UMBC's Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents Louie Palu: Distant Early Warning, on display from February 14 through May 20.

Distant Early Warning, a multi-year project by Canadian photojournalist Louie Palu, provides a look at the evolving militarization in the North American Arctic driven by climate change. Now, decades after the end of the Cold War, tensions between world powers are heightened anew in anticipation of more efficient shipping routes and opportunities for resource extraction as Arctic ice melts. Meanwhile, Indigenous communities in the region are coming face to face with increased geo-political activity. This exhibition examines operations of power and bears witness to a culture of fear and hyper-preparedness as we brace for an unknown future.

This exhibition is presented concurrently with North Pole Narratives: Photographs from the Wendorff Collection on Robert E. Peary.

Admission is free.

Library Gallery hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Please visit here for directions and parking information.

Please note: All visitors to UMBC, and to the Library Gallery, are required to wear a KN-95 mask or equivalent. Visitors may pick up free KN-95 masks at the Library Circulation Desk.

Public Programs

The artist will give a public talk on his work on February 22 at 5 p.m.

A panel discussion will be announced.

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Featured image: On reconnaissance outside Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada Arctic Operations Advisors walk on the wreckage of an airplane in temperatures below minus 50 degrees Celsius (-58 F). Photo © Louie Palu. Strictly for use related to the Distant Early Warning exhibition at UMBC. No other use is permitted.

Palu’s work was supported by funding from the John Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, National Geographic Magazine, and Pulitzer Center. The presentation of this exhibition is supported by a project grant from the Baltimore County Commission on the Arts & Sciences and an arts program grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support comes from the Libby Kuhn Endowment Fund, as well as individual contributions.