Bowhead whale soars at Alaska museum

June 2, 2021

Photo by Roger Topp. UAMN mammals collection manager Aren Gunderson watches as the whale’s skull is lifted into place above the museum lobby and below the third-floor balcony.

An iconic Arctic whale’s skeleton took flight this week at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

The 42-foot bowhead whale skeleton is the first display of its kind in a North American museum. Suspended high above the museum’s lobby, it showcases one of the largest marine mammal research collections in the world.

“Over 99 percent of our specimens are kept in climate-controlled facilities away from public view in order to preserve their scientific integrity,” said Link Olson, who curates the museum’s mammal collection, “but we make exceptions for specimens like this, which can inspire and challenge people of all ages and backgrounds to think about the world around them.”

Within the museum, the whale specimen has been known only by its official catalog number: “UAM 15988.” It’s an unassuming name attached to a remarkable story.

Subsistence hunters harvested the whale from the Beaufort Sea in 1963, during the fall hunt in Utqiaġvik, a small Alaska community formerly known as Barrow that lies more than 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The Indigenous people in the region have harvested bowhead whales for thousands of years and the animals play a substantial role in the nutritional, cultural and spiritual health of their people and communities.

A scientist working in the area in the 1960s salvaged the skeleton and worked with the Alaska Air National Guard to have the bones transported to the museum in 1965 and 1969.

Fast forward three decades, and the museum was heading into a major expansion. The unique architecture of the new addition, with soaring ceilings flooded with natural light, was ideally suited for a suspended display.

“The space is beautifully designed for an exhibit like this,” said Patrick Druckenmiller, UAMN director.

But it would be another 20 years before the right confluence of circumstances would allow the whale to take its place in that space.

In the spring of 2018, the foundation created by the estate of well-known Fairbanks banker Bill Stroecker pledged its resources to bring the whale from the research collections downstairs to its new home. The foundation has provided all of the funding for the project, a gift that totals nearly $1 million.

Photo by JR Ancheta. A fully articulated bowhead whale hangs from the ceiling of the University of Alaska Museum of the North, Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

“One of Bill’s dreams was to shine a light on Fairbanks,” said Rick Schikora, co-trustee for the Bill Stroecker Foundation. “This whale will be something that lives in people’s memories of Fairbanks, whether they are local or visitors.”

Starting at the beginning of 2020, a museum team led by mammal collection manager Aren Gunderson began preparing the skeleton for reassembly. Behind doors closed by a global pandemic, Gunderson, skeletal articulator Lee Post of Homer, and their team worked for more than a year to clean the bones, 3-D print those that were missing and reassemble the skeleton, piece by piece.

“It was more challenging and complicated than I ever imagined, but it’s a dream come true to see this whale swim again,” Gunderson said.

The project ultimately gave the museum a purpose and inspiration during a very difficult year, Druckenmiller said. “It gave us motivation and a feeling of encouragement and support from the community.”

Visitors to the museum, which is open seven days a week during the summer, will be able to view the whale from above and below, as well as stand on a nearby staircase alongside the 2,400-pound reconstructed skeleton. The new exhibit will allow visitors to learn about the cultural, scientific and ecological significance of the bowhead whale, which lives its entire life in the Arctic and subarctic.

The new whale exhibit will premiere on Monday, June 7 at a virtual grand opening event at noon Alaska time. Members of the public can join from anywhere via the UA Museum of the North’s Facebook and YouTube channels. For details, visit bit.ly/whaleevent.

READ MORE: Learn more about the process of preparing the new exhibit in the Aurora magazine.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Pat Druckenmiller, 907-474-6989, psdruckenmiller@alaska.edu. Link Olson, 907-474-5998, leolson@alaska.edu. Aren Gunderson, 907-474-6947, amgunderson@alaska.edu.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos and video footage are available for download from the UAF press download drive. A PSA about the event is also available on the UAF news site.