The Museum of the Aleutians will soon be closed for several months of renovations. Museum director Zoya Johnson says the plan is for a new, expanded permanent exhibit.

"This is a complete redesign of our museum. We are changing everything," says Johnson. "We are telling our story in a different way."

The title of the new exhibit is "The Aleutian Islands: Crossroads of the North Pacific." Johnson says that it's difficult to explain exactly what the installation will look like. There will be new artifacts on display from the museum’s permanent collection, but the main goal will be to provide visitors with a more complete understanding of Aleutian history.

"They will walk out of the museum thinking, 'Oh, this is the story that I learned,'" says Johnson. "This is how Unangan people lived, this is how WWII happened here, this is what happened when the first Europeans came, and this is what happened when the fisheries became a major economic presence."

The museum is relying on multiple grants, both public and private, to fund the $800,000 project and has hired Portland-based fabricator Acme Scenic and Display to construct and install the new exhibit.

The renovation is scheduled to wrap up in early December.