2010 MEDIA KIT - Anchorage Museum

625 C StreetAnchorage, Alaska 99501(907) 929-9200www.anchoragemuseum.orgSMITHSONIAN ARCTIC STUDIES CENTER (CONTINUED)RESEARCHResearch spaces for Alaska Native elders,artists and scholars working with theSmithsonian include:Cultural Consultation Room: One of themain purposes of the Smithsonian ArcticStudies Center is to provide access to thedescendents of the people who createdthese objects. So, object cases won’t besealed. Mounts were created to allow acertain amount of removal and handling whenculture bearers need to study an object in thisconsultation room. Casual museum visitorscan’t open the cases or handle the objects:That access is reserved for those workingwith Smithsonian staff to build knowledge ofAlaska Native history and culture.Gillam Archaeology Laboratory: Thelaboratory enables Alaska Native communitiesand archaeologists to collaboratively studyartifacts, animal bones and environmentalevidence collected from ancient settlementsand camp sites.THE PROJECT: Sharing KnowledgeExhibition items were chosen as part of a longtermSmithsonian Institution endeavor calledthe Sharing Knowledge Project. Through thisproject, members of indigenous communitiesfrom across Alaska and northeast Siberia areworking with the Smithsonian to interpret thewestern Arctic and subarctic collections of theNational Museum of Natural History and NationalMuseum of the American Indian in Washington,D.C. These combined holdings are vast — morethan 30,000 items, many dating to the late 19thand early 20th centuries. The great majorityhave never been published, exhibited or seen byAlaska Native people.Collaborative work began in 2001 with a seriesof study trips to Smithsonian museums inWashington, D.C. by more than 40 Native eldersand regional representatives. Regional AlaskaNative organizations elected the participants,who then helped select objects destined for thenew Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center.The project is intended to make Smithsoniancollections accessible to all, support crossculturallearning and provide resources forthe study and perpetuation of Alaska culturalheritage. For more information, visithttp://alaska.si.edu and www.mnh.si.edu/arcticBACKGROUNDThe Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center,established in 1988, is a federal research andeducation program focusing on peoples, history,archaeology and cultures across the circumpolarNorth. The center is part of the SmithsonianInstitution’s National Museum of NaturalHistory. In 1994, the center partnered with theAnchorage Museum to open a local location.________________________________________Exhibits in the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Centerwere designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates,Inc., New York, whose client list includes TheNewseum, Washington, D.C., and the AmericanMuseum of Natural History, New York.P. 5MEDIA INQUIRIESSarah Henning, Public Relations Coordinator, (907) 929-9231, shenning@anchoragemuseum.orgJanet Asaro, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, (907) 929-9229, jasaro@anchoragemuseum.org