“Unintended Journeys” Opens at the Smithsonian Feb. 7

The National Museum of Natural History opens its newest temporary exhibition, “Unintended Journeys,” Feb. 7. Drawing on 50 stunning and poignant images taken by photographers at Magnum Photos, the exhibition explores humanity’s vulnerability to the unpredictable power of nature, as well as communities’ resilience in the face of disaster. The exhibition explores the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the earthquake and tsunami off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku, Japan, in 2011, as well as ongoing issues related to sea-level rise and flooding in Bangladesh’s coastal delta region and desertification in southern Sudan and northern Kenya. The exhibition will be on view through Aug. 13 on the second floor of the museum.

This exhibition brings to the forefront the growing trend of environmental disasters that are affecting communities. In 2009, 19.2 million people were recognized as displaced by environmental disasters worldwide and that number is projected to increase at an alarming rate, primarily due to the pressures of climate change.

“Unintended Journeys” provides intimate access into the lives of humans displaced by global climate change and some of the most devastating natural disasters in the past decade. The exhibition’s images highlight the different challenges faced by individuals impacted by these tragedies. The migrations caused by these cataclysmic events are large scale, and the resulting displacements remain long after the media attention and international support has faded.

“It is our hope that this show and accompanying public programming will spark conversations about the lasting impacts of disasters and about our relationship to, and impact on, our environment,” said Joshua A. Bell, curator of globalization at the National Museum of Natural History and co-curator of the exhibition with Gwyneira Isaac, curator of North America at the museum.

This exhibition is made possible by the Windland Smith Rice Nature’s Best Photography Fund, in collaboration with Magnum Photos agency. Magnum Photos is a photographic cooperative founded in 1947 by a group of pioneering photographers who had recorded and survived the atrocities of World War II. Today, Magnum’s photographers continue to chronicle the world and interpret its peoples, events, issues and personalities with a particular focus on humanitarian issues. For more information on the exhibition, click here.

Editors: For high-resolution images, contact Kelly Carnes at (202) 633-2950 or carnesk@si.edu

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