The University College of the North, in partnership with The Pas Guest List, will display former astronaut, Dr. Roberta Bondar's travelling exhibit, "Patterns & Parallels: The Great Imperative to Survive".
Bondar's exhibition is made up of selected high-resolution images from the project, Space for Birds. By integrating three perspectives of migratory bird corridors - space, aerial and surface - this global, emotional story encourages ethical protection of fragile, endangered, and threatened avian species and the habitats they need to survive.
The public is invited to the exhibit's grand opening and in-person presentation from Dr. Roberta Bondar on November 27, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at The Pas Campus. It will remain on display and open to the public until March 14, 2025.
"We are excited to welcome the accomplished Dr. Roberta Bondar to The Pas Campus, along with her artwork," says Doug Lauvstad, President and Vice Chancellor of UCN. "I hope that everyone in The Pas and beyond has the chance to enjoy this exhibit and presentation. It's a unique opportunity and message that everyone should experience."
For the first time since its inception, the Patterns & Parallels exhibition has been translated into three Indigenous languages spoken in northern Manitoba: Cree, Dene, and Anisinimowin. UCN, Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation Division at UCN, The Pas Guest List and The Roberta Bondar Foundation recognize that Indigenous Knowledge Keepers have long emphasized the importance of caring for the planet and understanding our interconnection with all living things. For generations, the migratory patterns of birds have held deep meaning within Indigenous oral histories and teachings. We are honoured to reflect this living knowledge within the project and to take a small step toward celebrating and revitalizing Indigenous languages and cultures that have endured despite efforts to erase them.
"The Pas Guest List couldn't be more excited to welcome Dr. Roberta Bondar to the Tri-Community. Her work connects art, science, and conservation in a way that will really resonate with northern audiences. It's an honour to help share something this meaningful with our community.", says The Pas Guest List Executives.
Dr. Bondar, who was Canada's first female astronaut, is an internationally acclaimed photographer whose foundation is dedicated to environmental education. Her latest photography exhibit features Dr. Bondar's breathtaking images from air and land and NASA's images from space, to tell the story of the migratory patterns of the Whooping Crane, Lesser Flamingo and Piping Plover species, which are all threatened or at risk of extinction.
"Through these images, we enter the world of bird migration, from the Western to the Eastern Hemisphere. Their flight corridors are so large that we cannot capture them in one image from space, while the aerial photographs expose secret patterns of land and water, frequented by birds," says Dr. Roberta Bondar. "When we recognize avian behaviours that resemble ours, we relate better to their lives and fragility. This leads us to minimize our impact on their needed habitats to allow them to survive."
