Mount Challenges and Solutions For Native Alaskan Objects for a Study Collection in an Earthquake Zone

Abstract

This article examines mount challenges and solutions for more than 500 Alaska Native objects on loan from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of the American Indian to the Anchorage Museum for the exhibit "Living our Cultures, Sharing our Knowledge." Housed within the Anchorage Museum's new addition, the exhibit's unique case design and object mounting system make the objects accessible for study, research, cultural consultation, and education in collaboration with Alaska Native elders, scholars, researchers, artists, and educators. By describing specific examples from these two collections, the article focuses on the unique challenges these objects presented in safely mounting study collection objects, many with multiple and moving parts, that will travel on their mounts to Alaska and from the display case to a study area within the center, all housed within an earthquake zone. Considerations explored are choice of suitable materials, mount design and fabrication, aesthetics of mount design vs. safety and stability of the object, and the collaborative approach that evolved among a revolving team of seven to nine mountmakers attempting to satisfy the unique goals set forth by the curatorial, conservation, and design teams.