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City Manager 334 Front Street Ketchikan, AK 9990 I
Phone (907) 228-5603 Fax (907) 225-5075
TRANSMITTAL MEMORANDUM TO :
The Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM :
Karl R. Amylon , City Manager
DATE:
December 11 , 2017
RE:
Museum Advisory Board Review of Initial Concept Designs for the Tongass Historical Museum Permanent Exhibit
At its meeting of December 7, 2017, the City Council adopted a motion approving the initial concept designs for the Tongass Historical Museum permanent exhibit as detailed in the Museum Director's report dated November 13, 2017 and directing staff to proceed with the development of the permanent exhibit accordingly. At the time this issue was discussed, Councilmember Sivertsen requested that staff provide minutes of the meeting when this matter was considered by the Museum Advisory Board. Attached for City Council review are excerpts of the minutes from the November 14, 2017 meeting of the Museum Advisory Board. Although a formal roll call vote was not taken, the minutes generally reflect the board's support of the initial concept designs.
AGENDA -12/21/17- GGMR3
APPROVED
NOVEMBER 141h, 2017
Museum Advisory Board
b. Strategic Plan: Exhibits Goal: Engage our diverse audiences and foster our community identity by sharing and interpreting Ketchikan's unique stories through 2 new exhibits per year and a permanent exhibit that is evaluated annually. - Permanent Exhibition Thematic Concepts (Steven) Steven started by explaining the exhibit design process which generally includes pre-design, schematic design, design development, and creation of production documents that are used to make the exhibit. Because of our schedule, we have had to sandwich those stages, working on multiple stages simultaneously. For the past year, we have been conducting the Ketchikan is ... project and we also conducted the community forums in January. What he is presenting is the thematic f low diagram of the exhibit space which is a way of organizing the concepts and narrative that we are en1aging in the space. We are looking at Ketchikan from the inside out -what makes us who we are. We have taken direct quotes from the community forums and they form a cycle that brings you around the room. We start with Water in Abundance Makes Us Fearless and move into Can't Escape the Land. A lot of the energy and talk was about the landscape and how the land influenced how we formed ourselves as a city; the industries, the structure of the town. The black lines are the fundamental, 1uiding form. The area that overlooks the Creek forms a little region where you are separated off, directly interactin1 with the Creek -opportunity to tell this story of Sea Returns to Land. We talk about the Creek itself, the salmon returning back, their influence on the forest and town. Also, the people of the sea then return to land and create a city around the Creek. That then leads you into this cubby of 3 different yet similar ideas. The first group is Noble Vice; which is the idea of subverting outside control but doing it with a sense of style. There are a lot of ideas that can go into this. The center point of these 3 is the idea of Island Mind and really exploring what it means for individuals in t he community. On the other side is We Gather the idea that we, as a whole community, are people who gather together. Alaire made a beautiful point that has been a guiding point since the beginning; " .- everyone talks about the boom-times. The boom times don't matter. Everyone comes for the boom. It's when the boom fails, who stays and says what are we going to do now? That's who made this community." Then comin1 out of t hat is Where the Trees Come to Dance, that counterpoint of the forest and the sea and all of those thin1s we do to feel t he call to the land- the participation with the land. That's fundamentally the roundness of the story. This is where we are at right now. In each area, we look at what are some of the main concepts which will lead us to what objects to use. We also have repeated themes in each section such as, tools of the trade and key photo1raphers. That is what is starting to take form here, pretty stable concepts. Sonja asked if we had any artifacts in mind from the museum collection and how long of a lifespan are we looking at for this exhibit. She wants to make sure that the Native thread is included. Steven answered that there are some few core artifacts that we have in mind, yes i.e. Groaner's skull. The structural form will outlast the flesh of the exhibit. We are desi1ning it so it can be reworked but the sections stay the same. As in the way we explore Island Mind or how we explore the maritime industry by bringing in new objects and stories. This is a conduit for the community. The Native thread is embedded within this exhibit.
