| PB-274695-20 | Preservation and Access: Cooperative Agreements and Special Projects (P&A) | Museum of the Aleutians | Museum of the Aleutians Digitization Project | 7/15/2020 - 11/30/2020 | $73,196.00 | Virginia | | Hatfield | | | | Museum of the Aleutians | Unalaska | AK | 99685-0648 | USA | 2020 | Archaeology | Cooperative Agreements and Special Projects (P&A) | Preservation and Access | 73196 | 0 | 73196 | 0 | The retention of three staff, who would catalog at least 2,000 archaeological, ethnographic, and historic items; digitization and uploading of content; development of online exhibitions and educational programs; and the purchase of supplies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of a digital presence for the Museum of the Aleutians. Our Museum houses important archaeological, ethnographic, and historic objects, photographs, paper archives, as well as some fine art. This project would allow the Museum to retain staff at pre-COVID-19 levels, to digitize and upload content onto the Alaska Digital Archives (VILDA), and to develop exciting new online exhibition and educational programs. Developing virtual content and an online database will enable us to share our mission with other Alaska museums, cultural centers, historical institutions, academic researchers, students, and the general public interested in the history and culture of the Aleutian Islands to a much greater extent than we currently offer. |
| PG-287644-22 | Preservation and Access: Preservation Assistance Grants | Museum of the Aleutians | Updating MOTA's Environmental Monitoring Procedures | 9/1/2022 - 2/28/2023 | $6,213.40 | Karen | | Macke | | | | Museum of the Aleutians | Unalaska | AK | 99685-0648 | USA | 2022 | Cultural History | Preservation Assistance Grants | Preservation and Access | 6213.4 | 0 | 6213 | 0 | The purchase of eight new data loggers for the museum’s collection, including two units for traveling collections, to allow for improved environmental monitoring.
The Museum of the Aleutians (MOTA) requests funds to purchase environmental monitoring equipment (data loggers) that will replace outdated and poorly performing units. With this grant request, we will purchase eight new data loggers, six of which will monitor data points for light levels, UV light levels, relative humidity, and temperature with the 5000 sq/ft of the Museum. An additional two travel units will be utilized inside of crates for the Museum’s traveling collections and will collect data points for relative humidity, temperature, and shock points (if crates are jostled or dropped). The new environmental monitoring devices will allow for improved monitoring accuracy and reliability in a challenging Alaskan environment. This project will assist with the ongoing preservation of our collections, helping MOTA staff meet our mission to collect, preserve, and share the rich cultural legacy of the Aleutian Islands Region. |
| PW-296746-24 | Preservation and Access: Humanities Collections and Reference Resources | Museum of the Aleutians | Sharing Voices: Making the Tachiqalax Collection Accessible Through Unangam and Academic Collaboration | 6/1/2024 - 5/31/2027 | $349,457.10 | Caroline | | Funk | Karen | | Macke | Museum of the Aleutians | Unalaska | AK | 99685-0648 | USA | 2024 | Archaeology | Humanities Collections and Reference Resources | Preservation and Access | 349457.1 | 0 | 345484 | 0 | A project to expand access to archaeological collections and histories of Tachiqalax, a Unangam village on Unalaska Island, Alaska.
The history of the Unangam village Tachiqalax on Unalaska Island, Alaska, is the story of a maritime, complex society’s catastrophic intersection with Russian colonialism. Our proposed NEH project builds on the Unalaska Archaeology and History Project (1986-1990), which excavated a significant portion of Tachiqalax. The proposed project has two specific aims: 1) to expand the number of perspectives telling the history of Tachiqalax; and 2) to expand access to the site’s histories and archaeological materials so that researchers, educators, and Unangax^ may freely participate in learning, research, and cultural stewardship. The project will catalog, curate, and make accessible online approximately 100 cubic feet of archaeological materials. Through this process, the project broadens access to and decolonizes a dynamic period of U.S. colonial era history, develops a multivocal history with researchers and Unangax^, and builds capacity in Alaska Native collections stewardship. |