Research Triangle Park, N.C. — The extreme edges of the earth offer scenes of beautiful tranquility fraught with unspoken fragility. “Polar Worlds: Images of the Arctic and Antarctic,” an exhibit hosted by the National Humanities Center from January through May, captures the majesty and the ephemerality of these striking landscapes.

Featuring paintings by Nerys Levy, a Chapel Hill artist, and photographs by Ron Jautz of New York, the exhibit captures the hushed splendor of the natural vistas while leaving unspoken reminders of the effects of global climate change.

Nerys Levy’s paintings focus on illustrating the conditional nature of the physical world, and in past exhibitions she has featured marshes and forests in North Carolina, glaciers in the Alpines, as well as various gardens and cloud settings. Some of her solo exhibits include the Louise Jones Brown Gallery featured at Duke University, the Galleria Santo Stefano Exhibit in Venice, Italy, and the National Humanities Center.

Photographer Ron Jautz began his career as a freelance photographer for the Associated Press in Europe. In recent years, dividing his time between artistic and commercial projects, he has established a reputation for capturing images of ordinary objects and people in an extraordinary way for clients that include the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, IBM, Apple Computer Inc., Estee Lauder, Forbes, Marriott Corporation, Girl Scouts of America, Walgreen Company and the Washington Post.

All lectures and exhibits at the National Humanities Center are free and open to the public, and the exhibit can be viewed Monday – Friday from 8:30 am – 5 pm.

About National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center (http://www.nationalhumanitiescenter.org) is one of the leading institutes for advanced study in the world and the only one dedicated exclusively to the humanities. Privately incorporated and governed by a distinguished board of trustees from academic, professional, and public life, the Center was planned under the auspices of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and began operation in 1978. It provides a national focus for the best work in the liberal arts, drawing attention to the enduring value of ancient and modern history, language and literature, ethical and moral reflection, artistic and cultural traditions, and critical thought in every area of humanistic investigation. By encouraging excellence in scholarship, the Center seeks to ensure the continuing strength of the liberal arts and to affirm the importance of the humanities in American life.