FY10 Annual Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FY10 ANNUAL REPORT 7.2009–6.2010 The University of Alaska Museum of the North, located on the Fairbanks campus, is the only museum in the state with a tripartite mission of research, teaching and collecting. The museum’s botanical, geological, zoological, and cultural collections, primarily from Alaska and the Circumpolar North, form the basis for understanding the local as well as the global past, present and future. Through collection-based research, teaching and public programs, the museum shares its knowledge and collections with local, national and international audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Museum Professional Staff Carol Diebel, Museum Director Earth Sciences Exhibition & Design Mammalogy Patrick Druckenmiller, Curator* Steve Bouta, Chief Preparator Link Olson, Curator* Administration Amanda Hanson, Curatorial Assistant Tamara Martz, Production Assistant Brandy Jacobsen, Collection Manager Barbara Ellanna, Fiscal Professional Dusty McDonald, Programmer Andrew Quainton, Education Genomic Resources Assistant to the Director Laura Conner, Director Aren Gunderson, Coordinator Operations Linda Sheldon, Fiscal Technician Jennifer Arseneau, Kevin May, Manager Fine Arts Education Program Leader Advancement & Marketing Mareca Guthrie, Collection Manager Ornithology Peggy Hetman, Lloyd Huskey, Director Kevin Winker, Curator* Education Liaison Herbarium Jack Withrow, Collection Manager Alaska Center for Documentary Film Roger Topp, New Media Producer Steffi Ickert-Bond, Curator* Leonard Kamerling, Curator* Entomology Jordan Metzgar, Collection Manager Visitor Services Archaeology Derek Sikes, Curator* Dave F. Murray, Curator Emeritus Daniel David, Manager & Retail Buyer Jeff Rasic, Acting Curator Jozef Slowik, Curatorial Assistant Carolyn Parker, Research Professional Morgan Simpson, Store Supervisor Janet Thompson, James Whitney, Collection Manager Ichthyology Ethnology and History Assistant Manager & Tour Scott Shirar, Research Archaeologist Molly Lee, Curator Emerita * Andres Lopez, Curator* Coordinator Communication Angela Linn, Collection Manager * UAF faculty holding joint appointment Kerynn Fisher, Manager Museum Advisory Committee Friends of the UA Museum Linda Anderson A. Lanterman Therese Sharp Board Members Donna Dinsmore David Norton Jane Behlke James Lund Joseph Usibelli Helen Atkinson Ted Fathauer Lee O’Hare Michael Burns Robert Magee Richard Wien Mary Binkley Jackie Goering Bill Stroecker Michael Cook Sherry Modrow Nadine Winters DeLois Burggraf Don Gray Ellen Whitcher Mary Jane Fate Grace Schaible Phyllis Church Ron Inouye The Year in Numbers Total attendance: 77,923 Number of free events: 7 Attendance at free events: 3,050 Accessions: 269 New specimens: 20,412 Outgoing loans: 134 Detail from Fence n’ Fold, sculpture by retired UAMN Ron Inouye exhibits coordinator Wanda Chin. Donated by Ron Inouye. Museum Director: Carol Diebel University of Alaska Museum of the North Editor: Theresa Bakker PO Box 756960 Designer: Dixon Jones Fairbanks, Alaska 99775 Tel 907.474.7505 Copyright © 2011 Fax 907.474.5469 Cover, top: Eric Sargis, Nick Kerhoulas, and Lucy Mullin scout The University of Alaska Fairbanks is [email protected] for hoary marmots in the White Mountains (Link Olson). accredited by the Northwest Commission on Left: Therorhodion glandulosum (Glandular Rosebay) Seward Colleges and Universities. Peninsula, AK (S. Ickert-Bond). Center: main staircase, Museum The University of Alaska Museum museum.uaf.edu of the North (Patricia Fisher). Right: A shift of Youth Volunteers of the North is accredited by the UAF is an affirmative action/equal opportunity www.facebook.com/alaskamuseum smile after spending time journaling (Christina Miller). American Association of Museums. employer and educational institution. www.twitter.com/alaskamuseum From the Director Dear Friends and Supporters, Bureau of Land Management, the Gates of the Arctic National Park, I arrived in Fairbanks in September 2009, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, thrilled to start my new life as a museum di- Kanuti and Selawik National Wildlife Refuges, the Morris Thompson rector in a place I had only briefly visited for an Cultural and Visitor Center, Duke University, UC Berkeley, Harvard interview. This was an improvement over my University and the New York Botanical Garden. These projects col- last big move from Florida to New Zealand, lectively trained many students in fieldwork skills and techniques, with only a phone interview and pictures of resulted in significant collections of specimens (e.g. a small rare the country to guide me. Still, I had no idea ichthyosaur and a wolfish), documented plant and animal distribu- what 40-below temperatures would feel like, what extreme light