NEH Grant

The University of Alaska Museum of the North has received a $360,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support the renovation of the historic Gallery of Alaska. The funding will allow the museum to hire an anthropologist, who will visit Native communities to solicit their input into the gallery project, as well as consult with a team of humanities scholars.

The gallery was built in in 1980 and is the only public portion of the museum that was not updated during an expansion completed in 2005. The museum, under the leadership of Director Aldona Jonaitis, launched the Gallery of Alaska project in 2014. The curators and staff worked to identify interpretive themes and catalog the objects currently on display. Most recently, the team finished an interpretive plan for the new gallery and is currently working on the layout and design of more than 70 exhibits.

The uniting theme for the new gallery is the bond between the landscape and the changing nature of life in Alaska and the North. Jonaitis said Alaska’s land and life are profoundly connected. “The land has meaning—both philosophical and practical—for all Alaskans. In turn, Alaska’s life shapes this land. This theme has universal relevance, as everyone, interacts with their own environment.”

This is a multi-million dollar project. A lead gift of $1 million by longtime museum supporters Joe Usibelli and Peggy Shumaker was previously announced. Another $500,000 has been raised. A public fundraising phase offering several naming opportunities in the gallery will be announced in the near future.

CONTACT: Aelin Allegood, UAMN Development, at  907-378-1205 or ajallegood@alaska.edu.

In the Media

UA Museum of the North gets $360K grant
(KTVF; April 13, 2017)