View from the Future: Spotlight on Alaska's Centennial Libraries and Museums

As part of the remediation plan for the Kashevaroff State Library, Archives, and Museum, the Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums published The View from the Future, 2017: Fifty Years after the Alaska Purchase Centennial, edited by Tricia Brown, now available for purchase from Taku Graphics. In a previous post, we highlighted the section on the Alaska State Museum, our sister institution, and today we look at a few other projects from around the state.

Many communities built libraries and museums for their centennial projects, including Juneau, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Cordova, Petersburg, Kotzebue, Anchorage, Valdez, Homer, Kodiak, Nome, Fairbanks, and Bethel. In this way, the Alaska Purchase Centennial provided the foundation for the preservation and dissemination of Alaska's history around the state.

Kodiak used centennial funds to renovate a historic log building to house the Baranov Museum. Baranov Museum by J. Stephen Conn, CC BY-NC.

Homer citizens built the Pratt Museum, a natural history museum, as their centennial project. Beaked whale by Travis, CC BY-NC.

Nearly fifty years later, these institutions are showing their age, as weather, erosion, and neglect have taken their toll. Some of the centennial facilities proved completely unsustainable. The Kotzebue City Museum closed down in the late 1980s and the artifacts were scattered around to city offices and the traditional council. The museum at Fort Kenay was transferred to the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center in 1991. The Yugtarvik Region Museum in Bethel was badly damaged by fire in June 1980. Others struggle to hang on despite major issues. On the coast, roofs of the centennial buildings have been particularly problematic. In Cordova, the ceiling is held together with Visqueen and duct tape, scant protection against wind and rain. At the Tongass Historical Museum in Ketchikan, the flat roof in the wettest place in Alaska soaks up moisture like a sponge, continuing to leak long after it stops raining outside. Former director Michael Naab noted, "It's like a wetland up there...There are actually small bushes and small trees on the roof."


Like the Alaska State Museum, many of the centennial libraries and museums are preparing to move into new, state-of-the-art facilities, or have moved in the past few years. The Seward Library joined forces with the Resurrection Bay Historical Society and moved into the new Seward Community Library & Museum in 2013. Ketchikan Public Library moved out of the Centennial Building in 2013, leaving the museum to renovate and expand into its vacated space. The Cordova Historical Museum and Library will move to the new Cordova Center this year. The Carrie McLain Museum, Nome Public Library, and regional non-profit Kawerak will move into the new Richard Foster Building in 2016. And the Alaska State Museum, Alaska State Library, Historical Collections, and Alaska State Archives will open as the Kashevaroff State Library, Archives, and Museum in the spring of 2016.

Artist's rendering of the Kashevaroff SLAM, opening spring 2016.

Making mannequins for the new SLAM exhibits

Although the Alaska State Museum is closed, museum staff are busy preparing for the opening of the Kashevaroff State Library, Archives, and Museum. The new galleries will feature updated exhibits and many objects from the Museum's collection that have never been displayed before. If you follow the Museum's Twitter account, @AlaskaStateMuse, you may know that thousands of custom mounts are being crafted for the exhibit installation.

Some of the mounts are mannequins, individually created to display garments from the Museum's collection, from World War II uniforms to children's dresses to fur parkas. A museum mannequin is much more than the generic body form you find in department store displays. The mannequin serves as the main support for the garment, protects it from undue stresses, and is constructed from special materials that do not off-gas chemicals or have dyes that might transfer to a museum object. Making a museum mannequin requires a unique combination of artistic skill and understanding of garment construction and textiles.

These mannequins were originally created for a 1999 exhibit of the First Ladies' inaugural ball gowns. Some of them may be altered to fit different garments so that they can be repurposed for the new exhibits. Careful measurements of each one have been taken and are pinned to the mannequin.

Last week, Museum Services Curator Scott Carrlee brought together a team from around Alaska to learn about this specialized process and to create the majority of the mannequins that will be used in SLAM. In 2013, the Museum received an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) professional development grant that brought museum professionals from around the state to learn about collections care and assist with the move of the Alaska State Museum's collection into the new SLAM vault. This workshop was an extension of that grant, and we welcomed mannequin-makers from Anchorage Museum, Ketchikan Museums, Iñupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center in Bethel, Ahtna Cultural Center in Copper Center, and Sheldon Museum in Haines. Other participants in the workshop included Alaska State Library staff, the SLAM mount-making team, museum interns, and long-time museum volunteer and seamstress extraordinaire Fran Dameron.

