Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
“The Journey to Churchill” is an ambitious and visionary project of the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – a ten-acre zoo exhibit devoted to Arctic ecosystems and wildlife, focusing especially on the health and well being of polar bears in the region of Hudson Bay and the town of Churchill. It is an exhibit designed to promote respect and ownership for the Arctic, including the people and animals that depend upon it, and intends to provide an unflinching look at the effects of climate change. See journeytochurchill.com
Jan Coleman was fortunate to have been brought into the project in its early stages as a consultant. She co-authored the original storyline and its distribution on the site, created schematic concepts for half of the site’s live animal interpretation, developed exhibit concepts for the Gateway to the Arctic building, and for the Aurora Borealis domed theater. Working with zoo staff, Jan designed tall, elegant artifact cases to define space within the Gateway building while showcasing an extensive collection of Inuit art. Jan introduced the idea of a “Tipping Point Plaza” half way through the site, where concepts related to climate change, and stories revealed by the melting ice, would be introduced to the visitor and would then become part of the story across the second half of the site.
An ‘object theater’ approach to the Aurora Borealis Theater, a reveal igloo was considered, where family activities would be a lead-in to the film. Courtesy Red Caviar.
Outside the curved wall of the Aurora Borealis Theater, a platform display backed by a mural map of Canada and Hudson Bay could serve as a pre-show for people on queue, shown in plan view. Courtesy Red Caviar.
Moving down a ramp from the main level into the underwater viewing locations of the Gateway to the Arctic building, visitors turn at a semi-circular landing. Shown is an unfolded mural of life in Hudson Bay, varying from summer to winter. Courtesy Red Caviar.
In a bypass in the underwater viewing area, an exhibit about polar bears and seals matches the mural of life in Hudson Bay seen on the landing above. Courtesy Red Caviar.
In the Tipping Point Plaza, a Bow Head whale skeleton is revealed by melting ice, and provides a play area for children to explore. Courtesy Red Caviar.
A Bow Head whale skeleton shown in plan view within the Tipping Point Plaza, where children can dig to expose additional bones. Courtesy Red Caviar.
A graphic panel mounted on an ice wall in the Tipping Point Plaza appears to have been eroded by the same forces that have eroded the wall, revealing ancient animal skulls captured in the ice and explained in the graphic.
Typical construction details for an interactive Flip Book at the Polar Bear and Seal wall exhibit.
