by Jan Lazor

Created on: July 05, 2009

The independent spirit that is the cornerstone of Alaska's heritage is alive and well and living in the Anchorage Museum at the Rasmuson Center in the heart of the state's largest city.

Located at the corner of 7th Avenue and C Street, the Center holds the pulse of Anchorage's blended past and charts the course for the city's historical and cultural future. The museum, a partnership between public and private entities, is a welcome addition to the Anchorage cityscape. The museum's focus aims to bring together Alaska's history, promote its arts and provide a forum for scientific study.

The museum opened its doors in 1968 in conjunction with the 100th anniversary to mark the United States' purchase of the Alaskan Territory from Russia. The first exhibit featured a 60-piece exhibit of borrowed art and 2,500 historical and ethnic artifacts loaned to the museum from the local historical society.

From its humble beginnings, the Anchorage Museum has grown into one of the top 10 visitor attractions in the state. The museum has earned several firsts including the first museum in Alaska to earn accreditation from the Association of Museums. It also holds the distinction as the first regional office of the Smithsonian Institutes National History Arctic Study Center.

The clean lines of the steel and glass structure have undergone several growth spurts as the museum grew in importance and popularity with both residents and visitors. Rasmuson Center is currently undergoing a $100,000 million expansion project to increase the museum's space and program offerings. Construction is expected to be finish in 2010.

Directors strive to keep the museum's motto at the heart of their operation: To bring the best of Alaska to the world and the best of the world to Alaska. Today visitors can poke through the extensive display in the Alaska Gallery to learn the history of the various ethnic cultures that have been melded together through the generations to become the Alaska of today.

Artifacts include examples from the Russian explorers who first claimed the region for the Motherland. Generally they worked with the native Aleuts, Eskimos and Indian tribes already living in the area. In the gallery visitors can see a blockhouse built in the Russian style and used as a fortress. Both life size and miniature dioramas displayed in the second floor gallery depict the lives of the native clans that greeted the Russian explorers.

No collection of Alaskan history would be complete without reminders of the Gold rush days in the Yukon. This summer a traveling exhibit with more than 300 gold objects will be displayed at the Anchorage Museum until August.

The museum displays works of art and photography in its permanent, current and archived exhibits. Visiting art and artifact exhibits rotate through the galleries to enhance museum-goers experience beyond the borders of Alaska. Besides it artistic exhibits, museum organizers also host classes to help residents learn, expand and improve their own artistic talents. Classes are available for all ages including children, teens and adults. Contact the museum at (907)929-9268 to learn about class times, dates and fees.

The final component of the Anchorage Museum will not be completed until next spring when the expansion project is done. The Thomas Planetarium and the Imaginarium Discovery Center will offer visitors a hands-on science learning experience.

Admission to the museum is $8 for adults and $7 for people 65 year of age or older. Children between the ages of 2 and 17 are free, although the museum encourages free- will donations of $2 per child.

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