tions in the Arctic, and strengthened networks with many Alaska swings and moose in the yard would look like, whether driving on communities. ice would be something I could learn. The most frequent question During this year, the museum also received a significant acquisi- asked of me since then has been: Why would you move from a tion in the Vogel Collection from the National Gallery as part of its beautiful country like New Zealand to Fairbanks? The answer is 50/50 project (50 works for 50 states). Our education team reached both simple and complex – the museum itself. over 3000 Fairbanks-area students and organized a variety of family- The University of Alaska Museum of the North sits within a vibrant focused special events. The exhibitions team designed four special and distinctive university community. Its mission is one of research, exhibits that focused on Alaska artists, new works and acquisitions, collecting and teaching. The museum shares its knowledge through climate change and images from the Alaska Satellite Facility, as well outreach with local, national and international visitors. A stunning as several outdoor exhibits with the UAF facilities and new gallery in- building houses the collections. I wanted the opportunity to guide stallations. After 30 years of service to the museum, exhibit designer the museum to becoming a true community anchor institution – a Wanda Chin retired in October. She received many honors recogniz- place that is critical to the quality of life. This vision is in strong alli- ing her work at the museum, including the 2009 Western Museums ance with the members of the American Association of Museums. Association Director’s Chair Award and the 2009 Governor’s Awards UAMN’s strength is that it is at the nexus of Arctic science, art and for Arts and Humanities in the category of arts advocacy. culture. We can use these connections to create new standards for Our visitor services team continues to get high marks from our all museums in the field of community engagement, such as creat- guests for innovations like offering a single movie pass and more ing programs that train the workforce of the future. daily viewings. FY09 was a true economic challenge, in part because FY09 was a year of many joint partnerships and research projects. of a significant downturn in the economy and its effect on the tour- Diverse field work research focused on historic cabin sites, Alaska ism market, donations, and state and federal funding. Even with our arctic dinosaurs, a newly-erupted volcanic island, the Alaska Range, diverse revenue stream, the museum certainly felt the pinch. We the Kobuk River, Norway and the Philippines. Partnerships with mu- have re-grouped, re-focused and re-tooled at many levels, emerg- seums included the Simon Paneak Memorial Museum at Anaktuvuk ing as a lean but highly talented team. With the support of the uni- Pass, Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum in Fairbanks, the Yale versity, community and state, we look forward to thriving despite Peabody Museum, the Field Museum in Chicago, the Royal Tyrrell this adversity. Museum of Paleontology, and the University of Oslo Natural History Museum. Additional working partners included agencies like the Contents Public Research & Selected Field Sites, Visitor Gifts to the Development Financial Grants & Programs Collections Publications Professional Services Collections & Membership Summary Contracts Service 2 4 8 9 9 10 11 13 13 1 Patricia Fisher Patricia Public Programs 2 Exhibits sensors provide new perspective. A selection of images, chosen During FY10, the museum designed and presented four special for their physical beauty or importance, were exhibited. The Alaska exhibits: Satellite Facility (ASF) of the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks provided the images. ASF downlinks satellite Ascension: Exploring the Art of Denali — Denali National Park data using two large antennas. In addition, ASF maintains a vast has long been a natural source of inspiration for artists and scien- archive ranging from historical photographs from the 1800s to tists. This exhibit displayed diverse stylistic art forms from thirteen satellite imagery just hours old. This data allows researchers to of the Park’s artists-in-residence, along with additional works from better understand Earth’s processes within the context of a chang- the museum’s collections. The subject matter was the park’s natural ing environment. history and its complex ecosystems. Artists represented included Jon Van Zyle, Kesler Woodward, Rochelle Dowdy, Ree Nancarrow The museum also worked with UAF Facilities Services to land- and others. The exhibit was developed with Guest Curator Annie scape a site for several outside exhibits, including dredge buckets Duffy from Alaska Geographic