Museums and historic sites across the city will open their doors to the public for free admission on Juneau Museum Day, to be held Saturday.
This year, Museum Day coincides with the Juneau Maritime Festival and Douglas Arbor Day, all three of which will offer activities and entertainment for the whole family. A free shuttle service will be provided to transport museum goers between venues, and will include a stop at the Maritime Festival.
Here’s a look at Museum Day activities.
ALASKA STATE MUSEUM
The state museum will mark the opening of “Capturing New Frontiers: The First Years of Alaskan Photography.” Curated by photographer Ron Klein and Head of Historical Collections for the Alaska State Library, James Simard, the exhibit will display Alaska’s territorial history through rare photographs including original gold-toned albumen prints and modern large-scale enlargements. Included in the show will be images taken in St. Michaels in 1866, a very rare daguerreotype of William Henry Seward, and cameras of the era. The exhibit will be on display through Oct. 15.
Other exhibits on display at the ASM include “Just Old Hats: Headgear in Alaska History” as well as the museum’s permanent exhibits. Interactive hat-making activities will be available, and the Friends of the Alaska State Museum will be serving free ice cream to museum attendants.
The state museum will also feature original films displayed on the museum’s Science on a Sphere projection system. “The Alaska Museum Day Film Project” is a collection of self-produced videos from museums around the state, and a conservation demonstration on shipwreck materials will also take place.
JUNEAU-DOUGLAS CITY MUSEUM
“Get Your Motors Running: Chainsaws and Outboards on the Last Frontier,” is one of two exhibits opening on Museum Day. This exhibit chronicles the shift from axes and paddles to chainsaws and outboards and the impact these machines had on everyday life in the Juneau area. There will be hands-on activities explaining saw tooth patterns and paddle types.
Also opening on Museum Day the photography of Patrice Helmar will be exhibited in “Honeymoon Tonight.” Helmar’s new work is inspired by color field painting and the artist’s early childhood experiences commercial fishing with her family. The exhibit includes seven images printed on and framed in metal. It will be on display through Sept. 26.
Other new exhibits at the museum include “Drilling and Milling,” “Outdoor Recreation: Skiing and the Dan Moller Cabin,” and “John Hyde: Mendenhall Glacier & Juneau Ice Field Photos.”.
Visitors can enjoy cake and punch during this free event, thanks to the newly formed Friends of the Juneau-Douglas City Museum. Having launched their charter membership campaign in April, the Friends invite you to join the group during this groundbreaking stage. Charter memberships are available now through July 1.
AUNT CLAUDIA’S DOLLS
Aunt Claudia’s Dolls will be open to the public during Museum Day. Aunt Claudia’s Dolls will feature an Alaska Coastal Airlines exhibit, which includes a four-foot wingspan Grumman Goose model by Terry Richardson of Ketchikan. The exhibit also includes the Richard Frank family collection of Alaska Coastal ephemera and photos. Frank was employed as a mechanic and pilot for Coastal from 1949 until he retirement in the mid-70s. Coastal used the Merchant’s Wharf as its hanger in Juneau and flew a regular schedule of flights to towns in northern Southeast Alaska.
Aunt Claudia’s Dolls regular exhibits feature a large collection of dolls that belonged to Claudia Kelsey during her lifetime as well as the collection and work of doll maker Mary Ellen Frank.
ST. NICHOLAS RUSSIAN
ORTHODOX CHURCH
The Russian Orthodox church will feature part of a collection of watercolors of Russian Orthodox Churches created by Sam McClain. Painted in the 1960s and 1970s, the collection was donated to the Diocese of Alaska earlier this year by Bruce Kendall, a former Alaska senator.
THE LAST CHANCE MINING MUSEUM
The mining museum, located near the base of Perseverance Trail, will be open to the public during Museum Day. The museum has on display a variety of industrial mining tools and artifacts, as well as maps of local ore bodies.
THE CANVAS COMMUNITY ART STUDIO AND GALLERY
The Canvas will feature an interactive art project centered on historical maritime themes between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Participation in the project is pay as you can.
For information on the Maritime Festival, see Friday’s Outdoors section.
