Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan to Exhibit at the National Museum of Wildlife Art

Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan will introduce visitors to the daily lives of wolves in the Arctic—how they hunt, play, travel, and rest in one of the harshest environments on Earth—with unparalleled intimacy. By contrast, the wolves of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are fearful of humans, making it nearly impossible to document their daily lives. One of the distinctions made clear in the images is the ability to see wolf pups in the Arctic, which allowed Donovan to document behaviors he had never seen in Yellowstone. Donovan attributes these differences to the fact that Arctic wolves rarely experience negative encounters with humans or view them as a threat—it’s like going back to a time when humans learned from wolves and subsisted on the same prey.“This exhibition is another testament to the ways National Geographic uses the powerful storytelling to illuminate, educate, and engage audiences around the world to understand and care about wildlife conservation,” Kathryn Keane, vice president of public programming at the National Geographic Society. “Ronan brings us into the mysterious world of wolves with his powerful images and videos. This experience helps us better realize how connected we are to this amazing species and all wildlife in the world we share.”

Curator of Art at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Dr. Tammi Hanawalt adds, “We are thrilled to have partnered with National Geographic to have this compelling exhibition premiere at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Where better to have an exhibit about wolves than in a wildlife museum located in the place where they live.” She continues, “Donovan provides a stunning visual story about these two wolves—those of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and of the Arctic—to pose questions about the effects of human intervention in the natural world. Not only can we enjoy the dramatic and touching photography, but through the narrative, we take away a deeper understanding of these creatures and perhaps ourselves.”

“Wolves are such a fascinating animal to me because of how complex their relationship is with humans,” Donovan says. “Wolves were the first animals humans domesticated some 30,000 years ago and they have lived alongside us ever since as guardians, workers, and companions. Yet as humans moved to more sedentary lives, raising what amounts to easy prey in the form of livestock, wolves have found themselves in conflict with humans.” Ronan Donovan worked very closely with Richard Jackson from Hance Partners, a Canson Infinity Certified Print Lab, to create the master files and match prints, on Baryta Photographique II. The match prints were then sent to National Geographic for the final production.