After the conference, please take the time to fill out an evaluation survey. Evaluations are an important reporting requirement for the grants which support this annual event, and a valuable tool for future conference planning. Your opinion counts! An evaluation survey will be handed out at the awards banquet, or you may take the survey online: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L25N898

FROM THE CONFERENCE:

 

Museums Alaska Theme: Looking Back, Thinking Ahead
Keynote Speaker: Marjorie Schwarzer,
Author of Riches, Rivals & Radicals, 100 Years of Museums in America,
John F. Kennedy University, Berkeley, California

Alaska Historical Society Theme: Northern Waters
Keynote Speaker: Douglas Brinkley, Ph.D.,
Author of The Quiet World: Saving Alaska's Wilderness Kingdom, 1879-1960
fellow in history at the Baker Institute and a professor of history at Rice University

Opening Reception- a 3-hour Cruise of Port Valdez and Shoup Bay-($45 in addition to full registration)
Travel the coast line of Valdez Bay and learn about the history of our area. After departing Valdez, we travel west past the Old Cliff Gold Mine, where guests will hear stories about the construction, operations, and hopeful reopening of the mine. Traveling on from the mine, we will visit Shoup Bay State Marine Park, where we will see Shoup Glacier, sea otters, and bald eagles.

Enroute back to Valdez, we will cruise past Anderson Waterfall as it cascades down the mountain side from Anderson Glacier. Just before returning to Valdez, travelers will earn about two of the incidents that have shaped the community of Valdez: the 1964 Alaskan Earthquake, and the oil shipping industry and operations at the Trans- Alaska Pipeline Terminal.

Airline, Hotel, and Childcare information (.pdf)

 

Looking Back, Thinking Ahead:
2011 marks the ten-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, and Washington, D.C., a disaster that will forever be written in the annals of history. This year also marks the ten-year anniversary of the Museums Alaska-Alaska Historical Society 2001 conference, the last year that the conference was held in Valdez, a town which itself is no stranger to disaster. The theme of “Looking Back, Thinking Ahead” reflects an introspection of the past ten years of challenge and progress in the fields of Alaskan museology and historical scholarship, and begs the questions, “Where have we been, and where are we going? What lessons have we learned, and how can we prepare for the future?”

The theme of looking back and thinking ahead has many applications to the museum field, be it on the subjects of disaster planning, collection management, or the design (or redesign) of a new facility space. 2011 also marks the 40th anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement act, a landmark event with historical import that extends into the future of our state. Historians will thus also appreciate this theme of reflection, as it provides an opportunity to look at Alaska’s past history and consider lessons for the future.

Looking back and thinking ahead is a theme with resonance to the Museums Alaska selected keynote speaker. Marjorie Schwarzer, author of Riches, Rivals and Radicals: 100 Years of the Museum in America, spoke at the 2001 conference, providing an insightful assessment of the then-current state of Alaskan museums. In 2011, Schwarzer will again speak on the state of museums in Alaska through the lens of retrospection on where we have been, and what prospects lay ahead.

Northern Waters:
With two oceans, dozens of gulfs and seas, thousands of rivers, millions of lakes, and more miles of coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined, Alaska has a long and important relationship with water. Water bodies allow for the movement of people and goods. They determine where people settle and build cities. Water plays a role in numerous industries, including mining, lumber, fishing, tourism, and others. This year’s conference location, Valdez, sits on a body of water that has been a key part of its history, from its use by Alaska Native people for millennia, to the Spanish explorers who first arrived on ships and gave Valdez its name, to the 1964 earthquake and tsunami that destroyed the town, to the oil terminal and tankers that have provided both economic opportunity and environmental devastation. Alaska’s water is often in the form of ice, which drives history in its own unique way. Glaciers offer a record of the past, thousands of years of history etched on their faces and frozen within their cores. When rivers freeze they become travel routes for dog teams and snowmachines, blurring the distinction between land and water. Our northern waters are also a harbinger of changes to come, as the warming oceans and thinning ice pack bring new sea life and new ships that stand to alter the Alaskan way of life.

