Meet The World At The Museum This August
"Meet the World at the Museum" on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2004, from noon to 5 p.m. on the lawn on the corner of C Street and Seventh Avenue, adjacent the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. This colorful celebration, co-sponsored by the Anchorage Museum of History and Art and Bridge Builders - a local nonprofit charged with promoting cultural diversity in Anchorage - will showcase music and dance performances, art, crafts, games, and food from the many cultural groups that call Anchorage home. Admission to the event is free.
"The Museum is a natural gathering place to share ideas, art forms and life experiences," says Pat Wolf, director of the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. "We're looking forward to bringing our city's diverse population groups together for all to explore in a festive, fun event."
Anchorage is a culturally rich and diverse city. For example, there are 93 different languages spoken in the Anchorage School District. The event is patterned after Bridge Builders' "Meet the World in Anchorage" event, which takes place during the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous festival.
Participating cultural groups will represent their respective cultures in booths scattered across the lawn adjacent the Museum. Booths will be decorated to reflect each cultural group, showcasing art, jewelry, tools, games and food, among other items. At the center will be a stage to accommodate performances that will take place throughout the afternoon, giving attendees the opportunity to enjoy the music, dance, choral and other presentations representing the many cultures present. Food vendors will offer tastes from around the world and Mayor Mark Begich will visit with attendees during the afternoon.
Attendees will receive a passport containing information about the cultures in Anchorage. The passport will include an area for attendees to receive a stamp when they visit each cultural booth represented. The final stamp will come from the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, where attendees can tour the exhibits and enter their passport sheets into a prize drawing.
"Our goal is to create a safer community that understands and cares about all its people," says Susan Churchill, executive director for Bridge Builders of Anchorage. "We invite Anchorage residents and visitors to explore the variety of customs and traditions that make up Anchorage today. Through exploration we achieve an appreciation of one another, possibly forming new, long-lasting, culturally rich friendships."