Continued from the previous page.

UPPER ATRIUM GALLERY

In two of the photos farther below you can see the walkway on the second floor that is open on all four sides around the atrium. The displays rotate in this gallery.

Today I was most fascinated by the exhibit about climbing North America's tallest peak, Mt. McKinley AKA Denali ("The High One"):

 

Some old climbing equipment

The most popular of several routes up Denali

According to the exhibit's curator, over 37,000 people have attempted to climb Denali in the last century. Fewer than half of them reached the summit and/or returned safely and 114 died in the attempt. I don't know it that includes the six people who died on the mountain this spring.

Climbing Denali is something I might have been able to do before I got osteoarthritis in my late 40s.

I know better than to try it now in my 60s but it's fun to learn more about what it takes to summit The High One. On our way to Denali National Park we plan to stop at the ranger station in Talkeetna, where climbers must go through an orientation program before beginning their climbs. During the summer rangers give talks to visitors about the history of climbing the famous peak.

THIRD & FOURTH LEVELS

I didn't have time to see either of the two upper floors today. Both are in the new wing and smaller than the main and second floors.

The third floor houses rotating art, history, and science exhibits. The fourth floor is home to the Chugach Gallery, which also has temporary exhibits and panoramic views of the Chugach Mountains and downtown Anchorage from large windows.

MAIN LEVEL:  THE ATRIUM

After spending almost two hours exploring the exhibits on the second floor I walked down to the ground floor of the museum via the grand staircase in the atrium:

You can also use elevators to reach each floor.

The atrium features an attractive marble floor, handsome wood paneling, the Muse restaurant/café, other seating, a large glass block art feature, and a totem pole:

Below is a Tlingit Indian totem pole carved from red cedar in the mid-1800s. It came from Prince of Wales Island in Alaska.

You can see in the picture above that it the totem is about two stories tall. It used to be even taller but the bear figure that was originally at the bottom rotted off. This is what's left:

The figures represented on the remaining totem are (top to bottom) a raven, shark, and either a fox or wolf.

This pole has been exhibited around the country at several world's fairs since 1904. I think it's in remarkable condition considering the age of the wood and all the cross-continental travel.

ART OF THE NORTH GALLERIES

Also on the ground floor are seven art galleries devoted to the museum's permanent Art of the North collection.

Displays include large-scale landscape paintings, drawings and engravings from early European expeditions to Alaska, and works by contemporary Alaska artists.

Here are a couple pieces I really liked, both representing Alaska's fishing industry:

"Alaska Fishermen" by Eustace Ziegler, oil on canvas, c. 1930

"Cannery Life" by Carolyn Reed, charcoal and colored pencil, 1991

One of the seven galleries is devoted to the work of Sydney Laurence, Alaska's best-known landscape artist.

This is part of the large room showcasing some of his beautiful pieces:

 

"Creek In Birch Forest" by Sydney Laurence, oil on canvas

Trained as an artist but obviously an adventurer at heart, Laurence was drawn to Alaska in 1904 by the lure of gold.

Although his efforts at mining and oil leases weren't particularly lucrative, he did become a very successful painter. He opened a studio in Los Angeles, lived there and in Seattle during the winter, and spent every summer sketching and painting landscapes in Alaska.

Laurence's favorite subject to paint was Mt. McKinley AKA Denali. Since I'm fascinated with that magnificent mountain I was instantly drawn to his beautiful renderings of it. Just look at the grand scale of the next picture of Denali, measuring about 4 feet high by 8 feet wide:

 

"Mt. McKinley" by Sydney Laurence, oil on canvas, 1929

The other works by Laurence displayed in this gallery are smaller and I could imagine them gracing my own home . . .  (as if).

ALSO ON THE MAIN LEVEL:  THE IMAGINARIUM

The recent renovation allowed the museum to completely revamp and expand its educational programs and experiential learning facilities.

Art-from-science: a sculpture by Ben Trautman called "Rolling Plates"
 at the entrance to the Imaginarium; it depicts the often-violent
natural forces of volcanoes, ice, water, etc. that shape the land in Alaska.

