"The Last Winter"
Provided by: Sea Walls|Published on: July 19, 2022|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Artwork
Subjects: Visual and Performing Arts
Authors: Dulk
Location: North America, Polar Regions
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This mural by Dulk in Churchill, Canada depicts desperate and damaged polar bears and whales carrying pieces of their environment essential to their survival over a landscape punctuated by cars.
- The use of metaphors is abundant in this mural including relating polar bears and whales to unicorns, showing the damage to the species as damage to individuals, cars as a destructive and polluting force, fires on the animals for a warming climate, and targets on the animals to show they're under attack.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students bring their own ideas and interpretations to the artwork that develop critical thinking.
- There is an opportunity to discuss the difference between the whimsical style of the mural and the dire subject matter.
Additional Prerequisites
- Exploring the map that is included on the webpage will prompt students to connect the visual metaphors the artist uses with the fauna of Churchill, Canada.
Differentiation
- An entire lesson could revolve around finding as many visual metaphors as possible and discussing their meanings.
- The types of human impact depicted are limited to the car and its pollution, but the results of how climate changes are happening are the bulk of the subject matter.
This artwork describes the impact of glaciation on polar bear survival, deepening their vulnerability and forcing them to migrate. This could get worse if we do not take urgent climate action. The resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
