FAIRBANKS - MUSEUM OF THE NORTH, JUNE 17TH and JUNE 19th

After rambling around town for a few days we went up to The Museum of the North at UAF (University of Alaska at Fairbanks).  WOW!!!!  It was the highlight of our Fairbanks stay and we took two days to go through the exhibits.

The building itself  sits on a ridge overlooking the Tanana River and Alaska Range and is architecturally interesting as it stretches to the sky with curves and corners and straight lines which continue on the inside and lead you into exploring the exhibits.  It's like discovering a whole new world.  We were like kids in a candy store.  When you come to Alaska next year DO NOT miss this museum.  And ask your granddaughter for her impression of her university's museum.

The view of Denali, (which is 125 miles from Fairbanks), from the museum's windows was exciting. But even more exciting were the exhibits inside. We now have a better understanding of Alaska and of the Native People of Alaska and of the early years of this remarkable state. AND the Museum actually allows photography, even flash, inside. I was in heaven snapping away photo after photo.  I took hundreds and hundreds of them. Linda, thankfully, narrowed them down to about 40.

So here's a few photos to give you a sense of the museum and the exhibits. To see the entire 40 photos go to this link:  Album - Museum of the North

Here is the museum's website: http://www.uaf.edu/museum/

Enjoy! Carole, the photographer

Linda never looks happier than when she's going in a museum.

About the Museum from web site

The University of Alaska Museum of the North is a thriving visitor attraction, a vital component of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the only research and teaching museum in Alaska.

The museum’s research collections – 1.4 million artifacts and specimens – represent millions of years of biological diversity and thousands of years of cultural traditions in the North. The collections are organized into 10 disciplines (archaeology, birds, documentary film, earth sciences, ethnology/history, fine arts, fishes/marine invertebrates, insects, mammals, and plants) and serve as a valuable resource for research on climate change, genetics, contaminants and other issues facing Alaska and the circumpolar North. The museum is also the premier repository for artifacts and specimens collected on public lands in Alaska and a leader in northern natural and cultural history research. 

These collections form the foundation for the museum's research, education programs and exhibits. Exhibit highlights include a 2,000-year spectrum of Alaska art, from ancient ivory carvings to contemporary paintings and sculpture, in the Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery; the state's largest public display of gold and Blue Babe, a 36,000-year-old mummified steppe bison, in the Gallery of Alaska; and an ever-changing sound and light installation driven by the real-time positions of the sun and moon, seismic activity and the aurora in The Place Where You Go to Listen. The museum offers special exhibits, lectures and family programs on a variety of topics throughout the year.

Jade is the state gem.

 Beloved Alaska artist Sydney Laurence in the Classic Art Gallery.

Mummified 36,000-year-old Steppe Bison.

Athabascan leather garments.

The world's largest display of gold.

 Years of Russian domination.

We learned how World War II devastated Alaskan residents in a number of ways.

 Recent history is also included.

 Yup'ik woman's boots.

Okvik Madonna, 2,000 years old.

The Place Where You Go to Listen
An original and ever-changing sound and light environment composed by John Luther Adams, The Place Where You Go to Listen will give voice to the rhythms of daylight and darkness, the phases of the moon, the seismic vibrations of the earth and the activity of the aurora.  from the Museum's website

Living Room
Located in the upper level above the Museum Café, this sitting area features coffee tables and art books and some works from the museum's collections. This area gives visitors a place to relax and absorb their gallery experience while enjoying the architecture in the new wing, solving the problem of "museum fatigue."  from the Museum's website

"... then headed for the Museum. UAF Museum of the North.  We knew it would be good but had no idea how good. We left saying over and over what an excellent job they had done. We have to go back tomorrow. We couldn't begin to see it all. We also watched three excellent films. Who knew? We saw mountain ranges from the museum, but couldn't tell which peak was Mt McKinley. We stopped at the overlook and the sign identified the mountains. As I looked out at the view of the city, I found it fitting that the most noticeable thing was a McDonald's sign up in the air. Oh, Fairbanks!"

Linda's diary, 6/17/2011