Page 3 of 4
APPROVED
NOVEMBER 141h, 2017
Museum Advisory Board
Teri really likes the idea because you can go to a dozen museums in Alaska and see the same artifacts without a story. You are tying in the people, their stories with the artifacts. She thin"s that will be very attractive to visitors, school kids, and locals who recognize people. It's going to be about us. It's unique. It will hit on the emotions, as well. People will feel somethin1 about the locals here. Hayley mentioned that Steven's approath is really focused on local-locally-made products, local resources, and local people. She thinks it will really set us apart- visually it will be very different. We are also pushing social history in this exhibit. Our collective story is a bunch of individual stories creating a greater story. This isn't just the rich, white man's story- there are a lot of colorful characters here. Steven added that there is a great quote that is driving this " ... it's not the history of a town; it's the history of a family." When we talk about Ketchi"an we are not talking about this abstract thin1, we are talking about people's families- your 1randparents, your mom and what she did. That concept chantes how we think of all of this. Halli asked what do you need from us to accomplish this, would love a job list. Steven answered that key things are resources- currently he is lookin1 for Davis boat t ools. He is tryin1 to " steal" a piece of Hopkin's Alley, actually having pieces of our wal"way. Those sorts of things- we are looking for materials. Ask for you to actually talk to people for him- will you go and interview people, have a conversation with counterparts, colleagues. One fisherman talking to another fisherman is very different than a museum staff member interviewinl them. He wants to capture conversations between them. Michele added that one of the comments she walked away from the community forums with was it's about the people and the history- the story of the people. She also requested that the MAP report from the Au1ust visit get resent via email and could we revisit that next meeting. Holly added that louise Clark may be a good source for David boat tools. Agenda Item #8: Board Comments: Sonja requested that the Centennial rededication display be put in the hallway to the bathroom . Halli mentioned that she will be 5-8 minutes late, as she clocks out at 4:00. Agenda Item #9: ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 5:10pm . The next board meeting will be November 14, 2017 at 4:00PM, Tongass Historical Museum.
All Museum Advisory Board meeting are recorded. If you would like access to these recordings, please contact Tara Taro, Administrative Secretary at 225-5600 or [email protected].
Page 4of4
1\ekhlkan
City Manager 334 Front Street Ketchikan, AK 9990 I
Phone (907) 228-5603 Fax (907) 225-5075
TRANSMITTAL MEMORANDUM TO :
The Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM :
Karl R. Amylon , City Manager
DATE:
December 11 , 2017
RE:
Museum Advisory Board Review of Initial Concept Designs for the Tongass Historical Museum Permanent Exhibit
At its meeting of December 7, 2017, the City Council adopted a motion approving the initial concept designs for the Tongass Historical Museum permanent exhibit as detailed in the Museum Director's report dated November 13, 2017 and directing staff to proceed with the development of the permanent exhibit accordingly. At the time this issue was discussed, Councilmember Sivertsen requested that staff provide minutes of the meeting when this matter was considered by the Museum Advisory Board. Attached for City Council review are excerpts of the minutes from the November 14, 2017 meeting of the Museum Advisory Board. Although a formal roll call vote was not taken, the minutes generally reflect the board's support of the initial concept designs.
