May 12 - December 1, 2012

January 14 – May 5, 2012

This exhibit explores the wildlife that lives among us, spiders and insects of the phylum Arthropoda. These creatures are known for their many legs and their many relatives. They are the most numerous and adaptable creatures on the planet. More here.

Leggy! is supported by BioQuip and Fishtopia. All photos by Derek Sikes, UAMN entomology curator. Additional support from Brandi Fleshman, Piotr Naskrecki, and Friends of the UA Museum.

May 28, 2011 – January 3, 2012

Our use of energy permeates all our daily activities. Almost every human activity relies on a cheap, constant supply of energy, from the food we eat to the heat we need for our homes. Power Play demonstrates with interactive games how Alaskans can power their daily lives and challenges visitors to think about balancing energy needs and supplies.

Power Play is sponsored by these organizations:
GVEA Golden Valley Electric Association; UAF Cooperative Extension Service; Alaska Housing Finance Corporation; BP; CIRI; Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc.; Alaska Energy Authority; Alaska Power Association; Alaska Village Electric Cooperative; Ocean Renewable Power Company; Renewable Energy Alaska Project; STG Incorporated; Hattenburg Dilley & Linnell, LLC

Also supported by www.tacrockford.com

January 22 – April 16, 2011

Coffee is one of the world's most widely traded commodities, and has had a tremendous impact on cultures, economies, and environments across the globe. Coffee: The World in Your Cup uses photos, maps, artifacts, audiovisuals, and hands on demonstrations to explore the fascinating world behind the coffee we drink. Visitors will learn about coffee's origins in Africa, its past and present methods of production, and its current impact on the environment — from backyard birds to global climate change. Coffee will also address the botany of coffee, the effects of caffeine on human health, and the art and science of producing a perfect cup.

Sponsored locally by Alyeska, Alaska Coffee Roasting Co., Shannon & Wilson, Inc., Raven’s Brew, Fountainhead Hotels, W. Lee Payne, DDS, and North Pole Coffee Roasting Co.

This exhibition is organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle. Major sponsorship has been provided by The Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, Starbucks Coffee Company, and the University of Washington.

May 15, 2010 - January 8, 2011

This exhibition presents compelling, visual evidence of climate change in the North. By comparing early 20th Century photos with contemporary views from the same vantage points, visitors can see for themselves the nature and extent of changes to this remote landscape. Personal narratives complement the photos to help visitors understand what these changes mean for the world in which we live.

February 6 - May 8, 2010

New additions to the museum’s collections showcase the diverse relationships that help expand the museum’s research collections. Learn about the donors, the partnerships and the fieldwork that helped the museum acquire an Asian elephant, a passenger pigeon, artifacts from one of Alaska’s oldest archaeological sites, new works by contemporary Alaskan artists and other unique artifacts.

October 10, 2009 - January 30, 2010

One of the few protected intact subarctic ecosystems on the planet, Denali Park and Preserve has long been an inspiration for artists and scientists. A selection of 20 artworks, created by participants in the Denali Artist-in-Residence program along with the UA Museum of the North’s collections give meaning to the park’s natural and cultural landscapes. Marvel over the contemporary artwork and appreciate how artists and others have had a major impact on the creation and development of Denali, one of America’s national parks. More...

In association with the National Park Service and Alaska Geographic.

May 16 - October 3, 2009

The polar bear - an icon in the struggle against climate change - and other ice-dependent species face a precarious future as their Arctic habitat melts away. This exhibit features 45 photographs by Steven Kazlowski, with images taken along the Arctic coast from Canada's Hershel Island to Point Hope, Alaska. Follow the path of these alpha predators, learn about the unique biology of the polar bear and the Arctic web of life to which they belong. Intimate images portray the bears' annual cycle of life from mothers with cubs, to adolescents at play, to adults on the hunt.

Organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington in partnership with Braided River, a branch of The Mountaineers Books in Seattle.

Furniture Designer, Artist-in-Residence, United States Artists
Tanya Aguiñiga (Los Angeles) is a furniture designer whose work is informed by the complex interactions between Tijuana and San Diego, the cities in which she has spent most of her life. Her sensitivity to materials and interest in creating furniture that responds to the users spatial needs have resulted in a playful and organic modernist approach to form. She hopes to deepen her commitment to ethical design by working with traditional artisans, connecting local craft traditions with a global economy.
The residency at the UAF Native Arts Center is made available by United States Artists. Special thanks to Da-ka-xeen Mehner and the UAF Art Department.

Reuse, recycle, and reflect as residents envision and create buildings and shape our local environment into the 21st century. View over 100 paintings, drawings and images of Fairbanks and see the cityscape changes of recent years through the eyes of community planners, artists, architects and residents. Artists include Miho Aoki, David Mollett, Tanya Clayton, and others. More...

Yuungnaqpiallerput
THE WAY WE GENUINELY LIVE Masterworks of Yup'ik Science and Survival

December 13, 2008 - March 22, 2009

More than 140 objects organized from over 13 museums in the United States and Germany. The remarkable 19th and 20th century tools, containers, weapons, watercraft, and clothing demonstrate the scientific principles and spiritual values that have allowed the Yup'ik people to survive in the sub-arctic tundra of the Bering Sea coast. 

