The museum is located in an architectural monument of the 18th-19th centuries, known as the "Trading Building with Carriage House," which was part of the urban ensemble "City Merchant Estate of Shingarëvs-Plotnikovs." This building was constructed in 1897.

In 1994, it was transferred to the Arkhangelsk Museum of Fine Arts, which has since become part of the State Museum Association "Artistic Culture of the Russian North."

The reconstruction and restoration of the building began in 1997. In 2002, the exhibition "Artist of the Eternal Ice" opened in the renovated halls, showcasing the best works of Alexander Borisov.

Alexander Alekseevich Borisov, a renowned painter, student of Ivan Shishkin and Arkhip Kuindzhi, was the first artist to capture the Arctic. His oeuvre, consisting of about 400 works, inspired the creation of the Museum of Artistic Exploration of the Arctic named after A.A. Borisov in Arkhangelsk. The museum project began in 2008 under the guidance of M.V. Mitkevich, with the participation of the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Alexander Konov and scientific supervisor E.I. Ruzhnikova. Since 2013, work has been underway to arrange the exhibition. The halls "Borisov's Foreign Travels," "Workshop in Krasnoborsk," and "Nenets Decorative and Applied Art," dedicated to Nenets culture, have already been opened with the support of OAO "Severalmaz."

The museum invites you to immerse yourself in the mysterious world of the Arctic with its stars, northern lights, and blizzards, as well as to see ancient maps and Arctic studies. Modern design and video installations create a complete immersion in the atmosphere of the Far North.