New director wants to add exhibits, events at Nolan Center

Jeanie Arnold, who started work as the new director at the Nolan Center on Nov. 27, said she wants to "provide an overall sense of joy to the community of Wrangell through artistic exposure and historical storytelling."

She replaces Cyni Crary, who is moving out of state. Crary had been in the job since July 2018.

Arnold said some of her goals include broadening the scope of the center with new exhibits and events targeted at a wide variety of interests. She also hopes to collaborate with the school district, Head Start program and Irene Ingle Public Library to develop projects and experiences to enrich the community.

"I have always thought that the Nolan Center is such an amazing resource," she said on Dec. 1, adding that it's a place where residents can present their own artistic talents in a variety of ways, as well as serve as an archive to collect and maintain artifacts from its different cultural populations and offer a space for people to come together.

"I really think that it offers and it showcases the best parts of what it means to live in Wrangell, past, present and future," she said.

She also said the facility is also a huge draw for the many tourists from the cruise ships that dock in town during the busy summer months.

Arnold said she wants to address current staffing issues - the center needs a full-time museum coordinator, particularly to manage the movie theater. "I think is a wonderful public service to our community ... that we get to have fairly current movies play."

She hopes that filling the vacant position will enable other full-time employees, such as collections manager Tyler Eagle, concentrate more on their duties. "If we bring in a coordinator, the hope is that his focus can go back to the exhibit, bringing some new displays in."

Arnold grew up in Anchorage and studied at Oregon State University and the University of Utah. During a visit in the winter of 2012, she "fell in love with Wrangell" and moved in early 2013.

She has worked in behavioral health, including at Alaska Island Community Services' Alaska Crossings program, providing behavioral health counseling for at-risk youth from all over the state using wilderness expeditions to teach communication and basic life skills. The program continued when SEARHC took over in 2017, until it closed in 2021.

She said she also has a background in tourism development and project management.

Arnold has been active in the community, having served as chair for the Department of Parks and Recreation advisory board, and served as a member of the school board and the KSTK board.

"The health of the community is directly related to the people volunteering and providing support to it," she said. "The more that people can give of themselves, including just their time and, perhaps, their gifts is just really going to reflect in the health and wellness of our community as a whole."