Guest curator Ann Fienup-Riordan, translators Alice Rearden and Marie Meade worked with the Calista Elders Council and Anchorage Museum to present this extraordinary experience. Supported by a major grant from the National Science

May 17 - November 30, 2008

Discover the stories, tools, and fur clothing that has sustained generations of Interior Alaskans. See over 200 objects, from 14,000 years ago through today. Featured are the historic firearm collection (1840-1970); a full-sized dogsled; fur parkas; a bear spear and copper dagger. Media clips tell about the challenges and changes that impact all users of Alaska ’s lands. A smell station and hands-on activities allow visitors to experience the out-of-doors.

See the Hunting and Trapping Exhibit Online.

April 5 – May 11, 2008

The paintings by 25 Canadian artists show the beauty and fragility of Canada’s high arctic. The artists commemorated the 100th anniversary of Roald Amundsen's 1906 navigation through the Northwest Passage with a journey of their own. The paintings show views of the wildlife and environment.

These posters show 25 different portrayals of the great land of Alaska and the people who live here. Since 1984, celebrated Alaskan artists such as Claire Fejes, Barry McWayne, David Mollett, Barbara LaVallee and Byron Birdsall have offered their artwork to promote public broadcasting.

January 26 – March 30, 2008

Over 200 contemporary and historic craft objects from the collections of the Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples, the Japan National Museum of Ethnology, and the Ainu Cultural Research Association of Japan illustrate Ainu Culture. Many have not been seen outside of Japan. Among the contemporary objects will be traditional Ainu elm bark fiber garments, household and shamanistic items and tools.

Organized by the Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture and the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center

October 13, 2007 - January 13, 2008

Elaborate jewelry, with moveable masks, appendages and accessories, tell stories inspired by Alaska traditions and imagery. Over 130 objects, from various collections, show the 25-year retrospective of Denise and Samuel Wallace. The accompanying book Arctic Transformations by Lois Dubin is available for sale at the Museum Store. The Wallaces are also featured in the Craft in America series, shown on PBS. This is the final venue of the exhibit
                             tour.

                             Organized by the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center.

June 21, 2007 - February 24, 2008

From early exploration, through war or disaster, the continual study and service has contributed to the stewardship of America’s coast from New York to Alaska. The 20 colorful panels are illustrated with photos, charts and artwork from archives. Courtesy of NOAA and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)

May 12 - September 30, 2007

Today's Alaska Native artists create works both in traditional and contemporary modes. This exhibit features the work of 18 Alaska Native artists who honor their cultural heritage with works that diverge from traditional expressions. Their innovative approaches to their artistic practice explore such themes as tradition, cultural identity and politics.

From birds to baskets, the museum's research collections represent millions of years of biological diversity and thousands of years of cultural traditions in the North. This exhibit highlights the museum's collections and their curators.

November 4, 2006 - January 28, 2007

Renowned photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum shows his large-scale landscape portraits of Southwest Alaska, where a vast watershed draining from the Alaska and Aleutian mountain ranges is home to two national wildlife refuges, two national parks and the largest state park in the nation, Wood-Tikchik State Park. Organized by the Aperture Foundation.

There are 39 color photographs featured in the exhibition. Several of the photographs are published in Wood-Tikchik: Alaska’s Largest State Park, published by Aperture. The 96-page book (13” x 12”) has 60 four-color images is available from the Museum Store.

Robert Glenn Ketchum is also recognized for his work in the Tongass, which was also an Aperture publication. See more of Robert Glenn Ketchum’s photographs at www.robertglennketchum.com

September 16 - October 29, 2006

Recent works by a selection of Alaskan artists explore the connection between science and technology and the artists' inspiration and creative processes.

Alaskan artists Miho Aoki, Bill Brody, Kim Brown, Annie Duffy, Elizabeth Eero Irving, Keren Lowell, Da-ka-xeen Mehner, and Kesler Woodward each create art that includes and builds upon the elements of the scientific process such as investigation, observation, examination, and a desire for understanding.

Guest curated by Annie Duffy. Supported, in part, by the American Association for the Advancement of Science Arctic Division.

June 17 - September 10 , 2006

Physicist-turned-photographer Subhankar Banerjee presents four seasons of abundant life in the refuge. His photographs, made during a trek that totaled 4,000 miles, show polar bears, musk oxen, the rare buff-breasted sandpiper, and dozens of other species that thrive in the north.

Thirty-five years of award winning photographs from this juried statewide exhibition demonstrate the excellence of Alaska’s photography. Past jurors have included nationally renowned photographers such as Garry Winogrand, Judy Dater and John Baldessari.

Organized by the Alaska State Museum.

A survey of contemporary art that ranges from painting, sculpture, and photography shows the vitality of some of Alaska’s premier artists. These artists donated their artwork for auction to the UA Museum of the North’s first fundraiser in 1995, A Sense of Wonder. Artist Kesler Woodward reprises his role as guest curator.

The American Impressionists believed that modern life should be recorded in a vibrant modern style. Like the French artists who inspired them, they preferred to work out-of-doors, observing nature directly and transcribing fleeting atmospheric effects. While they infused their paintings with light and color, they also responded to a challenging era during which the agrarian tradition gave way to an industrialized urban society. They were excited by change and, at the same time, nostalgic for the familiar past. American Impressionists' portrayals of city, country, and home, including the twenty-seven canvases in this exhibition, thus reflect their engagement with
                             sunlight and shadow, with the new and old.