Beringia Museum of Culture & Science

Taking Shape!

Exciting plans are being made! New partnerships are forming! Work sessions are underway, and you are invited! The Beringia Museum of Science & Culture planning project is gaining momentum and taking shape. Join the tribes of the Bering Strait region in developing an international, cutting edge, fresh and innovative, science & cultural facility, here in the heart of Beringia, Nome, Alaska. This facility will not only exhibit the latest in circumpolar research, but provide a wide array of cultural programming experiences for our children, our curious visitors and learners of all ages. The Beringia Museum will hold the heart of our region, as a place to safely care for, and display our rich history in artifacts, and the many innovations of the people who have called Beringia home for thousands of years. A place for dance groups to gather, practice and perform has been a priority of the leaders of the museum. Survey results have shown that people wish to use this facility to connect with and meet other folks and visiting scientific researchers. This project is about collaborations between people like you and me, local tribes, municipalities, state agencies, and international organizations. These collaborations will continue to provide a strong, diverse and rich foundation from which to realize an indigenous culturally rich museum; the dream of our elders, coming true!

In 2004, the Kawerak Board of Directors with foresight and determination, purchased the 28,000 square foot lot, located north of the Methodist Church and south of the Kawerak office buildings, for the express purpose of building a museum/cultural center. An Administration for Native American’s three year grant was received by Kawerak in the fall of 2005 to develop plans for a museum facility.

Since then, an organizational structure, Leadership Team, Bylaws, Collections Policy, and architectural concept design have been set into motion, through the hard work of many dedicated individuals across Alaska. We are pleased to present you with the 10% Concept Design for the Beringia Museum in this edition of K-News. This design is the result of work sessions attended by many representatives across the region who donated their time towards the challenging work of creating a building design that would meet our needs and lift our spirits simultaneously.

The economic development opportunities the Beringia Museum project offer for the entire region are exciting as well as much needed. Results from a recent study by Americans for the Arts show that the economic impact of arts and culture are valuable contributors to the business community. Nonprofit arts and culture organizations are employers, producers, consumers and key promoters of their cities and regions.

We plan to use the museum facility as a “hub” for our region, with “spokes” of tourism opportunities, scientific exhibits and cultural programming reaching deep into each village in the Bering Strait. The dynamic economic engine the Beringia Museum will provide through increased tourism and scientific research bring a new paradigm of opportunity, bursting with potential, for our region!

The growing list of entities that believe in and help create the synergy that is creating this new museum include, UAF/Museum of the North, International Arctic Research Center, Bering Strait Native Corporation, Bering Strait Foundation, Alaska Department of Fish & Game and Arctic Studies Center/Smithsonian Instutiute. We hope to soon include many other organizations who wish to join this unique collaboration of scientific & cultural interchange.

We invite you & your organization to join us and our partners in an effort to revitalize and highlight for all to share in, not only the rich culture of the region, but the economic opportunities that the Beringia Museum of Culture & Science will generate.

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