Tag Archives: Baranov Museum

Baranov Museum’s Michael Bach stands in room where the murder took place in 1886. (Photo by Kayla Desroches/KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT If any historical site on Kodiak can claim to be haunted, it’s probably the Baranov Museum. The Russian-American magazin, a former warehouse, is the oldest building in Alaska. The Russian-American Company built it between 1805 and 1808 and the Erskine …

Baranov Museum. (Photo by J. Stephen Conn / Flickr) Kayla Desroches/KMXT Wednesday marked the 150th anniversary of the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States. Baranov Museum collections manager Michael Bach says many people have referred to the 1867 purchase as Seward’s Folly. “It was viewed as a mistake and there’s contention because at that time it wasn’t …

Natalie Trenery. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Trenery) Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Baranov Museum hired a new curator of education this summer. Natalie Trenery says this is her first museum job. She says she used to work as a teacher’s aide and ran an art studio out of her home, where she did art classes for adults and kids. One of her …

A look into one of the museum’s exhibits. (Courtesy of the Baranov Museum) Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Baranov Museum is redesigning its exhibits. Executive Director Sarah Harrington says staff reached out for public input when they began the process in 2012. “What we found is we had a lot of feedback based on the fact that our current exhibits were not …

Deborah Bitanga. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT A multimedia art exhibit Thursday night encouraged discussion about the relationships between Alaskans and salmon. The Baranov Museum displayed the locally-made photographs and art pieces via projector. Local Deborah Bitanga was among the featured artists. She completed her drawing as part of Washington University’s Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program. She …

On today’s Talk of the Rock, host Kayla Desroches speaks with writer and historian Anjuli Grantham about the Alaska Salmon Fellows, a group of Alaskans addressing fishing industry issues and discussing solutions. Also, Baranov Museum executive director Sarah Harrington will talk about the museum’s upcoming art night featuring outdoor projections about salmon. One artist, Deborah Bitanga, explains her piece and …

(left to right) Student Anielys Varga, Baranov Museum curator of education Natalie Trenery, student David Castro, and Deborah Bitanga, who’s helping out on the intensive. (Photo by Kayla Dersoches / KMXT) A group of students recently created short documentaries telling the stories of how their families came to Kodiak. The Baranov Museum partnered with St. Mary’s Middle School on the …

Michael Bach. Kayla Desroches / KMXT Kayla Desroches/KMXT An active member of the Alutiiq language scene in Kodiak has joined the Baranov Museum staff as collections manager. Michael Bach previously worked at the Alutiiq Museum and taught an Alutiiq language immersion preschool with the Sun’aq Tribe. He says his time at the Alutiiq Museum ended with the grant that funded …

The Kodiak pier, the earliest known photograph of Kodiak, c. 1860. Courtesy of the Baranov Museum Kayla Desroches/KMXT This year is the 150th anniversary of the sale of the Alaskan territory to the United States. Alaska’s oldest standing structure, the Baranov Museum, recently hosted a traveling exhibit featuring panels from the time of the Treaty of Cession in the 1860s. …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Baranov Museum reached its fiftieth anniversary today and, in celebration, will invite its first executive director to share her memories. Marian Johnson says she was always interested in the structure that now holds the museum. The Erskine House is the oldest standing building in the state and a National Historical Landmark. It was also a bit of …