Morris Communications joins museum expansion supporters

Submitted by Kerynn Fisher
Phone: (907) 474-6941
09/29/04

Morris Communications Company, the owner of several well-known Alaska publications, has joined the ranks of University of Alaska Museum of the North supporters with a major gift to the museum’s expansion. The gift places the company in the museum’s "Director’s Circle" (with gifts in the $100,000 to $500,000 range) and will be used to fund essential furnishings and equipment in the expanded museum.

Morris Communications Company’s association with the state of Alaska dates to the late 1960s when the Georgia-based media company purchased the Juneau Empire. Over the years, Morris’s Alaska properties have grown to encompass newspapers, magazines and radio stations, creating a family of enterprises involved in recording and interpreting life in Alaska. During the same period, the Morris collection of Alaskan art has grown to reflect an abiding interest in the visual representation of the state, its land and its people, a theme that will be reflected in the Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery in the University of Alaska Museum of the North’s new wing.

"A region’s art is truly an expression of the influence a place can have on its residents and visitors," said William S. Morris III, chairman and CEO of Morris Communications. "We are looking forward to seeing the museum’s broad range of Alaskan art presented in a way that will enhance the understanding and appreciation of this cultural heritage."

In addition to the Juneau Empire, Morris Communications is the parent company for The MILEPOST, Alaska magazine, Alaska Journal of Commerce, Kenai’s Peninsula Clarion, Juneau’s Capital City Weekly, several other Alaska-based publications and six Anchorage-area radio stations.

After years of fundraising by more than 60 volunteers, construction began on the museum’s $32.75 million expansion in June 2002. Since the completion of the capital campaign in May 2001, the museum has continued to seek grants and private donations to fund non-construction costs such as furnishings, equipment and display cases for the gallery.

"This gift is a testament to our university, the museum’s expansion and our vision for the future," said UAF Chancellor Steve Jones. "It will help us further enhance UAF’s role as a center for promoting arts and culture."

CONTACT: Kerynn Fisher, Communications Coordinator, University of Alaska Museum of the North, at (907)474-6941 or (907)378-2559 or Louise Keith Claussen, Director of Fine Arts, Morris Communications, at (706)828-4384.