Cannery Coffee

NN Cannery History Project

I serve as the Community Curator and designer for this public history endeavor to document the work, people and places of my hometown in Bristol Bay, Alaska. 

Prototypes of this line of fundraising merchandise were released to the public at an NN Cannery History Project public engagement event in October 2018. The designs have undergone some recent adjustments and additional packaging and merchandise samples were rolled out this summer.

Cannery Coffee has been designed to recreate the moments found at MugUp coffee breaks that provided respite from the monotony of the slime line that momentarily brought people together from around the world. The NN Cannery brought together a mix of people: Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Croatian, Italian, Scandanavian, Unungan, Alutiiq, Dena’ina, men as well as women, the young and the seasoned.

The heavy stoneware mug is modeled after the classic old mugs that were a central part of the MugUp experience that brought together a diverse workforce for over a century. The graphics feature the classic NN initials that was utilized by the Alaska Packers Association to designate this specific cannery. This “diamond” designation can be found in typed form in historic record, handwritten on discarded wooden crates and stenciled on the bows of their now retired fleet of double ender sailboats. 

The commemorative can with a storage lid is modeled after a traditional can of salmon and was inspired by the many photos and memories that have been discovered during our research or shared with us by former cannery workers over the last few years.