peaks, however, doesn’t consider the reality of climate change. The photographs in this exhibition offer a view of three glaciers and an icefield in a time of accelerated change.

Image credit: Jim Elzinga/Roger Vernon. Turbulence. October 2023.

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