GETTING THERE
Era Alaska is pleased to offer Museums Alaska Conference attendees the following discount:
A discount of 15% off all fares, excluding companion, excursion, or promotional fares. Space is to be booked in the same class of service as the fare being discounted and is based on availability. All fare rules apply.  
This fare is valid for those participating in the Museums Alaska Convention to be held in Valdez, Alaska, from September 21, 2011 through September 24, 2011. Valid Travel dates: September 18th, 2011- September 27th, 2011. The fare is valid from any Era Alaska-served location to Valdez, and is directional.
All reservations must be made directly with Era Alaska at 1-800-866-8394. Passengers must reference Event ID MAC11 to receive the event fare. Tickets are valid for one year from date of original outbound travel. Travel that occurs outside of the above travel dates will require an upgrade to the applicable fare.
Grant Aviation is pleased to offer Museums Alaska Conference attendees the following discount:
$223 per person round trip fare, from Anchorage to Valdez. Call Grant Aviation directly and mention the conference to receive this discounted fare. 1-888-FLYGRANT (359-4726). Flight schedules can be viewed at www.flygrant.com.

By Ferry
Alaska Marine Highway System: http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.shtml

Driving
Miles from Anchorage:       305 (~6 hours)
Miles from Homer:              530 (~10 hours)
Miles from Fairbanks:         364 (~8 hours)
Miles from Tok:                    254 (~5 hours)
Miles from Eagle:                371 (~8.5 hours)
Miles from Glennallen:       115 (~2.5 hours)

Hotels
All three of these hotels are within 1.5 mile of the Valdez Civic Center, the main conference venue.
Mountain Sky Hotel & Suites is pleased to offer the Museums Alaska Convention a special room rate of $74.00 per night (a $35.00 savings off the rack rate for standard rooms.) This offer will be extended 2 days prior to and 2 days post the convention. Rate is based on double occupancy for standard rooms. Upgraded rooms are available for additional cost.  Phone: 907-835-4445, Fax: 907-835-2437, Toll-free: 1-800-478-4445. 100 Meals Ave., Valdez 99686. reservations@mountainskyhotel.com        www.mountainskyhotel.com

Best Western Valdez Harbor Inn: Museums Alaska 2011 Convention rate- $79.00, plus 6% bed tax. (free airport shuttle available) Tel: 907-835-3434, Fax: 907-835-2308, Toll-free: 888-222-3440, valdezgroups@gmail.com,      www.valdezharborinn.com

Totem Inn: We are pleased to offer 30 rooms available for the dates September 19th through September 26th, 2011 for your event. Room Rates for the dates you are requesting are expected to be as follows (rates are subject to change until booked):
Standard Rooms- $99.00, plus 6% tax (single/ add $10.00 for each additional person) 2 queen beds, private bath/shower
Suites: $149.00, plus 6% tax (single/ add $10.00 for each additional person) Master bedroom, kitchenette, built-in washer/ dryer.
Alaskan Cottages: $149.00, plus 6% tax (single/ add $10.00 for each additional person) Queen sized bed, kitchenette, private unit with porch.
Richardson Highway, Valdez, 907-834-4423, www.toteminn.com

Childcare: Puffin Learning Center, LLC- (310 Egan Drive, #101) offers the following rates:
6 wks- 18 mos.- Full Day= $67.00, Part Day (less than 5 hours)= $45.00
18 mos.- 3 years- Full Day= $62.00, Part Day= $42.00
3 years- 5 years- Full Day= $55.00, Part Day= $37.00
5 years- 11 years- Full Day= $53.00, Part Day= $36.00
Hourly Rate for all ages= $10.00 per hour.  Evening care will be arranged for conference evening events, and will be rated the same as day rates. For more information or to set up child care with this provider, call owner Chris Kupczyk at 907-835-5160.
Are you interested in helping to sponsor the 2011 Joint Annual Conference? Please, contact Patricia Relay, Committee Co-Chair, at prelay@valdezmuseum.org or at 907-835-2764.

 

Keep up to date!

www.facebook.com (search for Museums Alaska / Alaska Historical Society Joint Annual Conference group)
Resources:

Valdez Convention and Visitors Bureau-  www.valdezalaska.org
City of Valdez, Alaska: gateway to the Interior http://www.ci.valdez.ak.us/
Valdez Museum & Historical Archives www.valdezmuseum.org
Maxine & Jesse Whitney Museum www.pwscc.edu/museum.shtml
Prince William Sound Community College, Wellness Center www.pwscc.edu/wellness.shtml