For Immediate Release
April 26, 2022
Lecture on May 6 at 6:30 pm in the APK Lecture Hall
May First Friday at the Alaska State Museum: 4:30-7:00 pm
Historian Bob King reviews historic blueprint drawings of the NN Cannery. Courtesy of Katherine Ringsmuth, NN Cannery History Project.Juneau – The Alaska State Museum is hosting a series of lectures that celebrate the history and people involved in Alaska’s canned salmon industry to accompany the Mug Up: The Language of Cannery Work exhibit. This month’s presentation by historian Bob King is on the use of sailboats in the Bristol Bay fishery until 1951. It was one of the last sailboat fisheries in the US despite its status as a major fishery.
King has a background in journalism and an extensive knowledge of Alaska fisheries issues. He served as news director at the Dillingham public radio station (KDLG) for 17 years (1978-1994) and has written on Bristol Bay and fisheries history in Alaska History and other publications. He is a project historian on the <NN> Cannery History Project.
Bob King’s lecture will start at 6:30 pm in the APK lecture hall on Friday, May 6. The museum will be open for May First Friday from 4:30 – 7:00 pm, with free admission. Mug Up is on exhibit April 1 - October 8, 2022.
Also on display on the APK mezzanine are watercolor maps created by students in Rachelle Bonnett’s youth workshop. These drawn and painted maps are inspired by the collections of the Alaska State Archives. The workshop was partially funded by the citizens of the City and Borough of Juneau through sales tax revenues and was sponsored by the Friends of the Alaska State Library, Archives, and Museum.
Mug Up Lecture Series next presents poet, civil rights and labor activist Oscar Peñaranda on October 7. More information on the lecture series, the exhibit, other programming, and previous lectures can be found at lam.alaska.gov/mugup.
About the Exhibit
Entitled “Mug Up” after the cannery term for a coffee break, the exhibition shares stories of Alaska’s cannery crews and showcases artifacts from the canned salmon industry through the lens of the Alaska Packers Association’s <NN> (Diamond NN) Cannery, located on the Naknek River in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
Underpinning Mug Up is the larger theme that Alaska canneries’ 15-minute ‘mug ups’ brought together diverse cannery workers who provided essential labor and created a unique social milieu within the cannery workscape.
Mug Up is a journey through a typical salmon cannery, building-by-building, using each space to spotlight the labor and social history behind one of Alaska’s most significant industries. Rather than machines, Mug Up is about people whose stories, until now, were sheltered in the shadows of history.
The exhibit is presented in three sections: Storied Salmon, Working Waterfront, and Cannery Community. From the slime-liners (slimers) to the superintendent, these stories collectively represent the workforce that brought the Industrial Revolution to the North.
Matthew Burtner composed the soundscape. Filmmakers include Jensen Hall Creative, Anna Hoover, and Sharon Thompson. Both the soundscape and exhibit films were produced by the <NN> Cannery History Project.
The Alaska State Museum hosts a spectacular permanent collection as well as temporary exhibits. The museum begins summer hours on May 2 and will be open Mondays, 1-4:30 pm and Tuesday through Sunday, 9 am-4:30 pm. Summer admission is $14, with a $1 discount for seniors. There is no admission fee for those 18 years and younger. Until May 2, the museum remains on its winter schedule of Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am-4 pm.
The museum phone number is (907) 465-2901. For more information, visit museums.alaska.gov.
A person experiencing a disability who needs accommodation for events hosted by the Alaska State Library, Archives, and Museum can contact the Division’s ADA coordinator at (907) 465-2912. Please allow a week in advance so we can make any necessary arrangements.
Media Contact:
Patience Frederiksen
Director
907.465.2911
patience.frederiksen@alaska.gov
lam.alaska.gov
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