Tuesday of this week was a big day because it marked the official opening of a new exhibit, Cold Recall: Reflections of a Polar Explorer, at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja were on hand to kick off the exhibit in royal style.
The exhibit, which details Roald Amundsen’s historic expedition to the South Pole, is on display through November 14th and is expected to be viewed by more than 6 million visitors during its stay.
In addition to Their Majesties, the audience for the opening included modern polar explorers Will Steger, Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft, who each gave a presentation, and Sons of Norway CEO, Eivind Heiberg and International Board members. There's a great story about the event here and here.
This is the first time the exhibit has been shown in the United States and has been a project that Sons of Norway has been working on, in partnership with the Honorary Royal Norwegian Consulate, Destination Bloomington and the Airport Foundation MS, for a number of months.
If you are planning on traveling through the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport before November 14th, take a few minutes and detour to Concourse C to view the full exhibit in all its glory. If, however, you don't have any travel plans, you can view a PDF of the exhibit here. It's very informative and tells a story in Amundsen's own words about the reality of exploration in the early 20th century.
About the exhibit:
Norwegian Roald Amundsen led the historic featured expedition from 1910 to 1912. In addition to illustrating the challenges of arctic exploration in the early 20th Century, the display also provides a unique look at the daily lives of polar explorers. There is no admission charge for the exhibit; however it is located past the terminal’s security checkpoints, so access is limited to ticketed passengers.
The exhibit, purchased by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and on loan until November 14th, is being displayed as part of the airport’s Arts and Culture Program, which is administered by the Airport Foundation MSP, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing travelers’ airport experience. The exhibit was secured through with a partnership between the Honorary Royal Norwegian Consulate, Sons of Norway (a Norwegian-American fraternal life insurance organization dedicated to preserving Norwegian Heritage and Culture), Destination Bloomington and the Airport Foundation MSP. This is the first time the exhibit has appeared in the United States.