Laura Kissel, polar archivist for the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program at The Ohio State University, curated Polar Expressions: Finding Beauty in the Coldest Regions on Earth, an exhibition now on view in Thompson Library through Aug. 2. The exhibition highlights art from and inspired by polar exploration, drawing on materials from the Polar Archives, a collaborative program between Ohio State University Libraries and the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center.

Items on display include pastel drawings by expedition artist David Abbey Paige, a hand-painted lecture advertisement for Sir George Hubert Wilkins, a portrait of Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s dog Igloo, and stone and ivory figurines carved by Cree and Inuit artists. The exhibition showcases the breadth of the Polar Archives and the role archival collections play in preserving the history of polar exploration and making it accessible to future scholars and the public.