2008-2009 School Tours

A class visit to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center makes Alaska's history and art come alive! To schedule a field trip to the Anchorage Museum, please send a tour request form to the Anchorage School District Community Resources Office. Consult your school secretary or librarian for the forms. It is recommended that teachers schedule only one Museum tour during a field trip. For more information about the content of tours, please call our Education Director at (907) 343-6185.

Life in Alaska
September 2, 2008 - March 13, 2009
Docent Led Tour- Grades K-1, 60 min.
History Standard A: Students will learn to recognize the connections between the past and the present. A/1,5,6
Students will experience Alaska's past through a tour of the Alaska Gallery. They will compare various modes of transportation, housing, and clothing used in Alaska from early native cultures to the present. Tour includes dress up and "touch-it" activities.

Early Anchorage
September 2, 2008 - March 13, 2009
Docent Led Tour- Grades K-3, 60 min.
History Standard A: Students will learn to recognize the connections between the past and the present. A/1,5,6
History Standard B: Students should understand historical themes through factual knowledge. B/1,2,3
Second grade students studying early Anchorage will benefit from this tour, which features topics ranging from the construction of the Alaska Railroad to the details of early settlement in Anchorage. Railroad artifacts, original maps, and a house replica from circa 1920 are included. Students will enjoy a tour through sections of the Alaska Gallery, and get the opportunity to handle artifacts that teach about life when Anchorage was first established.

Four Alaska Native Cultures
September 2, 2008 - March 13, 2009
Docent Led Tour- Grades 3+, 60 min.
History Standards: Students will learn to recognize the connections between the past and the present. A/1,5,6,8
History Standard B: Students should understand historical themes through factual knowledge. B/1,2,3
History Standard C:
This tour gives students an overview of four Alaska Native cultures (Aleut/Unangan, Athabascan, Eskimo/Inupiaq/Yu'pik, and Tlingit/Haida). Students will view displays showing traditional and post-contact Native life, and will be given the opportunity to handle artifacts related to the gallery exhibits. Designed to complement third grade social studies curriculum, this tour is an engaging way of experiencing Alaska Native cultures.

Single Alaska Native Culture Group
September 2, 2008 - March 13, 2009
Docent Led Tour- Grades 3+, 60 min.
History Standard A: Students will learn to recognize the connections between the past and the present. A/2,4,5,6,7,8
History Standard B: Students should understand historical themes through factual knowledge. B/12,4
History Standard D: A student should be able to integrate historical knowledge with historical skill to effectively participate as a citizen and as a lifelong learner. D/6
These tours are designed for the classroom teacher to focus on one particular Native culture to complement their curriculum. Each tour contains an overview of the migration theory, traditional lifestyles, and the history of the people from pre-history to the present. Teachers will need to choose one culture (Aleut/Unangan, Athabaskan, Eskimo/Inupiaq/Yu'pik, or Tlingit/Haida). This tour includes "touch-its."

Alaska History
September 2, 2008 - March 13, 2009
Docent Led Tour, Grades 4+, 60 min.
History Standard A: Students will learn to recognize the connections between the past and the present. A/1,,5,6,7,8,9
History Standard B: Students should understand historical themes through factual knowledge. B/1,2,3,4
History Standard C: A student should develop the skills and processes of historical inquiry. C/2
This tour is designed for students studying Alaska history. It includes a walk-through of the Alaska gallery with special reference to major periods in the story of the peopling of Alaska. Students will learn how the contact period changed traditional life, and will follow the development of trade and industries in Alaska. Some "touch-it" materials will be presented, and students may participate in a Gallery Search, where they find answers to questions by exploring the displays.

