Pass the Mic

On view Oct. 7, 2022 — Sept. 3, 2023, Third Floor, West Wing

Enter a playground of sound through an all-ages music and sound experience that celebrates contemporary Alaska sound art and music. In Pass the Mic, visitors are immersed in the power of sound through a sonic exploration of the genres, modes and styles that make up the soundtrack of Alaska. Spanning nearly the entire third floor of the museum, this interactive sound experience offers visitors the chance to listen to, create, or interact with sound. Pass the Mic features music from Alaska music makers and sound artists and was developed in collaboration with Alaska’s home-grown Grammy-award-winning rock band Portugal. The Man. An in-gallery music main stage hosts live and recorded performances, along with public programming offered throughout Pass the Mic’s yearlong run.

Experiential spaces throughout the museum’s third-floor gallery include:

Sound garden 
Become a soundscape ecologist as you immerse yourself in the natural sounds of Alaska through a blending animal, people and earth sounds gathered near Campbell Creek Science Center. Soundscapes in this gallery vary hourly and seasonally.

Remix studio
Release your inner DJ by spinning and scratching with samples from Alaska musicians. Remix and rearrange existing sounds into something new with a tempo change or sound effect. Go solo or challenge a friend to remix battle. A digitally projected audience reacts as volumes and beats change.

Press Play
Slip on some headphones at one of five audio kiosks and listen to curated playlists of Alaska music from 1950 to today.

Play the Room
Create music with your body using motion-capture technology. Dance, shake, slow down or speed up to literally “play” the room like a musical instrument. Go solo or join with friends to create your unique sound. Tones in this room were selected with input from the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

On Air
Appreciate the wonder of radio waves. Tune into a rotating set of stations broadcasting news, forecasts, personal messages, cultural content, and songs from past and present selected by guest curator and journalist Tripp J Crouse. Use your voice at an interactive broadcast station to transmit your own secret message across the gallery space.

Mainstage
Listen to live and recorded performances or watch music videos at this in-gallery stage. Find the current line-up on the museum’s online calendar at anchoragemuseum.org.

The Loop Lounge
Sit down and settle in as you listen to a rotating selection of albums by Alaska musicians as they unfold track by track.

Take the Stage
Grab the mic, it’s karaoke time! Song track selections include classic tunes from national acts who have performed at the Alaska State Fair.

Rotating in-gallery content for Pass the Mic was created with input from Alaska musicians, audiophiles, service organizations, and community members, including Matthew Burtner, Tripp J Crouse, Aaron Leggett, Alex Sallee, Kimberly Waller, and Maria Williams and to the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.