AGENDA -12/21/17- GGMR3
APPROVED
NOVEMBER 141h, 2017
Museum Advisory Board
b. Strategic Plan: Exhibits Goal: Engage our diverse audiences and foster our community identity by sharing and interpreting Ketchikan's unique stories through 2 new exhibits per year and a permanent exhibit that is evaluated annually. - Permanent Exhibition Thematic Concepts (Steven) Steven started by explaining the exhibit design process which generally includes pre-design, schematic design, design development, and creation of production documents that are used to make the exhibit. Because of our schedule, we have had to sandwich those stages, working on multiple stages simultaneously. For the past year, we have been conducting the Ketchikan is ... project and we also conducted the community forums in January. What he is presenting is the thematic f low diagram of the exhibit space which is a way of organizing the concepts and narrative that we are en1aging in the space. We are looking at Ketchikan from the inside out -what makes us who we are. We have taken direct quotes from the community forums and they form a cycle that brings you around the room. We start with Water in Abundance Makes Us Fearless and move into Can't Escape the Land. A lot of the energy and talk was about the landscape and how the land influenced how we formed ourselves as a city; the industries, the structure of the town. The black lines are the fundamental, 1uiding form. The area that overlooks the Creek forms a little region where you are separated off, directly interactin1 with the Creek -opportunity to tell this story of Sea Returns to Land. We talk about the Creek itself, the salmon returning back, their influence on the forest and town. Also, the people of the sea then return to land and create a city around the Creek. That then leads you into this cubby of 3 different yet similar ideas. The first group is Noble Vice; which is the idea of subverting outside control but doing it with a sense of style. There are a lot of ideas that can go into this. The center point of these 3 is the idea of Island Mind and really exploring what it means for individuals in t he community. On the other side is We Gather the idea that we, as a whole community, are people who gather together. Alaire made a beautiful point that has been a guiding point since the beginning; " .- everyone talks about the boom-times. The boom times don't matter. Everyone comes for the boom. It's when the boom fails, who stays and says what are we going to do now? That's who made this community." Then comin1 out of t hat is Where the Trees Come to Dance, that counterpoint of the forest and the sea and all of those thin1s we do to feel t he call to the land- the participation with the land. That's fundamentally the roundness of the story. This is where we are at right now. In each area, we look at what are some of the main concepts which will lead us to what objects to use. We also have repeated themes in each section such as, tools of the trade and key photo1raphers. That is what is starting to take form here, pretty stable concepts. Sonja asked if we had any artifacts in mind from the museum collection and how long of a lifespan are we looking at for this exhibit. She wants to make sure that the Native thread is included. Steven answered that there are some few core artifacts that we have in mind, yes i.e. Groaner's skull. The structural form will outlast the flesh of the exhibit. We are desi1ning it so it can be reworked but the sections stay the same. As in the way we explore Island Mind or how we explore the maritime industry by bringing in new objects and stories. This is a conduit for the community. The Native thread is embedded within this exhibit.
Page 3 of 4
APPROVED
NOVEMBER 141h, 2017
Museum Advisory Board
Teri really likes the idea because you can go to a dozen museums in Alaska and see the same artifacts without a story. You are tying in the people, their stories with the artifacts. She thin"s that will be very attractive to visitors, school kids, and locals who recognize people. It's going to be about us. It's unique. It will hit on the emotions, as well. People will feel somethin1 about the locals here. Hayley mentioned that Steven's approath is really focused on local-locally-made products, local resources, and local people. She thinks it will really set us apart- visually it will be very different. We are also pushing social history in this exhibit. Our collective story is a bunch of individual stories creating a greater story. This isn't just the rich, white man's story- there are a lot of colorful characters here. Steven added that there is a great quote that is driving this " ... it's not the history of a town; it's the history of a family." When we talk about Ketchi"an we are not talking about this abstract thin1, we are talking about people's families- your 1randparents, your mom and what she did. That concept chantes how we think of all of this. Halli asked what do you need from us to accomplish this, would love a job list. Steven answered that key things are resources- currently he is lookin1 for Davis boat t ools. He is tryin1 to " steal" a piece of Hopkin's Alley, actually having pieces of our wal"way. Those sorts of things- we are looking for materials. Ask for you to actually talk to people for him- will you go and interview people, have a conversation with counterparts, colleagues. One fisherman talking to another fisherman is very different than a museum staff member interviewinl them. He wants to capture conversations between them. Michele added that one of the comments she walked away from the community forums with was it's about the people and the history- the story of the people. She also requested that the MAP report from the Au1ust visit get resent via email and could we revisit that next meeting. Holly added that louise Clark may be a good source for David boat tools. Agenda Item #8: Board Comments: Sonja requested that the Centennial rededication display be put in the hallway to the bathroom . Halli mentioned that she will be 5-8 minutes late, as she clocks out at 4:00. Agenda Item #9: ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 5:10pm . The next board meeting will be November 14, 2017 at 4:00PM, Tongass Historical Museum.
All Museum Advisory Board meeting are recorded. If you would like access to these recordings, please contact Tara Taro, Administrative Secretary at 225-5600 or [email protected].
Page 4of4
