PRATT MUSEUM

established in 1968

Greetings from the Past: History in Postcards

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An exhibit at the Pratt Museum exploring the history of Postcards and the stories they hold

What is your hope when you send off a postcard? For over 150 years, this seemingly ephemeral form of communication has run the gamut of uses, and has proved itself to be an indispensable form of community recordkeeping across the globe, giving us bite size glimpses into the past. As we live through the current COVID-19 crisis, we have an opportunity to save our stories of this unusual and trying time. Just as stories from events of the past have created snapshots of different eras for us, we are able to pass our stories through time for future generations. What might someone learn about your life if they read a collection of postcards you’ve written? As you explore this exhibit of postcards from the Pratt Museum permanent archives, think about how stories from the past inform us about lives lived. How might you explain this current time we’re living in with just a few short lines and a picture? End your exploration of the past by dropping a note for future generations in the Postcards from Unprecedented Times mailbox, and answer a question for years to come: What’s in a postcard?

Greetings from the Past: History in Postcards will be on display in the Pratt Museum Community Gallery through March 31, 2021.

Postcards from Unprecedented Times: Ongoing Project

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What stories will we tell about our present moment?

At the Pratt Museum, we are committed to collecting and sharing the stories of Kachemak Bay, from both the past and present. This year, we have faced dramatic changes to our way of life, and undoubtedly our world will continue to shift. We want to document this present moment with your voices. Postcards from Unprecedented Times is our way of helping our community preserve those stories and voices.

We started off this project with a First Friday craft night on August 7, but this is an ongoing opportunity to participate. We will be developing an online display of these postcards and letters in the coming weeks, so check back soon to see how others have experienced these unprecedented times!

How it works:

1: Write a letter You can use one of our postcard templates (available at the Museum!) or make something new. Fill it with words, stories, drawings — whatever you want to say about your experience in this moment.

2: Deliver it to the Pratt You can drop it off at the special mailbox in our Community Gallery  (look for the bright blue board in the Greetings from the Past: History in Postcards exhibit) or mail it to 3779 Bartlett St, Homer, AK 99603.

3: Become part of the archives! When we receive your letter, we’ll scan it into our digital archives — it will become part of the historical collection reflecting this moment. Check our website for updates as we develop an online catalog of these letters.

 

Don’t forget to Pick.Click.Give.!

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The deadline for PFD filing is March 31. Did you know that over 30,000 Alaskans donate funds and create positive change through the Pick.Click.Give. option every year? The Pratt Museum is a non-profit enrolled in this awesome program. Please consider us as you file for your 2020 PFD!

If you give, and your neighbor does, and another, it will add up quickly! When you make a donation from your PFD through Pick.Click.Give., you can make an impact by sharing just a little with a cause you care about. The Pratt Museum has been part of the Pick.Click.Give. program since it began in 2009. Donors may give part of their permanent fund dividend to the Pratt through the Pick.Click.Give. website, and help support the Museum’s educational programs!

The filing deadline for your Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) application is March 31, 2020. If you have already filed for your PFD, and would like to make a change to your Pick.Click.Give. donations, you may do so until August 31, 2020.

Museum from Home!

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Looking for ways to engage with the Museum from the comfort of your own home?

Keep checking with us here and on social media for more ways to have museum adventures!