Friends of the State Library, Archives and Museum upcoming events

Alaska Positive Exhibit (Fri, December 05, 2025)

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 01:30:00 GMT

XX: Twenty Years of Alaskan Art features the work of contemporary Alaskan artists.

The museum acquired these pieces over the last twenty years though the generosity of the Rasmuson Foundation’s Alaska Art Fund.

Initiated in 2003, the Alaska Art Fund provides grants for Alaska museums to purchase current work by practicing Alaskan artists.

Thanks to the Fund, the Alaska State Museum has brought over 200 works of art valued at nearly half a million dollars into its permanent collection—the most significant donation over time, in terms of dollar value, in the museum’s 124-year history.

The Alaska Art Fund is managed by Museums Alaska and has donated over $6.7 million dollars to museums statewide for the purchase of art.

Free organ concerts in the State Office Building (Fri, January 23, 2026)

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Kimball Theatre Organ concerts are held on Fridays on the eighth floor of the State Office Building at 12:00 noon with the help of organists J Allan MacKinnon , TJ Duffy and Laurie Clough. Bring your lunch and enjoy the diversity of music these organists select.
May 1 - Allan MacKinnon
May 8 - Laurie Clough
May 15 - Allan MacKinnon
May 22 - Laurie Clough
May 29 -Allan Mackinnon

Though housed in the state office building, the organ is the property of the Alaska State Museum and supported by the Friends of the Alaska State Library, Archives and Museum. You can help support this amazing piece of Alaska's history. Donate today.

The Spirit of Independence (Tue, February 24, 2026)

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 09:00:00 GMT

The Spirit of Independence: Kent Bicentennial Portfolio is part of the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial celebration, features work from 12 artists who were asked to create pieces that answered one question: "What does independence mean to you?"

With this question, and freedom to interpret its meaning, the selected artists present twelve very different perspectives on independence, from the historical to the highly personal, from the theoretical to the symbolic. Artists in the portfolio include Alex Katz, Audrey Flack, Colleen Browning, Edward Ruscha, Fritz Scholder, Jacob Lawrence, Joseph Hirsch, Larry Rivers, Marisol Escobar, Red Grooms, Robert Indiana, and Will Barnet. The Kent Bicentennial Portfolio was printed in an edition of 125 and given to museums across the United States—including the Alaska State Museum.

Sketching in the Museum Exhibit (Wed, April 29, 2026)

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Raven Comes Full Circle (Fri, May 01, 2026)

Sat, 02 May 2026 00:30:00 GMT

The Alaska State Museum is open with FREE admission

This exhibit showcases Dorothy Grant’s 40-year career in haute couture, from traditional regalia to contemporary fashion.

Skil Da ‘Yuuwans Dorothy Grant (born Hydaburg, Alaska) belongs to the Yahgw Janáas clan of the Haida Nation. An internationally renowned fashion designer, she is celebrated for her unique design and critical role in bringing Indigenous fashion to the world stage.

The exhibit runs through October 17th, 2026