Invisible in their own homeland. About half of Alaska’s residents live in traditional Dena’ina territory, but there is little awareness of the indigenous people who have called Southcentral Alaska home for more than 1,000 years. Meet the Dena’ina through film, life-size re-creations, images, hands-on learning stations, audio and original artifacts, as well as a rich series of special events.

The Pratt Museum is proud to be the first site to host this traveling exhibition, and the only venue outside of Anchorage to feature original artifacts.

The exhibition, Dena’inaq’ Huch’ulyeshi: The Dena’ina Way of Living, was organized by the Anchorage Museum. Major support for traveling the exhibition has been generously provided by the Rasmuson Foundation. Additional support for the Pratt Museum installation has been provided by Apache Alaska Corporation, The CIRI Foundation, Ninilchik Traditional Council, Seldovia Village Tribe, Alaska State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of Homer.

 

Key Ingredients: America By Food
April 4 – May 15

What are kolaces, spaetzle and pierogies? Most of don’t give a second thought about the wealth of history and culture that shapes our dining habits and taste preferences. Our recipes, menus, ceremonies, and etiquette are directly shaped by our country’s rich immigrant experience, the history and innovations of food preparation technology, and the ever-changing availability of key ingredients.

Through a selection of artifacts, photographs, and illustrations, Key Ingredients examines the evolution of the American kitchen and how food industries have responded to the technological innovations that have enabled Americans to choose an ever-wider variety of frozen, prepared, and fresh foods. Key Ingredients also looks beyond the home to restaurants, diners, and celebrations that help build a sense of community through food.

The exhibition addresses farming, table manners, history, markets, and kitchen gadgets in a lively presentation that stimulates comparisons of back then and right now, over there and right here. The exhibition will engage audiences everywhere, creating conversations and inspiring community recollection and celebration.

Putting By: Food and Identity on the Kenai
May 16 – June 22

In northern climates, the vast majority of local food is only available during the short summer months. Food cultivation, hunting, and gathering must be coordinated and the harvest made to last through winter. Safely stored food is not just consumed, but used in trade, given as gifts and shared at potlucks. In some cases, winter preservation is necessary for the subsequent growing season.

During the exhibition Key Ingredients: America by Food, museum visitors reflect upon food traditions and seasons. Putting By combines visitor feedback, the content of public events including a community conversation, historical photographs and food-reflective artworks to explore the importance of Putting By for our region, and how our own food traditions reflect our identities.

Opening reception Friday, Feb. 7, 5-7pm
Fossil Day : Saturday, February 22, 1-3pm

Explore the prehistoric Tertiary Period through plant and sea life fossils set alongside their modern-day examples. Paleontology shows just how drastically our local environment has changed—and hints at the importance of understanding our fossil history.

This exhibit is supported in part by Alaska State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, City of Homer, ConocoPhillips, and Petro Marine Services.

November 8 – December 31, 2013
Opening reception Friday, November 8, 5-7 pm

This special exhibit combines
Kodiak Maritime Museum’s When Crab Was King: Faces of the Kodiak King Crab Fishery 1950-1982, with stories of the king crab fishery in Kachemak Bay.

When Crab Was King: Faces of the Kodiak King Crab Fishery 1950-1982 features portraits of 24 individuals that experienced the boom years of the Kodiak King Crab fishery, as well as oral histories presenting each of their stories. In the Pratt Museum’s presentation, you’ll also be able to view historic films, hear stories from local fishermen, learn about the biology of the local fishery and recent efforts to re-establish king crab, and inspect a live brood of juvenile crabs in our own saltwater tank.

This exhibit is supported in part by Kodiak Maritime Museum with support from Alaska Humanities Forum, Alaska Sta

Beneath the Surface August 2 – September 29 Opening reception Friday, Aug. 2, 5-7pm

Paintings by Rebecca Crowell Artifacts from the Pratt Museum Collection Sound design by David Crowell

This exhibit explores the beauty and mystery of archaeology, with abstract paintings by Rebecca Crowell that references archaeological processes, and artifacts excavated in the Kenai Peninsula. Compositions and sound design by composer David Crowell accompany the visual display.

This exhibit is supported in part by Alaska State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, City of Homer, Apache, and Petro Marine.

Encounters: Whales in Our Waters
February 1 – July 21, 2013

History in the Making:
Quilts, Quilters and their Stories
November 9 – December 30, 2012 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 1 – September 30th, 2012. 

Opening Reception 5-7:00 PM – Friday, June 1, 2012

Merged Lifestyles of Kachemak Bay
by Marian Beck

This solo exhibition features pieces that reflect on Marian Beck’s life in Halibut Cove, her relationship to the land of this region and to the waters of Kachemak Bay.

Expressing a distinctly personal view, Beck’s evocative paintings reveal her experiences and the change from wilderness to the modern world. “Life on the Bay has so many chapters. Each of these 17 paintings represents the first line of a chapter, or even an entire book,” said Marian Beck in her artist’s statement.