Castner's Cutthroats: Alaska World War II Scouts
October 7, 2008- March 13, 2009
Docent Led Tour, Grades 5+, 60 min.
History Standard B: Students should understand historical themes through factual knowledge. B/1-3
History Standard D: A student should be able to integrate historical knowledge with historical skill to effectively participate as a citizen and as a lifelong learner.
D/5,6
This temporary exhibit tells a little known story of Alaska Scouts during World War II. "Castner's Cutthroats," officially known as the 1st Combat Intelligence Platoon, were trappers, commercial fishermen, guides, miners, prospectors, and Alaska Natives well acquainted with working and living in the demanding Alaska outdoors. Survival skills were essential for the success of their military missions, which included intelligence gathering, mapping and surveying. This tour is designed to complement middle and high school curriculum on World War II history. Students will learn about scouts' training, everyday life and military missions. The tour includes "touch-its" and activity.

Yuungnaqpiallerput (The Way We Genuinely Live): Masterworks of Yup'ik Science and Survival
September 2, 2008- October 26, 2008
Docent Led Tour, All Ages, 60 min.
Science Standard A: Student should be able to understand and apply processes and applications of scientific inquiry. A/3
Science Standard E: Student should understand the relationships among science, technology, and society. E/1,2,3
Science Standard F: Student should understand relationships among scientific, cultural, social, and personal perspectives. F/1,2,3
Science Standard G: Student should understand the history and nature of science. G/1,4
This exhibition presents more than 200 remarkable19th and early 20th century Yup'ik tools, containers, weapons, watercraft and clothing in an exploration of the scientific principles and processes that allowed these people to survive in the sub-arctic tundra of the Bering Sea coast. Hands-on interactive stations provide an engaging way to learn.

Giinaquq (Like a Face): Sugpiaq Masks of the Kodiak Archipelago
October 12, 2008 - January 4, 2009
Docent Led Tour, All ages, 60 min.
History Standard B: Students should understand historical themes through factual knowledge. B/1,2,3,4
This temporary exhibition brings to Anchorage a collection of 34 masks and carvings French explorer and anthropologist Alphonse Pinart collected during his expedition to the Kodiak Archipelago in 1871. Masks in the Pinart collection represent the largest known collection of Alutiiq cultural carvings in the world. Students will learn about the traditional culture of the Alutiiq people, and the significance of their masks.

Pacific Northwest Black Pioneers Exhibit
January 16, 2009 - March 13, 2009
Docent Led Tour, All ages, 60 min.
History Standards A, B and D
Government and Citizenship Standard A/2: A student should understand the meaning of fundamental ideas, including equality, authority, power, freedom, justice, privacy, property, responsibility, and sovereignty;
Government and Citizenship Standard C/6: A student should understand the importance of the multicultural nature of the state.
This temporary exhibit focuses on the role of African Americans in the history of the American Northwest from early 1800 through the 1970s. Students will learn how Black sailors, gold miners, teachers, entrepreneurs, servicemen, farmers and scholars shaped Washington, Oregon and Alaska. This tour will complement both American history and Alaska studies curricula, as well as special activities and celebrations associated with Black History month and Martin Luther King Day. It can be combined with a museum visit for the I Draw the Line exhibit.

I Draw the Line: Secondary Juried Art exhibition
January 16 - March 13, 2009
Self-Guided Tours, all ages
This juried art exhibition for high school students responds to the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. through post-card-size works of art. Opening reception is open to the public 5:30-7pm, Friday, January 16, 2009.

A Decade of Change: Life in Alaska Leading to Statehood
January 2, 2009- March 13, 2009
Self-guided, all ages, Gallery activities available upon request
Life in Alaska following World War II was not the same as prewar years. The war showed how important Alaska is and led to events which increased the population, built up roads, airports, harbors and communication systems. This exhibit displays everyday objects and clothing that show what life in Alaska was like 50 years ago, during the years leading to Statehood.

