Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center

The Sheldon Museum is an integral part of the haines Alaska community. Our institution has reduced visitor access this year (10291 site visits) due to covid-19. Exhibit galleries are upstairs, research archives and staff offices are downstairs, and the entrance and gift store are on the mezzanine level between them. The large main gallery exhibits, which change every three years, incorporate art, historical objects, photographs, maps, and interactives. The current exhibit "everything from afar drifts ashore" focuses on 1850 to 1910 in the chilkat valley when it transitioned from an all-native area to a mixed population. Each year numerous smaller temporary exhibits include traveling history and art shows, as well as guest curated exhibits and six week solo or duo juried exhibitions by local artists. A children's interactive gallery features early life in the chilkat valley and educational activities. 263 school children visited the Museum with their class this year. Other activities preserving and presenting the history of the chilkat valley are supported. The impact of the covid 19 pandemic on Museum patronage, attendance and admissions income was significant in fy20: after the mid-march, 2020 covid closure. We estimate fy20 missing admissions totalling about 30,000 in comparison to fy19.