UPDATE: In August 2022, the Diamond NN Cannery was listed on the National Register of Historic Place.
Mug Up: The Language of Cannery Work open
April 1 – October 8, 2022
Entitled “Mug Up” after the cannery term for a coffee break, the exhibition shares stories of Alaska’s cannery crews and showcases artifacts from the canned salmon industry through the lens of the Alaska Packers Association’s <NN> (Diamond NN) Cannery, located on the Naknek River in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
Underpinning the Mug Up exhibition is the larger theme that Alaska canneries’ 15-minute ‘mug ups’ brought together diverse cannery workers who provided essential labor and created a unique social milieu within the cannery workscape.
Mug Up is a journey through a typical salmon cannery, building-by-building, using each space to spotlight the labor and social history behind one of Alaska’s most significant industries. Rather than machines, Mug Up is about people whose stories, until now, were sheltered in the shadows of history.
The Mug Up exhibition is presented in three sections: Storied Salmon, Working Waterfront, and Cannery Community. From the slime-liners (slimers) to the superintendent, these stories collectively represented the workforce that brought the Industrial Revolution to the North.
Matthew Burtner composed the soundscape. Filmmakers include Jensen Hall Creative, Anna Hoover, and Sharon Thompson. Both the soundscape and exhibit films were produced by the NN Cannery History Project.
Thank you!
A BIG thank you to everyone who purchased a cork, and showing support for the Mug Up exhibition. The corks have been hung by Naknek net hangers and will honor those who participated in Alaska’s fisheries in the exhibition, Mug Up: The Language of Cannery Work, opening at the Alaska State Museum on April 1, 2022.
Honor your deckhands, a former captain, or the port engineer who saved your fishing season. Historic wooden corks will be engraved and displayed with a commemorative sailboat net by master net hanger, Marcia Dale, to recognize the individuals who have put food on tables around the world for over a century.
Help us share with the World the oft’ forgotten stories of Bristol Bay and let’s make history together!
Mug Up exhibition logo, Alaska State Museum
Arctic Packing saltery survey, South Naknek, 1892
Student Senen Torino interview with Natty Boskovsy.
Filmmaker Scott Jensen and project director Katie Ringsmuth interview Brad Angasan for the documentary Cannery Caretakers, funded by generous grants from the Alaska Humanities Forum and the Rasmuson Foundation.
"It is important work to preserve Alaska’s heritage, and the [NN Cannery History Project] recognizes your commitment to documenting our great state’s history of cultural diversity and development. By bringing light to the historical significance of Alaska’s canneries, your project will have lasting impact for the community and for the country."
Dan Sullivan | United States Senator
Sharon Thompson documenting a conversation between Bob King, John Wachtel and Katie Ringsmuth.