Art in the Arctic
October 2 @ 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm
The Art in the Arctic art show is held each year in Fairbanks, Alaska. It bridges the worlds of art, nature, and conservation, with a spotlight on three of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s northern Refuges: Arctic, Kanuti, and Yukon Flats. The scale, expanse, and wildness of Alaska’s Refuges distinguish them from most other Refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System. These Refuges protect habitats for all species, as well as extensive landscapes for subsistence uses and outdoor adventures. Through a tapestry of artistic expressions, Art in the Arctic unveils the narratives, beauty, and challenges these Refuges encapsulate, urging audiences to immerse themselves in their stories.
This year, Art in the Arctic will highlight the artist, their artwork, and the networks, visible and invisible, that sustain Arctic landscapes—and us. This event is hosted by the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges.
2026 THEME: Connected North: Threads of Life in Northern Refuges
Across the Arctic, life moves through networks—rivers that braid across tundra, invisible corridors of migration overhead and under ice, and relationships among people, cultures, and the lands that sustain them. Connected North: Threads of Life in the Northern Refuges invites artists and audiences to discover how connectivity and interdependence shape the health and resilience of Arctic, Kanuti, and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges, and why these connections matter to all of us.
Across the Arctic, life moves through networks—rivers that braid across tundra, invisible corridors of migration overhead and under ice, and relationships among people, cultures, and the lands that sustain them. Connected North: Threads of Life in the Northern Refuges invites artists and audiences to discover how connectivity and interdependence shape the health and resilience of Arctic, Kanuti, and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges, and why these connections matter to all of us.
Why connectivity matters: Northern refuges are among the world’s last large, connected ecosystems. Their rivers, wetlands, and wild spaces form essential pathways for wildlife and support Indigenous lifeways that have endured for millennia. As climate change and other pressures reshape the Arctic, maintaining these connections is crucial for the health of the entire ecosystem—and for communities across Alaska.
Art in the Arctic 2026 affirms the enduring value of National Wildlife Refuges as places that safeguard these connections. The show showcases not just art, but possibility: a reminder that our choices and our communities play a role in sustaining the North. Viewers are invited to see themselves as part of the ecosystem—not outside of it—and to consider how everyday choices and community action help maintain the networks that life depends on. This show is an invitation to learn, to connect, and to care for the living systems that connect the Arctic to Alaskan communities and far beyond.
THEME EXAMPLES:
Arteries of Water: Rivers, sloughs, oxbows, and wetlands as lifelines connecting habitats, species, and people.
Routes of Life: Migration stories—caribou, fish, waterfowl, raptors—corridors above and below ice. Movement as connection.
We Are Part of the Web: Small connections (lichen, insects, permafrost patterns) with outsized impacts on landscapes and communities. Viewers positioned inside the ecosystem—micro-macro relationships.
People & Place: Subsistence relationships, Indigenous knowledge, and community connections to public lands.
Refuges as Connectors: How Arctic, Kanuti, and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges link intact habitats and support resilience. Refuges keep habitats connected so wildlife and communities can thrive. Public lands connect us—to nature and to one another.
Echoes & Ripples: How Arctic changes affect distant places; how local stewardship reverberates outward.
Interwoven Futures: Collaborative care, restoration, and stewardship—threads we can choose to strengthen. How refuges, partnerships, and public lands support a connected future.
VENUE: The Art in the Arctic show will be held at Black Spruce Brewing Company, Fairbanks’s most decorated brewery and a strong supporter of the local arts community. The casual, fun taproom space commonly hosts local artists, with established followings and those just starting out.
EXHIBIT & SALES: Opening night, October 2, 2026, is on the traditional Fairbanks First Friday art circuit. Selected artwork and artist statements will be on display at Black Spruce through the month of October. Artwork may be available for sale to the public. Artists set their own prices for their work. Sale pieces are subject to a 15% “hanging fee,” which Black Spruce will donate to Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, the nonprofit organization sponsoring this show. The remainder of sale prices go to the artist, and they are paid after the conclusion of the show and pick-up of any unsold pieces.
Arteries of Water: Rivers, sloughs, oxbows, and wetlands as lifelines connecting habitats, species, and people.
Routes of Life: Migration stories—caribou, fish, waterfowl, raptors—corridors above and below ice. Movement as connection.
We Are Part of the Web: Small connections (lichen, insects, permafrost patterns) with outsized impacts on landscapes and communities. Viewers positioned inside the ecosystem—micro-macro relationships.
People & Place: Subsistence relationships, Indigenous knowledge, and community connections to public lands.
Refuges as Connectors: How Arctic, Kanuti, and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges link intact habitats and support resilience. Refuges keep habitats connected so wildlife and communities can thrive. Public lands connect us—to nature and to one another.
Echoes & Ripples: How Arctic changes affect distant places; how local stewardship reverberates outward.
Interwoven Futures: Collaborative care, restoration, and stewardship—threads we can choose to strengthen. How refuges, partnerships, and public lands support a connected future.
VENUE: The Art in the Arctic show will be held at Black Spruce Brewing Company, Fairbanks’s most decorated brewery and a strong supporter of the local arts community. The casual, fun taproom space commonly hosts local artists, with established followings and those just starting out.
EXHIBIT & SALES: Opening night, October 2, 2026, is on the traditional Fairbanks First Friday art circuit. Selected artwork and artist statements will be on display at Black Spruce through the month of October. Artwork may be available for sale to the public. Artists set their own prices for their work. Sale pieces are subject to a 15% “hanging fee,” which Black Spruce will donate to Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, the nonprofit organization sponsoring this show. The remainder of sale prices go to the artist, and they are paid after the conclusion of the show and pick-up of any unsold pieces.
SPACE: Each artist is invited to provide up to four pieces of artwork. Artwork must be the original art of the submitting artist. Art pieces must be ready for hanging or display.
ELIGIBILITY: All work exhibited at the show must feature compositions or objects that have a nexus to this year’s theme. Art that does not reflect the theme will not be accepted.
HOW TO APPLY: Apply online at: https://alaskarefugefriends.org/art-in-the-arctic-app and include contact information and text descriptions, as well as images of your artwork.
Descriptions of artwork: Applicants must provide a description of each submission, or proposal for submission, including a short narrative (2-4 sentences) to associate their art with the theme of the show. There must also be a connection to at least one of the three National Wildlife Refuges: Arctic, Kanuti or Yukon Flats.
Image(s): Applicants must submit one or two high resolution images of examples of their artwork (300 dpi and 1,400 x 2,000 pixels) for each submission. All mediums are welcome, including photography, poetry, sculpture, watercolor, fiber arts, performance arts etc.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: May 1, 2026
NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE: All applicants will be notified whether their artwork (or art proposals) will be accepted as part of the show by May 15, 2026.
For questions about the application process or the Show, contact Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges at arctic_art@alaskarefugefriends.org.