KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The return of Kodiak born and reared Anjuli Grantham is an exciting development for local history buffs. Grantham is the new full-time curator of collections for the Baranov Museum. Her first week has been spent mostly exploring the collection
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— (anjuli 1 11 sec "So, here’s one of the collection rooms. Take a look at this ink and water color. I just feel like that is so cool!"
She has spent more than a decade traveling the world and pursuing academics, but can remember visiting the museum as a child and falling in love with the history of Kodiak.
— (anjuli 2 34 sec "I remember looking at all the artifacts in the cases and ever since I was in third grade and we did our Alaska history unit- I went to Main Elementary and had Mrs. Anthony as a teacher when I learned the words ‘archaeology’ and ‘culture’- I was immediately smitten with the history of Kodiak as soon as I learned about it. Since then my major research interest has been Alaska and the history of Kodiak. I even wrote my thesis about the history of fishing at Karluk. It’s (Kodiak) a place of incredible historical significance for the nation."
Grantham will be responsible for numerous aspects of the museum’s curation and preservation activities, full circle from the curious little girl who grew up playing amongst some of Kodiak’s historical sites.
— (anjuli 3 30 sec "My family, we spent every summer out at Uganik Bay fishing and at Packers Spit there are these old pilings and I always wondered what they were from. There was also this pile of bricks and metal that was up in the tall grass behind the pilings. I discovered that Packers Spit got its name because it was a cannery for the Alaska Packers Association. So, those are just remnants of this really important past of ours, this commercial fishing past. I’ve always been surrounded by this Kodiak fishing heritage and history."
Before returning to Kodiak, she worked for the National Park Service in Washington state and the National Register of Historic Places program in South Carolina. Ultimately, she’s happy to be home.
— (anjuli 4 10 sec "I’m incredibly excited to be here and there’s so many objects that are special and I’m really eager to research and to be able to better tell the history of Kodiak to more people."
Museum director Katie Oliver says that Grantham’s hire is part of a five-year plan at the museum to increase focus on the preservation of the collection and expand access to the public.
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