Both kids and adults can have a lot of fun at the new Imaginarium Discovery Center, a hand's-on science discovery center with 80+ exhibits on the first floor.

Interactive displays encompass a wide range of scientific studies from geology to astronomy.

 

This is another place where I wished I'd had more time to browse.

There is also a planetarium with entertaining films and presentations -- another thing I didn't have time for today.

Entrance to the Thomas Planetarium

I obviously need to pay another (longer) visit to this museum!

That's it for the Anchorage Museum. For more information, check out the museum's website.

MORE ART IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA:  THE WHALING WALL

I learn some interesting things when I do additional research for entries on this website. Here's an example.

You've heard of the "Wailing Wall," right? I couldn't remember its history so I looked it up.

The ancient Wailing Wall, also known as the Western Wall, is located in Old Jerusalem. It's either the first or second most holy place for people of the Jewish faith. Since about the 4th Century thousands of Jews have made annual pilgrimages to pray at the wall. In more modern times, tourists of every faith have gone there to pray while visiting the city.

The site is not without controversy, however. For just about as long as this section of wall has stood in ruin, there has been conflict between Jews and Muslims over its origin. Muslims claim the wall was part of a mosque, not an ancient Jewish temple.

Control of Jerusalem has passed through many different hands for 3,500+ years. Because the city -- and the wall -- are now controlled by Israel, the Wailing Wall remains one of many sources of bitterness between Israel and the Arab world.

You can read more about the history and significance of the wall at this site or others you can find during an internet search. Wikipedia also has quite a lot of information and photos.

So what's this got to do with Anchorage?

Some folks might find this terribly sacrilegious . . . but there is a Whaling Wall in Anchorage. I read about it in some of the tourist information we've picked up and we drove past it today:

It's a very large (400 feet long, 50 feet high) mural of whales painted on one side of the J.C. Penney store in downtown Anchorage.

The subject, whaling, is very pertinent to Alaska. The name "Whaling Wall" would be the only source of contention, I'd think. (We think it's clever, not sacrilegious.)

What I discovered during an internet search is that this is #54 in a series of 100 other similar large "Whaling Wall" murals painted by marine artist Wyland (he goes by that single name). The title of the one in Anchorage is "Alaska's Marine Life." It was painted in 1994.

You can see a list of the other 99 whale murals Wyland has created around the world at this link. Quite a few of them are in U.S. states on the east and west coasts and even some inland states. Others can be found all over the globe -- Canada, Mexico, Brazil, France, Britain, China, Japan, Guam, Palau, American Somoa, Australia, and New Zealand. 

It is estimated that Wyland's murals of life-size whales are viewed by a billion people every year. I also learned that his art and his non-profit foundation have had an enormous impact on environmental issues around the world.

Guess I've been living under a rock because I don't remember hearing about him before. I think it would be interesting to see as many of these murals as possible in our travels around the USA and Canada. Unfortunately, the list of the sites indicates at least 21 of the murals are no longer accessible for various reasons (covered, destroyed, or significantly altered). That's a shame.

THE REST OF OUR DAY

On the way home to the Black Spruce Campground this afternoon we ran some more errands, then discussed our travel plans in more detail.

In the evening Jim watched a couple DVDs about military planes. He gets free videos and movies from the library on base -- a good alternative to Netflix or Red Box when feasible.

The Museum Store on the main level of the Anchorage Museum has books, Native Alaskan art,
hand-made jewelry, and other things for sale.  You can get in there without paying admission. <wink>

I took Cody for a walk in and near our campground. after supper. Neither Jim nor I have seen any bears or moose in the campground or on base since we’ve been here this time. We saw several of each near our campsite back in June.

The hosts told Jim that one day recently four RVers said they’d seen a bear near their campers so we know they're still around. We just have to be at the right place at the right time to see them.

Next entry:  the Iditarod Sled Dog Museum and Mat-Su Visitor Center

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, and Cody the ultra Lab

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© 2012 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil