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.

Shifting Tides: Convergence in Cloth

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One ocean, 45 artists: International art quilt group exhibit probes the Pacific

The Pratt Museum in partnership with Studio Art Quilt Associates is pleased to announce the premiere of Shifting Tides: Convergence in Cloth at the Pratt Museum from October 9 to December 19.

Created as a group exhibit to shine a light on the issues facing the Pacific Ocean today, Shifting Tides is a collection of work by 45 artists chosen from the seven Pacific-facing regions of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). An international organization that promotes the quilt as an art form, SAQA has a history of inviting artists to explore topical, sometimes controversial topics. With this latest show, the organization’s west-coast members explore the earth’s largest ecosystem.

From their strikingly different vantage points—from Southern California northward to Western Canada and Alaska, plus Hawaii—artists from a range of backgrounds were asked to express their concerns and feelings about the Pacific. “Merely because we live in this part of the world, we as individuals are part of the Pacific ecosystem. On a daily basis we may not recognize the changes that are happening,  but they are of vital importance to our world,” write Georgia French and Sonja Campbell, co-chairs of the exhibit planning committee. “We were stunned with the variety and emotional intensity of their responses, as well as with the beauty and graphic impact of their work.”

The 45 works range widely in content and technique, drawing on realism, abstract, and nonrepresentational depictions. The pieces on display were chosen from more than 160 submissions for SAQA artists. Curated by renowned textile artist, Ann Johnston, the exhibit offers a variation of style and context about the plight of oceans and the communities they support. “The topic demands a passion we all feel, and the quilts dealt with the subject and the passion in many different ways; all of them hit me as having merit and value,” explains Johnson. “The intention of the exhibit was not only to choose good pieces but also to include a representative range of habitats and issues in reference to our Pacific ecosystem. I also wanted to include a range of design approaches and construction techniques. I think the resulting exhibit is a showcase of art that will enlighten the viewers about quilts and encourage exploration of solutions to one of our most anguishing ecological problems.”

Whether you want to learn more about the issues plaguing the Pacific Ocean, crave a forum that amplifies your concerns, or just want to immerse yourself in images of its beauty, Shifting Tides: Convergence in Cloth promises to deliver. And if you haven’t experienced the artistry and power of this genre, Shifting Tides is an unforgettable entrée.

This exhibit will be on display at the Pratt Museum from October 9 – December 19. Bring your cellphone to enjoy an interactive call-by-cell experience featuring audio from all of the participating artists!

In conjunction with Shifting Tides, the Pratt is excited to offer new fall programming:

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.

 

Entangled: Exploring Natural History Collections from Kachemak Bay

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The Pratt Museum reopened on Thursday, July 9, with a new special exhibit: Entangled: Exploring natural history collections from Kachemak Bay. 

“This exhibit allows us to share some of our favorite things from the Pratt’s permanent collections that you may have never seen before,” said Curator Savanna Bradley, “and hopefully inspires everyone to share or contemplate their own collection stories.”

Entangled brings together artistic whimsy and the study of natural history. The family-friendly exhibit invites museum-goers to consider and question the origins of natural history collecting for individuals and museums in the Western tradition over time. It also explores how our baseline understandings, such as how we practice culture and what we notice about our environment, are shifting. The exhibit was co-curated by Pratt Museum Naturalist-in-Residence Marilyn Sigman and Curator Savanna Bradley and draws from the permanent collections of the Pratt Museum.

The Pratt Museum is offering a variety of virtual and in-person summer programming around the theme of Collecting, including First Friday programs, participatory Zoom events, and a radio series. For more information, see the Events calendar, contact the museum, or visit our social media.

“We are excited to reopen our doors to the community with this exhibit, and we are so grateful for the support and patience of our members, friends, and guests,” said Pratt Museum Executive Director, Jennifer Gibbins. “We hope to inspire visitors of all ages to continue to be curious about the natural world and to enjoy learning, sharing stories, and connecting with others.”

#MuseumFromHome: Download these two coloring pages to enjoy Entangled from your own home!

Entangled will be on display at the Pratt Museum July 9 – September 26.

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!

Pratt Museum CLOSED through Friday, APRIL 3

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To support public efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Pratt Museum is closed effective Monday, March 16, through Friday, April 3.

As an organization founded by and for community, our highest priority is to protect and support community. We thank our friends, partners, visitors, members, staff and volunteers for your support as we all we all do our part to help ensure a safe and healthy environment.

We will continue to monitor this situation and to act in accordance with the recommendations of health officials and local, state and federal authorities. We will announce any changes via our regular communication channels including our website and social media.

In Homer, more information on COVID-19 may be found through the City of Homer.

More information on COVID-19 may also be found through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Alaska Department of Health and social Services.

PRATT MUSEUM CLOSED THROUGH TUESDAY, MARCH 30

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To support public efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Pratt Museum is closed effective Monday, March 16, through Monday, March 30.

As an organization founded by and for community, our highest priority is to protect and support community. We thank our friends, partners, visitors, members, staff and volunteers for your support as we all we all do our part to help ensure a safe and healthy environment.

We will continue to monitor this situation and to act in accordance with the recommendations of health officials and local, state and federal authorities. We will announce any changes via our regular communication channels including our website and social media.

In Homer, more information on COVID-19 may be found through the City of Homer.

More information on COVID-19 may also be found through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Alaska Department of Health and social Services.

Jubilee Festival of Student Art

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The Pratt Museum is partnering with Homer Council on the Arts to present the 2020 Jubilee Festival of Student Art! Student works submitted through HCOA’s office will be distributed between HCOA and the Pratt. View the amazing work that our community’s youth are creating at both locations!

Shifting Tides: Convergence in Cloth

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October 9 – November 28, 2020

“Whither the Waterfront?” by Cathy Miranker

Art quilts from Studio Art Quilt Associates Pacific regions

An exploration of the effect of the Pacific Ocean on the lives of people
living in the coastal states and province of the North American continent
and in Hawai‘i.

Created as a group exhibit to shine a light on the issues facing the Pacific Ocean today, Shifting Tides is a collection of work by 45 artists chosen from the seven Pacific-facing regions of SAQA. Curated by renowned textile artist Ann Johnston, the exhibit offers a variation of style and context about the plight of oceans and the communities they support.

From their strikingly different vantage points—from Southern California northward to Western Canada and Alaska, plus Hawai`i—artists from a range of backgrounds were asked to express their concerns and feelings about the Pacific. “Merely because we live in this part of the world, we as individuals are part of the Pacific ecosystem. On a daily basis we may not recognize the changes that are happening, but they are of vital importance to our world,” write Georgia French and Sonja Campbell, co-chairs of the exhibit planning committee.

Shifting Tides debuted in San Jose, California at the 2019 SAQA Conference for the purpose of showcasing the talents of SAQA members living in the greater North Pacific region. The show will tour the seven participating Regions, bringing to public view the innovative contemporary art that SAQA stands for.