Build a Whale

The More You Look

The bowhead whale is an iconic arctic species inextricably tied to Native cultures in western and northern Alaska and a rare success story in marine mammal conservation. In spring of 2021, the museum and partners articulated a bowhead whale skeleton of a young male harvested by Alaska Native hunters in 1963 near Utqiaġvik and in the museum’s possession since 1965. The whale skeleton is now suspended in the museum’s lobby.

As the crew worked to clean and repair, drill and cut and shape and attach the bones together, the height of the pandemic meant the museum’s auditorium was closed to shows–and the space was available for three months of specimen preparation, as outside the lobby ceiling was remodeled to take the weight of the bones, steel, epoxy, and silicone. Interviewed as they worked, Aren Gunderson, Lee Post, Ron Inouye, Gail Priday, and Marissa Breslin, talk about the planning, reconstruction, and mounting of one of UAMN’s largest objects.
The More You Look is a production of the UA Museum of the North, on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the ancestral lands of the Dena people of the lower Tanana River. UAMN illuminates the natural history and cultural heritage of Alaska and the North through collections, research, education, and partnerships, and by creating a singular museum experience that honors diverse knowledge and respect for the land and its peoples.