Annual Holiday Exhibition
November 25 - December 30, 2008
Docent Led Tour, Grades K-3, 60 min.
This exhibition has become a festive holiday tradition at the Anchorage Museum. Antique and handmade dolls and toys donated by the family of Marguerite "Peggy" Nystrom are on exhibit. Other toy treasures in this exhibition include a 30-piece, hand-painted wood Schoenhut Humpty Dumpty Circus. In addition, more than 100 dolls dressed in costumes from around the world will adorn a giant evergreen tree.

Anchorage School District Art Exhibition
January 11 - February 22, 2009
Docent Led Tour, all ages, 60 min.
Teachers are invited to bring their classes to the museum for this popular annual student art show which represents creative work from each school in the Anchorage School District. The public is invited to the opening reception, Wednesday January 21, from 5-7:30 to celebrate art in our public schools. Due to the Museum construction, this year's exhibit will be reduced in size.

Sara Tabbert: Solo Artist Exhibition
December 5 - December 28, 2008
Self-Guided Tour, all ages
Fairbanks artist Sara Tabbert will exhibit new mixed media works inspired by Alaska rivers, including relief carved wood, glass mosaic and a variety of printed material. This will be Tabbert's first exhibit at the Anchorage Museum. This exhibition is part of the Patricia B. Wolf Solo Artist Series.

A Kaleidoscope of Beads: Bead International '06
October 3 - November 19, 2008
Self-Guided Tour, all ages
Organized by the Dairy Barn Cultural Center in Athens, Ohio, the colorful kaleidoscope of Bead International 2006 is the fifth biennial international exhibition of innovative beadwork. All approaches to beadwork are represented in the show's 54 pieces, including modern and traditional techniques in jewelry and sculpture. The exhibiting artists come from all over the U.S., and many of the works will be available for purchase.

Wanda Seamster: Solo Artist Exhibition
October 3 - November 19, 2008
Self-Guided Tour, all ages
Wanda Seamster, an Anchorage artist and arts advocate who has exhibited extensively throughout Alaska, will install over 500 "artist trading cards" for her solo exhibition at the Anchorage Museum. Each miniature painting includes a variety of media. This exhibition is part of the Patricia B. Wolf Solo Artist Series.

Rarefied Light
November 14 - December 28, 2008
Self-Guided Tour, all ages
Rarefied Light, Alaska's largest statewide juried photography show takes place at the Anchorage Museum. This year's juror for the show is David Hilliard.

FromBeginning2End: 2008-09 Children's Gallery Exhibition
June 15, 2008 - April 1, 2009
Docent Led Tour, all ages, 60 min.
Art Standard A: Students should be able to create in the arts. A/1,4
Art Standard B: Students should be able to understand historical and contemporary role of the arts in Alaska. B/4,5,8
Art Standard C: Students should be able to critique the art of others. C/1,2,3,5
Art Standard D: Students should be able to recognize beauty and meaning. D/1,2,3,4,5,6
Experience the artwork of five Alaskans who tell stories through images and installations. In this gallery, red dogs fly, ravens are made out of nails, cowboy boots recall their travels, chairs transform into trees, and Little Red Riding Hood ventures north to the Arctic. This interactive exhibit is designed for children of all ages to learn about stories in art, and the role of artists as storytellers. A small stage, puppet theatre, and activity tables are set up for young visitors to play, create, and entertain!

Art of the North
September 2, 2008- December 20, 2008
Docent Led Tour, all ages, 60 min.
Art Standard A: Students should be able to create in the arts. A/1,4
Art Standard B: Students should be able to understand historical and contemporary role of the arts in Alaska. B/4,5,6,8
Art Standard C: Students should be able to critique the art of others. C/1,2,3,4,5
Art Standard D: Students should be able to recognize beauty and meaning. D/1,2,3,4,5,6
Students can learn more about the history of Alaska through the Art of the Far North. Four galleries of the museum are devoted to paintings of our vast state and the different ways in which artists have represented it. Guided critical thinking and observation skills and gallery drawing activities are a focus of this tour.

Download a PDF version of the schedule of 2008-2009 School Tours.