Visitors to downtown Anchorage have plenty of events and exhibitions to look forward to at the Anchorage Museum this winter. The state’s largest museum, located in downtown Anchorage, is a center of Alaska culture and heritage and features extensive rotating and permanent exhibitions.
Thomas Planetarium
Without having to bundle up, museum visitors can view Alaska’s famous Northern Lights through time-lapse footage presented at 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 31. Also through the end of the year, the planetarium will be offering full-dome music and light performances of Pink Floyd’s classic albums. These are not laser light shows but the next generation of computer generated, high-definition imagery. “Dark Side of the Moon” can be viewed at 5 p.m. on Saturdays and “The Wall” can be viewed at 4:50 p.m. on Sundays. Rock and roll fans also won’t want to miss the “Led Zeppelin Cosmic Light Show” on Dec. 7, which will offer art and 3-D graphics choreographed to some of Led Zeppelin’s biggest hits, including “Whole Lotta Love,” “Immigrant Song” and “Ramble On.” Prices vary from $4 to $10 and do not include museum general admission.
Snow Day
On Dec. 16, the museum will offer a Snow Day during which families can make a snow globe, learn about the science of snow through fun lab experiments, dress up cardboard snowmen and discover ways to stay fit indoors at The Alaska Club’s obstacle course for children. The exhibition is included with admission.
Sewing Salmon Artist Residency
From Dec. 4-7, visitors can observe and ask questions as Alaska Native fish skin sewing experts Audrey Armstrong, Marlene Nielsen and Coral Chernoff create salmon skin bags and clothing in the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center. This residency will help sustain a long Alaska Native fish skin sewing tradition.
Local Artists Exhibitions
The Anchorage Museum will also be featuring a number of local artist exhibitions this winter: the “Rarefied Light” exhibition of Alaskan fine-art photography is open through Nov. 25, and the biennial “All Alaska Juried Art Exhibition” of contemporary Alaska artists is on view through Feb. 3, 2013.
Family Free Day Holiday Concert
From 1-4 p.m. on Dec. 9, visitors can celebrate the sounds of the season with holiday music performances by the Anchorage Concert Chorus, Anchorage Youth Choir and Alaska Flute Studies Center. Museum general admission is free all day thanks to sponsor Wells Fargo.
The Anchorage Museum is open six days a week during the winter (closed on Mondays). General admission for adults is $12 while youth admission ages 3-12 is $7.
The Details
Anchorage Museum www.anchoragemuseum.org
