The World of Coffee Comes to the Museum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2011
Fairbanks, Alaska—More than a thousand years have passed since people started drinking a brew made from the beans of the coffee tree. Today, people all over the world start their day that way. Even in subarctic Fairbanks, we expect coffee in our cup when we want it, often without considering how far it has traveled to get there. A new exhibit at the University of Alaska Museum of the North explores the web of stories connected to every cup of coffee we drink.
“Coffee: The World in Your Cup” is a traveling exhibit created by the Burke Museum in Seattle to explore one of the world’s most widely traded commodities. The exhibit uncovers the environmental and social effects of the coffee industry and recommends ways for consumers to make responsible coffee purchases. It also investigates the effects of caffeine, the world’s most commonly used drug; reveals coffee’s early controversial reputation as a revolutionary drink and examines the culture that surrounds coffee in the 21st century. Photos, maps, artifacts and hands-on demonstrations help visitors explore the fascinating world behind the coffee we drink.
“Coffee: The World in Your Cup” was organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Wash. Major sponsorship was provided by the Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, Starbucks Coffee Company, and the University of Washington. Just like the efforts to bring coffee to every major city around the globe, the Museum of the North had help from local sponsors, including Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, Alaska Coffee Roasting Co., Raven’s Brew, Fountainhead Hotels, local dentist Dr. W. Lee Payne and North Pole Coffee Roasting Co.
ON THE WEB: museum.uaf.edu