Alaska Museum of Nature and Science (Museum Reviews Teaser)

     Hello there! I've recently returned from a trip to Alaska with Jacy and the baby to visit my sister-in-law in Anchorage. Being the dino-nut I am, I of course wanted more than anything else to visit the local natural history museum once I learned of its existence. I had trouble finding out much about the place before actually visiting however, giving me the bright idea to review the establishment on my blog once I'd taken a few photos for reference.

     In my excitement, I may have taken more pictures than most people would consider reasonable. While I intend to give the facilities a more thorough treatment sometime soon, I have no idea how to organize what I have at the moment, but I don't want this project to languish whilst I figure out my system either. So, for the time being, I'll simply throw up a few teaser pics, more to goad myself into hurrying up with the rest, if I'm being honest. Enjoy!

Front Entrance

Continuation of the mural around the left side of the building

     The museum prominently features the artwork of James Havens, who created the mural which wraps around the building, as well as several pieces depicting prehistoric Alaskan critters inside. Now, I'm not entirely sure about the legality of posting pictures I took of pictures, but to at least ease my conscience somewhat, why don't you take a look at his website? He's a pretty talented artist. As long as we're looking at the exterior, I would like to point out just how small this place is. It's even more apparent on the inside. I don't mean that as a knock against the museum, either; on the contrary, it lends the place a cozier, more inviting feel than you might get with a larger institution. This small-time charm manifested in a really entertaining way, but that's for my next blog post. Just a few more images, and we'll be done for now.

Pachyrhinosaur pair

     Another lovely James Havens in the main entryway directly across from the cash register. This piece depicts Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum, a distant relative of Triceratops which traded in the horns typical of its relatives for large, bony "bosses", opting for battering rams instead of spears. This particular species was endemic to Alaska, which, while somewhat warmer at the time, was still plenty snowy in the winter. Really kinda shakes up your view of the Age of Dinosaurs, doesn't it?

The centerpiece of the museum! Plus a pterodactyl!

     Without a doubt the most impressive item on display in the museum, and the first object to draw the visitor's eye, is the enormous "Denali Pterosaur". James Havens also created this life-sized model, representing an as-yet-unnamed azhdarchid pterodactyloid closely related to that other, more famous giant pterosaur, Quetzalcoatlus. Yours truly up there stands below the frankly terrifying beak to provide a sense of scale.

Gratuitous butt shot.

     This unfortunately represents my best attempt to get as much of the Denali Pterosaur into frame at once. Note that my back was just about against the wall when I took this. This room represents at least 1/3, maybe even 1/2 of the total floor space in the museum. You can see what I mean about cozy quarters, though it does make it difficult to truly take in the full visage of that winged beast. Note the tyrannosaur painting below the left wing: another James Havens piece.
 

     One final copyright-baiting Havens picture, but only because I complained about getting a full view of the Denali Pterosaur life model. This piece depicts the creature in flight over a prehistoric Alaskan river. Try mentally adding me into that painting there, and then take a moment to appreciate the craziness of an animal that massive actually taking to the air.

It's your dinosaurs, Marty! Something's got to be done about your dinosaurs!

     Lastly, one final painting to round out this paleoart-themed post: it's that mainstay of 1980s dinosaur kids' books, the Dinosauroid! For those not in the know, the Dinosauroid was a rather (in)famous thought experiment that postulated that if the dinosaurs had survived to the present day, then not only might they have developed human-like intelligence, but they might have also adopted an upright stance and human-like form to boot! The whole thing is now considered to be an embarrassing 80s fad (much like most things from the 80s), but it's always entertaining to see where it pops up. Interstingly, according to the signature at the bottom (which like a chump, I forgot to make note of), this particular piece was produced in the early 2000s. Not sure who was still so into this idea at that point to hang this directly in front of the bathrooms, but whatever. Maybe they were trying to scare the poop out of you. Mostly it's just confusing if you have no prior knowledge of this

     Well, that's all for now. Next time we'll get to reviewing the actual exhibits and presentations, but till then, aufviedersehen!

Please visit:
http://www.alaskamuseum.org/

http://www.havensstudio.com/The_Havens_Studio_%26_Gallery/Welcome_.html