Arctic Ambitions: Captain Cook and the Northwest Passage Exhibition

FAIN: GI-50674-14

Anchorage Museum (Anchorage, AK 99501-3544)
Julie Michelle Decker (Project Director: August 2013 to April 2016)

Implementation of a traveling exhibition on James Cook's Third Voyage (1776-80), focusing on his travels around the Northwest coast and his attempt to find the Northwest Passage.

The Anchorage Museum, in partnership with the Washington State Historical Society and Cook Inlet Historical Society, will fabricate, and present a 7,500-square-foot exhibition on James Cook's Third Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, titled "Arctic Ambitions: Captain Cook and the Northwest Passage." The exhibition will open March 27, 2015 in Anchorage and run until September 11, at which time it will travel to the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma. The exhibition will be part of the Municipality of Anchorage's Centennial Celebration. Although Cook spent time in southern seas en route to America, the prime focus of the exhibition will be the Northwest Coast, mainland Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, the Bering Sea, Siberia, Kamchatka, and the Arctic Ocean.

Associated Products

Arctic Ambitions Press Kit (Exhibition)
Title: Arctic Ambitions Press Kit
Curator: Anchorage Museum
Abstract: It’s one of science’s hottest topics: Melting Arctic ice is revealing a Northwest Passage – the very thing Captain Cook sought but never found. Mostly celebrated for his explorations of the South Pacific, Captain James Cook also braved the frozen Arctic searching for a northern route to Asia. This exhibition focuses on his journeys in the northeast Pacific during 1778 and 1779.Visitors learn about the intriguing issues at play in the North during Cook's expedition that are still relevant today, including different nations’ claims to the region and its resources.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/media/5443/am_arctic_ambitions_press_kit.pdf
Primary URL Description: A press kit distributed to local media about the exhibition.

Arctic Ambitions Captain Cook and the Northwest Passage (Book)
Title: Arctic Ambitions Captain Cook and the Northwest Passage
Editor: James K. Barnett and David L. Nicandri
Abstract: Captain James Cook is justly famous for his explorations of the southern Pacific Ocean, but his contributions to the exploration of the northern Pacific and the Arctic are arguably equally significant. On his third and final great voyage, Cook surveyed the northwest American coast in the hopes of finding the legendary Northwest Passage. While dreams of such a passage proved illusory, Cook's journey produced some of the finest charts, collections, and anthropological observations of his career, helped establish British relations with Russia, and opened the door to the hugely influential maritime fur trade.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: https://www.washington.edu/uwpress/search/books/BARCOO.html
Primary URL Description: Description Arctic Ambitions Captain Cook and the Northwest Passage Edited by James K. Barnett and David L. Nicandri Preface by Robin Inglis paperback not available $34.95 hardcover (9780295993997)
Access Model: Open
Publisher: University of Washington Presss
Type: Edited Volume
ISBN: 9780295993997
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

Secretary Kerry Tours the Anchorage Museum (Web Resource)
Title: Secretary Kerry Tours the Anchorage Museum
Author: US Department of State
Abstract: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tours the Anchorage Museum after a welcome reception for the Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement, and Resilience (GLACIER) Conference, at the Anchorage Museum, in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 30, 2015. [State Department Photo / Public Domain]
Year: 2015
Primary URL: https://www.flickr.com/photos/statephotos/21020815102/in/photostream/
Primary URL Description: Photos of Secretary of State John Kerry's tour of the Arctic Ambitions exhibition at the Anchorage Museum in August 2015.

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