The mannequin team with their creations. Photo by Mary Irvine, Alaska State Museum.

The mannequin-making process consists of three main steps: measuring the garment, sculpting the body, and finishing/tailoring the mannequin. Each garment was carefully measured to ensure that the dimensions of the mannequin would fit the garment's shoulders, waist, and arms. Then the rough body shapes were drawn onto blocks of polyethylene foam, and a human form was sculpted. After the body was carved, the mannequin was ready for its first fitting. Anchorage Museum textile conservator Sarah Owens advised mannequin makers on how to adjust problem areas that could cause pulling, tearing, or other damage over time. When she approved, the mannequin moved on to the finishing stage.

SLAM mount-maker Jeff Thole shows his rough body shape drawn on foam. This eventually became the mannequin for a silk caftan (ASM Collection, 94-39-1) given to Kiks.adi leader Mikhail Kukhan by Adolph Etolin in 1843.

Sculptors work on mannequin carving in SLAM's new carpentry shop. Photo by Mary Irvine.

The sculpting on this mannequin is nearly complete. It will wear a roomy reindeer parka donated by Territorial Governor George Parks, so sculptor Diana Martin of the Iñupiat Heritage Center added a belly to give it some dimension.

Sarah Owens consults with exhibit specialist Aaron Elmore (kneeling) and SLAM mount-maker Tanna Peters (back) on a first fitting of Chief Kaawa.ee's police uniform (ASM Collection, III-O-416).

The finishing team covered the foam with polyester batting, which is used to stuff quilts. The batting was pulled tight over the foam so it hides any rough spots and provides a nice, cushioned surface for the garment. Then the entire thing was covered with stockinette, a stretchy cotton material used in the medical profession for bandages. The stockinette protects the garment from snagging on the batting and makes the mannequin look smooth and clean. Sheldon Museum director and expert mannequin-maker Helen Alten described the foam as the skeleton and musculature of the mannequin, the batting as the fat, and the stockinette as the skin.

The team working on various stages of finishing. The mannequins in the foreground are getting batting and stockinette coverings, and in the background, mannequin-makers are sewing on arms and Velcro patches. Photo by Mary Irvine.

Anchorage Stealers t-shirt (Alaska State Museum Collection, ASM 97-20-1) mannequin, undressed and dressed. This mannequin has soft arms that just give a little body to the sleeves of the t-shirt.

This small mannequin has its arms sticking out because the child's parka that it will display has little extra room in the shoulders. The arms are attached with Velcro so that the garment can be put on and taken off safely and easily.

This is the reindeer parka (ASM Collection, II-A-4816) mentioned above. The mannequin needs a head form to support the hood and then it will be complete. On the right is a photo of George Parks wearing the parka circa 1914 (Alaska State Library Historical Collections PCA240-604).

This fitted jacket and cap proved a challenge for the mannequin-makers but is exhibit-ready in this photo. This Japanese uniform (ASM Collection, III-O-175 and III-O-174) was collected after the Battle of Attu in 1943.

These completed mannequins, wearing garments including a squirrel parka, World War II raincoat, child's caribou parka, and beaded Tlingit tunic, are waiting to be professionally photographed. The images will be used in the exhibit labels in the new museum.

A parade of finished and nearly finished mannequins. They are as diverse in shape as the people who wore the garments. The ones in black bags are ready to be transported to storage until they are ready to be installed in the new exhibit.

During the week, the mannequin team created body forms for 35 garments from the Museum's collection. Those mannequins and more will be on display when the Kashevaroff State Library, Archives, and Museum opens next year.

Since You Asked! Episode 16: Conserving Shipwreck Artifacts from the Gold-Rush Era

Librarian Claire Imamura talks with Conservator Ellen Carrlee of the Alaska State Museum about the museum's efforts to preserve artifacts recovered from the gold rush era shipwrecks in Alaska.

Listen to Podcast
[ 13 minutes ]
Recorded on August 26, 2014

Learn more about this shipwreck and the efforts being made to preserve it:

• Alaska State Museum Bulletin #70
• Ellen Carrlee's blog

Since You Asked! Episode 2: SLAM Building

Librarian Julie Niederhauser speaks with Bob Banghart about the State Library, Archives and Museum building (also known as the SLAM building) currently under construction in Juneau. Bob serves as the Deputy Director for the Alaska State Library and Chief Curator for the Alaska State Museum.

Listen to Podcast (.mp3)
[ 25 minutes ]
Recorded on October 23, 2013