RELATED EVENTS

Dig a little deeper into Gold with a wide variety of engaging programming, from plays to camps to classes for both kids and artists.

Theater
Two world premieres of Alaska plays

Gold programming includes the museum’s first foray into historical theater.

“The Gilded Tusk,” by Anchorage playwright Joan Kane, is about a young woman in Oregon who tires of waiting for her husband to return from his gold seeking in Nome and sets out to find him.

“Wheelman,” by Fairbanks playwright Thomas Moran, is a fictionalized account of the hardy (some say foolhardy) gold-seekers who traveled to Nome via the latest craze in transportation technology…bicycle.

Both plays are museum-commissioned world premieres. Performances are at 11 a.m., noon, 1 and 2 p.m. daily May 30 through Aug. 2 and are included with Gold admission.

Hands-on activities
Within the exhibit, enjoy a slough of hands-on science and art activities related to Gold.

Test your strength while learning about the mass of gold and other natural materials…your eyes can be fooled, but your muscles cannot.

Pan for gold, make your own bejeweled gold crown, or watch as an everyday quarter is transformed into a “gold” coin right before your eyes.

The legendary tale of Archimedes and the Crown of Syracuse is used to discuss the mass of gold in an entertaining way, and explain the method Archimedes’ discovered of using displaced water to determine the mass of a submerged object.

Other activities and demonstrations include distinguishing between real gold and fools’ gold, and learning how gold reacts to hammering and electricity.

These activities are included with Gold admission.

Camp
Calling all treasure seekers!
Off-site programming includes two Treasure Seekers gold-themed camps, to be held at Pacific Northern Academy, 550 Bragaw St. Camps are for 4th through 6th graders and run June 1-5 and June 8-12. The camps cost $260 for museum and Imaginarium members/$280 non-members. Register at www.imaginarium.org/camp.

Artist workshop
Metal Art as Oral Tradition: The Story as Jewel
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 26-28 UAA Metals Lab $150
Artist and jeweler Charles Pinckney of Athens, Ga., will teach a three-day workshop about bringing expression and language into metal craft work. Participants will leave with several designs and one work in progress. Metal supply kits are available for purchase at the workshop. Experience level: basic metalsmithing. To register, call 343-6187. Sorry, this workshop is full.

Classes
Drawing the Gold Rush
10 a.m. to noon June 8-12 $165 members/$180 non-members
Artist Brenda Jaeger leads children ages 9 to 12 in an artistic journey through the Gold exhibit. Participants practice shading, perspective and modeling 3-D forms as they learn about Alaska’s gold rush era. Each child will finish a favorite drawing with gold leaf embellishments. To register, call 343-6187.

Watercolor Painting
10 a.m. to noon July 6-10 $165 members/$180 non-members
Children ages 9 to 14 explore world cultures represented in the Gold exhibit through music, poetry and watercolor painting. In this class led by artist Brenda Jaeger, each day features new watercolor painting and drawing techniques. Students also learn how to apply gold leaf embellishments. To register, call 343-6187.