PRATT MUSEUM

established in 1968

The Homer Society of Natural History, Inc. Hosts Annual Business Meeting/Announces New Board of Directors

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The Homer Society of Natural History Inc. Hosts Annual Business Meeting/Announces New Board of Directors

Homer, Alaska (February 7, 2024) – Pratt Museum

Former Board President Linda Rowell and Pratt Museum Executive Director Patricia Relay Addressed Members, Expressed Gratitude for Contributions Made by Outgoing Director

Jennifer Bartolowits, Savanna Bradley, Sue Fallon, Clark Fair, Tim Hatfield, Milli Martin, and Mel Strydom to Join the Board of Directors

The Homer Society of Natural History, Inc. hosted its Annual Business Meeting Tuesday and certified election results, successfully adding seven new members to its board of directors. The meeting was well-attended, with a presentation led by Board President Linda Rowell and Pratt Museum Executive Director Patricia Relay. During the comment period, multiple members stood up to share resolute and often poignant statements in support of the Pratt Museum and its importance to the community.

“The Annual meeting was more than a business meeting. It was a time to gather and engage with our members and the community. At the heart of the Pratt Museum is our members,” said Executive Director Patricia Relay. “I was delighted to see a room full of members and am very grateful for their continued support.”

The ballot counting committee presented election results at 6:17pm, which were certified and made effective as of February 6, 2024 with the following appointments:

  • Milli Martin elected Board President
  • Mel Strydom elected Vice President
  • Jennifer Bartolowits elected Treasurer
  • Savanna Bradley elected Secretary
  • Clark Fair elected director
  • Tim Hatfield elected director
  • Sue Fallon elected director

See the full list of The Homer Society of Natural History, Inc. Board of Directors. The HSNH is grateful to Linda Rowell, Former Board President, whose service ends this year.

About The Homer Society of Natural History, Inc. Founded in 1955, The Homer Society of Natural History, Inc. serves as the governing body for the Pratt Museum, and provides vital advocacy and fundraising support for the Museum.

About the Pratt Museum The mission of the Pratt Museum is to strengthen relationships between people and place through stories relevant to Kachemak Bay. It fulfills its mission by facilitating engagement between community members and strengthening understandings of our shared place. Through these activities, the unique relationship between the people and places of Kachemak Bay will be sustained far into the future. The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am to 4pm. Visit the Pratt Museum at 379 Bartlett Street in Homer. Tel (907) 235-8635. More information is available at www.prattmuseum.org/.

CONTACT Whitney Harness, Visitor Services, Store and Communications Manager | tel (907) 435-3328, email wharness@prattmuseum.org.

Download PDF of this press release here.

Next Generation Fund of the Roy A. Hunt Foundation Grant Award Appreciation

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Homer, Alaska (January 23, 2024) – The Homer Society of Natural History, Inc. DBA Pratt Museum is incredibly grateful to be the recipient of a $5,000 Next Generation Fund of the Roy A. Hunt Foundation Grant. This contribution will allow for the repair of museum display cases in the permanent exhibits of the Pratt Museum, including the case of drawers relating to the popular “Gull Cam” exhibit in the Marine Gallery. Each drawer in the case pulls out to reveal specimens from the Museums extensive collection, including feet, wings and eggs of various species of local shorebirds. The Gull Cam itself allows visitors to the Museum to observe life on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, with a limitless view of glaucous-winged gulls, kittiwakes, cormorants, and more. Gull Island is owned and managed by Seldovia Native Association, Inc. The Pratt Museum is granted a conditional use permit to place camera equipment on the island for educational and scientific purposes.

About the Pratt Museum The Pratt Museum was founded by The Homer Society of Natural History, Inc. in 1968. The mission of the Museum is to strengthen relationships between people and place through stories relevant to Kachemak Bay. It fulfills its mission by facilitating engagement between community members and strengthening understandings of our shared place. Through these activities, the unique relationship between the people and places of Kachemak Bay will be sustained far into the future. The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am to 4pm. Visit the Pratt Museum at 3779 Bartlett Street in Homer. Tel. (907) 235-8635. More information is available at www.prattmuseum.org

 

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The Pratt Museum Announces Exhibit Opening: LIGHT IN BLOOM by Faith Revell

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The Pratt Museum Announces Exhibit Opening: Light in Bloom

 

Homer, Alaska (January 16, 2024) – Pratt Museum

The Pratt Museum is excited to announce our Spring exhibition, Light in Bloom. This exhibition features the works of Valdez artist Faith Revell, who was inspired by changing light and ensuing form when creating this group of oil paintings.

