Arctic
culture and climate 

Hard copies of our large print guide aren't available. Please download the large print guide before or during your visit.

The exhibition is accompanied by a plain English guide. This provides a description of 10 key objects from the exhibition in plain English and is designed for learning-disabled visitors.

This exhibition contains some audio-visual content. You can access this on your own device by scanning the QR codes in the gallery.

There are a few benches where you can sit down. A limited number of folding stools are available at the Main entrance on Great Russell Street. Please drop these off at the Montague Place exit as you leave the Museum.

Discover ideas for learning with these downloadable resources.

Explore the teachers' guide which is designed to support your visit to the Arctic exhibition and offers opportunities to work the exhibition into different curriculum subjects.

The resource is accompanied by a downloadable image bank of objects displayed in the exhibition.

Lead supporter

We believe that by understanding the past, we all have the opportunity to define the future. No one brings the past to life like the British Museum, whose permanent collection is one of the finest in existence, spanning two million years of human history. With the Citi exhibition Arctic: culture and climate the Museum uses its collection to ‎demonstrate how human resilience and ingenuity have helped the inhabitants of the Arctic region to survive and thrive. However, the exhibition also highlights the challenge that we all face with the changing climate. 

It is a challenge that we must all address and, as a global bank, we play an essential role in financing a sustainable economy. We are committed to financing and facilitating clean energy, infrastructure and technology projects that support environmental solutions and reduce the impacts of climate change, on rich and diverse communities such as those that inhabit the circumpolar Arctic. 

Supported by

Julie and Stephen Fitzgerald

Julie Fitzgerald and Stephen Fitzgerald AO are proud to support the Citi exhibition Arctic: culture and climate, which celebrates the rich and diverse cultural legacy of the Arctic people.

‘We were interested in the innovative and creative ways that Arctic people have adapted to varied climates and frozen weather conditions for nearly 30,000 years, and we wanted to help shed light on these amazing histories. The changing climate is an issue close to our hearts, and we are thrilled to be a part of this exhibition.’

Julie and Stephen are longstanding supporters of the British Museum’s work, including recent exhibitions Reimagining Captain Cook: Pacific Perspectives and Desire, Love, Identity: exploring LGBTQ histories. Their charitable work covers a wide range of causes, including Stephen’s role as a Director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Supported by

AKO Foundation was set up in 2013 by Nicolai Tangen, CEO and Founder of AKO Capital, a native Norwegian who lives in the UK. Funded with a total of more than £300 million, the Foundation supports initiatives within the arts, education and climate. AKO Foundation has already undertaken a range of exciting projects with the British Museum. In 2019, the Foundation supported the exhibition Edvard Munch: love and angst and is the sole supporter of the forthcoming library of exile installation by Edmund de Waal. AKO Foundation is also instrumental in establishing the new Kunstsilo Museum in Kristiansand, Norway, which will house the largest collection of modernist Nordic art.