Core Purpose, Values, and Mission

CORE PURPOSE:
Opening new worlds as the museum for Alaska

CORE VALUES:
Love of Alaska:
Devotion to the cultures, imagination, creativity and innovative spirit of the people of Alaska.

Community Building:
The tying together of the diverse elements of our community with relationships of understanding and respect.

Engagement:
Opportunities for visitors of all ages to immerse themselves in lifelong learning and cultural expression.

Intellectual Integrity:
Respect for all voices in exhibits and programs and uncompromising standards of intellectual quality, professionalism and curatorial ethics in the preservation and presentation of exhibits and artifacts.

Stewardship:
Leadership, imagination and prudence in the marshaling and use of the human, financial and physical resources necessary to build a sustainable museum.

Integration of Art, History and Science:
Commitment to exploring the connections and synergies among these fields of human endeavor.

MISSION:

• Collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret the art, history, anthropology and science of Alaska and its relationship to the Circumpolar North.
• Maintain an active and diverse changing exhibition program that acquaints the community with the global spectrum of human artistic, cultural and scientific expression.
• Provide a major cultural center for Anchorage where the community and its visitors meet, create, learn and participate in the museum's programs and activities.
• Stimulate the contributions of a creative population of artists, historians, anthropologists, scientists and other allied professionals.
• Demonstrate leadership and scholarship in its endeavors to serve the widest possible audience and to work with groups, individuals and organizations that share a common interest in cultural, educational and scientific activities.