Revell is an East Coast transplant and painter who has lived in Valdez, Alaska, for the past twelve years. Valdez is a remote and remarkably beautiful place situated between the Chugach Mountains and Prince William Sound in South Central Alaska. Wind, weather and snow dominate there. Seismic shifts occur often. As a result, Revell studies natural phenomena and human geography; observes and documents light changing and life unfolding; immerses herself in remarkable experiences and navigates an environment of extremes. Then, she offers up a visceral, lively painted expression and work that embodies movement and the play of elemental forces.

Twenty-six pieces of her work will be on display in the Main Gallery of the Pratt Museum from February 9 to May 12.

A First Friday Exhibition of the show will take place on March 1 beginning at 4pm and will be free to the public.

Stay tuned for more information about a possible workshop.

About the Pratt Museum The mission of the Pratt Museum is to strengthen relationships between people and place through stories relevant to Kachemak Bay. It fulfills its mission by facilitating engagement between community members and strengthening understandings of our shared place. Through these activities, the unique relationship between the people and places of Kachemak Bay will be sustained far into the future. The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am to 4pm. Visit the Pratt Museum at 379 Bartlett Street in Homer. Tel (907) 235-8635. More information is available at www.prattmuseum.org/.

CONTACT Whitney Harness, Visitor Services, Store and Communications Manager. (907) 235-8635 or wharness@prattmuseum.org

 

Homer Society of Natural History Board of Directors Elections

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The Homer Society of Natural History is looking for enthusiastic, dedicated individuals to serve on its Board of Directors. Please see our Prospective Board Member Letter and Application for more information and to apply.

Applications are due by January 10, 2024.

If you have any questions, please call Pratt Museum Executive Director Patricia Relay at 907-435-3333 or Homer Society of Natural History Board of Directors President Linda Rowell at 309-885-2734.

OUR STORIES, OUR PLACE

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CALL FOR STORIES: WRITTEN, CRAFTED, CAPTURED

This month, the Pratt Museum is hosting an exciting new participatory exhibit, OUR STORIES, OUR PLACE: Stories of place from the community.

We share our past experiences | A door to our path forward | We write our journey together | We paint our collective path.

To celebrate the Pratt Museum’s rich past and explore possibilities for the future, we’re inviting our community to share their stories of this place. These submissions may be specific to memories of the Pratt Museum, or to the Kachemak Bay region in general. Both visual art and written word will be accepted.

  • Art submission should be digitally submitted using form below; limited to 500MB per file.
  • Written submission should be 300 characters or less and digitally submitted below.

Submissions will be on placed on display in the OUR STORIES, OUR PLACE exhibit from January 5 to February 5 and will be featured in a First Friday Exhibition on February 2 from 4-7. Exhibit will be updated weekly to reflect additional submissions.

COPYRIGHT RELEASE: All submissions grant the Pratt Museum permission to use, publish, modify, distribute and display submitted work and personal information, including name, age, and school for exhibits, displays, advertising, educational and promotional materials for the OUR STORIES, OUR PLACE EXHIBIT at the discretion of the Pratt Museum.

OUR STORIES, OUR PLACE | Call for Student Art

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In January, the Pratt Museum will be hosting an exciting new participatory exhibit – OUR STORIES, OUR PLACE: Stories of place from the community | We share our past experiences | A door to our path forward | We write our journey together | We paint our collective path.

To celebrate the Pratt Museum’s rich past and explore possibilities for the future, we’re inviting our community to share their stories of this place. We are inviting teachers and staff at local schools to select student art that reflects stories of this place. We are also inviting youth to submit their own work independently. These submissions may be specific to memories of the Pratt Museum, or to the Kachemak Bay region in general. Both art and written word will be accepted.

  • Art submission should be between 4×6” and 20×18” and should include a backing material.
  • Written submission should be 300 characters or less, handwritten or typed (word-processed submission may be displayed using a different font than the original document).
  • Please deliver submissions to Whitney Harness or Keetra Dixon at the Pratt Museum by December 15th at 6pm. Contact Whitney at wharness@prattmuseum.org or Keetra at kdixon@prattmuseum.org for more information or with questions. Submissions will be available for pickup February 10, 2024.

Submissions will be on display in the OUR STORIES, OUR PLACE exhibit from January 5 to February 5 and will be featured in a First Friday Exhibition on February 2 from 4-7.

COPYRIGHT RELEASE: All submissions grant the Pratt Museum permission to use, publish, modify, distribute and display submitted work and personal information, including name, age, and school for exhibits, displays, advertising, educational and promotional materials for the OUR STORIES, OUR PLACE EXHIBIT at the discretion of the Pratt Museum.

