PRATT MUSEUM

established in 1968

Museum Macabre: Darkest Secrets of Kachemak Bay

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October 9 – 31, 2015

Some stories from Kachemak Bay have been lost to common knowledge, swept under the rug and into collections storage at the Pratt Museum. Now is your chance to learn about the dark days of our past through original artifacts and rare images:

Museum Macabre 2015

  • Silver bullet casting molds from the werewolf outbreak of 1934
  • Taxidermy mount of the now-extinct native scorpion forest squirrel
  • Various and frightening specimens preserved stuffed (fanged hare and parasitic fish crab) or in alcohol (giant huntsman spidermoose and assorted viscera)
  • Relics from the vampire wars of the 1970s, including impaling stakes, fangs, and desicated vampires (in bat form)
  • The brain (cast) of a 3-legged land whale
  • Kandorian “siren” eel extracted from Homer Pennock’s leg

This special exhibit is only up through Saturday, October 31, after which the specimens shall be appropriately forgotten…

Capital Update – August 2015

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This month was a busy one for building design. A two-day workshop with the architects, engineers, building committee and staff was held to discuss systems for managing temperature and humidity (a very important consideration for collections care and conservation), lighting, flooring, ceiling forms and dozens of other structural and functional considerations.

Work on design details will continue through the fall, and the capital campaign continues with staff and committee members meeting with prospective major donors and foundation funders.

Woodard Creek Arts & Culture Complex

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Collaborative Planning is Underway

The Pratt Museum and Homer Council on the Arts (HCOA) are pleased to announce that our two organizations are in conversation about the possibilities of collaborating to make use of the existing museum building as a performance, art and activity space.

The future Arts and Culture Complex, to be located on the Pratt Museum’s 9.8-acre property, is envisioned to include the new Pratt Museum building, the newly-defined performing arts and community building, and the existing historic cabin and shop. This newly-defined space would also serve the region by providing a location for meetings, events, and workshops.

SITE PLAN 7.1.15Last fall, the Pratt Museum reexamined the idea of re-purposing its existing building, based on the positive collaborative work that has been occurring throughout the community within the last two years. In response to ongoing dialogue, results of the Parks Art and Recreation (PARC) survey released earlier this year, and the number of nonprofit organizations on the Lower Kenai Peninsula, the two organizations saw this as a unique opportunity to meet community needs. Both are excited to move forward with planning and collaborative work to implement this vision.

The Phase 1 Site Plan is shown here. Phase 2 is a future project to open up the part of Woodard Creek that currently flows underneath the Museum’s parking lot behind the existing building. The Pratt and HCOA will be working diligently over the next several months to further develop this vision of an arts and culture complex. We invite the community’s ideas ̶as well as a commitment to join us ̶ in creating this important and vital center for our community.

 

 

Capital Update – June 2015

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Just in: Updated Renderings of the Building Exterior, Floor Plan, and Site!

Over the past few months, Pratt project architects, engineers and staff have been developing the new building design and site plan.

One change to the previous schematic design includes the location of air handling systems, creating a new roof line. Tweaks have also been made to remove the need for pillars in the main gallery and gain more overhead space for the gray whale. To better account for existing slopes and handicapped access, the Phase 1 Site Plan has been modified.

Design Development will be completed in early August, and construction drawings will be completed in the fall. We will be shovel-ready by the end of the year!

Substantive planning work on aquaria and exhibit design is in the works and we’ll have some exciting drawings to show off very soon! Exhibit design will continue through 2016.

Fundraising also continues. We expect the State’s budget situation will delay the construction timeline. We are working on other sources of funding in lieu of the remaining piece of the State appropriation that was originally requested.