PRESS RELEASE
As we begin 2017, the Palmer Museum is making preparations for another exciting year. The Museum has several projects planned and will continue to present new in-house and traveling exhibits, fun educational programs and plenty of opportunities for you to grab some friends to get together and celebrate!
In November of 2016, the Museum received funding that allowed it to invite designers from ExhibitAK in Juneau, to come to Palmer. During their visit, they evaluated the Museum’s exhibit displays, and met with museum staff and several community members to help them develop and create a new museum design schematic that will allow the Palmer Museum to update and renovate its permanent collection displays.
The redesigned exhibitions will allow the Museum to have a new look and will provide multiple levels of engagement so that locals as well as visitors will be able to participate. The project is supported by a Grant-In-Aid from the Alaska State Museum.
Since November, the designers have completed the design document and the Museum is now in the process of seeking sponsors and financial contributors to help raise funds to support the research, development and construction phases of the project. All those interested in helping the Museum with this endeavor should contact Executive Director, Selena Ortega-Chiolero via e-mail at: director@palmermuseum.org. The Museum hopes to secure funding this year so that the next phase can begin in Spring 2018.
Another exciting project that the Museum is currently undertaking is its historical collections reinstallation project. Due to lack in funding, the Museum, up until now, has not been able to properly store all of its collections in a manner more conducive to museum standards. However in December, the Museum began purchasing new storage racks, archival materials and coverings that will allow staff to reorganize and reinstall all the objects in its collections storage. The project is being made possible by a grant from the Collections Management Fund of Museums Alaska, with the generous support from the Rasmuson Foundation. The Museum hopes to complete the project in early March.
Although several projects are currently being undertaken, it hasn’t stopped the Museum from continuing its temporary exhibit schedule and hosting public programs. Continuing on exhibit through the beginning of March is Apron Strings: Ties to the Past. The exhibit reviews the apron’s role as an emotionally charged vehicle for expression with a rich and varied craft history that is still viable today.
To help visitors connect with the exhibit, the Museum will be hosting a special evening reception with guest speakers from a variety of professions that require the use of aprons. They will share the stories of their aprons and guests are encouraged to wear their own aprons and likewise, share stories. The event will be held on February 19th from 6:30PM – 8:30PM at Vagabond Blues in downtown Palmer. Tickets for the event are by donation and can be purchased at B Bella Hair Salon or at the Palmer Museum. All proceeds will go towards supporting the Museum’s 2017 Temporary Exhibit Program which includes the potential traveling Smithsonian exhibit, I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story.
With plenty of activities in motion, the Museum is also looking forward to the summer and is beginning preparations for this year’s Palmer Wine Walk which will be held on Friday, July 7th with tickets going on sale in May and the 2017 Palmer Midsummer Garden and Art Faire which will be held on Saturday, July 8th with vendor applications becoming available at the end of January. For more details on either event please visit our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/palmer.vic as we post updates when they become available.
For more information about any of the Palmer Museum’s exhibits or events, please visit the museum website at www.palmermuseum.org or contact a member of the museum staff at 746-7668.
About PMHA:
The Palmer Museum of History and Art is a non-profit museum that serves the community of Palmer in preserving and sharing the history and art of the Palmer region. The museum’s collections contain items that best depict region’s art history, exploration, settlement, agriculture, and trade, cultural and social development. During the summer, May 1st through September 30th, the museum also serves a Palmer’s Visitor’s Center and is open seven days a week from 9:00AM to 6:00PM. The museum also operates during the winter months from October 1st through April 30th, Wednesday through Friday, 10:00AM to 5:00PM and second Saturdays of the month, 10:00AM to 6:00PM.