Pratt Museum to Host Benefit Event: Glacier Salon

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Pratt Museum to Host Benefit Event: Glacier Salon

Homer, Alaska (November 16, 2023) – Join us on December 9th for the Glacier Salon, a benefit for the Pratt Museum. This will be an evening of music, art, food and wine and will feature Mozart’s String Quartet No. 17, “The Hunt” and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 7, Op. 59 No. 1 performed by Homer’s own Glacier Quartet – Dr. Marcio Candido on violin, Daniel Perry on violin, Nancy Darigo on viola and Mannfried Funk on cello.

This is an important event for the Museum as funds raised through ticket sales will support the us in our mission to strengthen relationships between people and place through stories relevant to Kachemak Bay and further will enable us to continue to provide exciting educational exhibits, programming and events to community members, area students, and visitors in 2024. If you are unable to attend, you may donate now on our website by clicking here. Every contribution helps!

The event will be held at the Pratt Museum on December 9th from 6-9pm. Be sure to purchase your tickets early to avoid missing out. Click here for more information and to purchase your tickets.

About the Pratt Museum

The Pratt Museum was founded by the Homer Society of Natural History in 1968. The mission of the museum is to strengthen relationships between people and place through stories relevant to Kachemak Bay. It fulfills its mission by facilitating engagement between community members and strengthening understandings of our shared place. Through these activities, the unique relationship between the people and places of Kachemak Bay will be sustained far into the future. The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am to 4pm. Visit the Pratt Museum at 3779 Bartlett Street in Homer. Tel. (907) 235-8635. More information is available at www.prattmuseum.org

 

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Patterns in Place by Deland Anderson

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The Pratt Museum is excited to present our current temporary exhibit – Patterns in Place – works by Deland Anderson. An opening exhibition will be held from 4-6pm on October 6th, the first Friday of the month and will be free to the public, and the exhibit will be on display in our Temporary Exhibit Hall until December 27, 2023. Art cards by Anderson will be available to purchase in the Museum Store.

From the artist:

“This exhibit brings together some of the paintings I have composed over the past 30 years. Many are drawn from various exhibits I have mounted in Alaska and the Lower 48. Others are new. There is no overarching theme that ties them together. It’s more just a display of the sorts of things I have done with dot painting since I first encountered Aboriginal art in the Australian Outback in 1980. I am constantly keying into pattern and how it distributes color in the world. I hope you can share in this experience by letting these paintings lead you back into your world with a heightened sense of the play between sky and land, water and light, with a sense of how the vastness of a world may be centered on a berry or blossom.”

You can learn more about local artist Deland Anderson on his website.

You can register for Anderson’s Workshop, Introduction to DitDot Painting, by visiting our Programs and Events page.

In a Time of Change: Boreal Forest Stories

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The Pratt Museum is excited to present our current temporary exhibit!

In a Time of Change: Boreal Forest Stories is a is a cross-disciplinary, collaborative project examining change in the
boreal forest through narrative. For over a year and a half, 44 creators, including artists, writers,
environmental educators, and humanities scholars, exchanged knowledge and perspectives on
the boreal forest with scientists and explored narrative as it applies across the disciplines.
Through their original works, participants relate stories rooted in the boreal forest, including its
ecology, its inhabitants, and their interactions.

This exhibit will run through September 23, 2023.

Downloadable exhibit content booklet and exhibit discovery guide!

ITOC: Boreal Forest Stories

Pratt Museum Receives Highest National recognition: Awarded Re-Accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums

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Pratt Museum Receives Highest National Recognition: Awarded Re-Accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums

Homer, Alaska (July 21, 2023) – Pratt Museum

The Pratt Museum has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums.
Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Pratt Museum was initially accredited in 1997. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status.

Alliance Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement.
Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 50 years, the Alliance’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable in order to provide the best possible service to the public. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1,108 are currently accredited. The Pratt Museum is one of only 7 museums accredited in the state of Alaska.

Accreditation is a very rigorous but highly rewarding process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, and then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, considers the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation. “Accredited museums are a community of institutions that have chosen to hold themselves publicly accountable to excellence,” said Laura L. Lott, Alliance President and CEO. “Accreditation is clearly a significant achievement, of which both the institutions and the communities they serve can be extremely proud.”

About the Pratt Museum The mission of the Pratt Museum is to strengthen relationships between people and place through stories relevant to Kachemak Bay. The Pratt Museum fulfills its mission by facilitating engagement between community members and strengthening understandings of our shared place. Through these activities, the unique relationship between the people and places of Kachemak Bay will be sustained far into the future. The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am to 4pm through September 10. Fall and Winter hours are more limited and subject to change. Visit the Pratt Museum at 3779 Bartlett Street in Homer. Tel. (907) 235-8635. More information is available at www.prattmuseum.org

About the American Alliance of Museums The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. Representing more than 35,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.