Cold War to the Cosmos: Distant Early Warning Systems and the Arctic

On view April 4, 2025 through Sept. 7, 2026
Third Floor, West Wing

Cold War to the Cosmos: Distant Early Warning Systems and the Arctic examines the Arctic's strategic importance during the Cold War and underscores ways the era fueled global tensions around technology, free expression, and the limits of human progress. As the U.S. and Soviet Union pushed technological boundaries, from missile detection systems to moon landings, the world lived under the constant shadow of nuclear fear, grappling with the promises and perils of the Atomic Age. 

Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning shattered artistic traditions, demonstrating the power of individual expression in an era defined by ideological conflict. At the height of the Cold War, the U.S. championed this artistic freedom as a contrast to Soviet control, using movements like Abstract Expressionism and jazz as cultural propaganda to showcase the creative potential of a free society. Artistic innovation became both a personal statement and a geopolitical tool, reinforcing the value of free expression on a global stage.  

As we revisit the Cold War's legacy today—amid new space races and evolving global conflicts—the role of art remains as vital as ever. Artists continue to shape our understanding of the cosmos and our place within it, much like Buckminster Fuller’s vision of "Spaceship Earth.” 

The exhibition features historical images, contemporary art, and major artworks on loan from the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Art Bridges Foundation, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, the Nevada Museum of Art, and the Stanley Museum of Art.