February 3 - April 9, 2023

Using found and recycled objects combined with hand-drawn and sculpted elements, Jannah Sexton Atkins assembles works that contemplate society’s connection to nature.

The Marker Series chronicles "humanity’s impact on Earth’s complex natural ecosystems by exponentially disrupting the elegant inter-relational web of organic life forms and their natural sustainable habitat critical for life itself.”

Each of the 20 Prayer Markers in the exhibition includes a portrait of an insect, bird, fish or plant. Sexton Atkins playfully combines these portraits with salvaged, societal waste. The resulting Markers encourage connection and responsibility to our planet.

Image credit: Jannah Sexton Atkins, Prayer Marker - Artifacts of Pollinator Networks, mixed media assemblage, found objects.  

Friday, February 3, 2023,
12-12:45pm

On Zoom and in-person at Sheldon Jackson Museum   

Steinbright shares this about her presentation:

In my 40 some years living and working with Alaska Native artists, I have had the honor of getting to know some incredibly talented people. As an artist myself, I was particularly drawn to the practice of basketry, an art form I had been involved with since childhood. My job allowed me to gather materials and interact with Native basket makers as they went about their work. I also was privileged to organize workshops around the state and work on exhibits for museums on basketry. From these precious experiences, I have come away with many stories which I love to share.

Using a PowerPoint presentation, I will talk about the gathering and preparation of natural materials and the basket construction, and share some personal stories of these amazing people.

Attend online or in-person. To attend via zoom, visit www.zoom.com and input meeting ID: 895 9116 4275 and passcode: Jan.

Sarah Malcolm collecting birch bark. Photo by Charles Backus.

Alaska State Museum
Through February 4, 2023

Up Close and Under Foot, is a solo exhibition of paintings by Fairbanks artist Gail Priday. Priday finds inspiration from the natural world, specifically the boreal forest. In her paintings, she combines elements of realism and imagination to portray fungus, lichen, leaves, and other life in the understory.

Image credit: Gail Priday, Amazements, Acrylic on Canvas

Saturday, February 11, 2023, 2 pm
APK Atrium

Con Brio Chamber Series and the Friends of the State Library, Archives and Museum present Music for Flute. This concert features flutist Sally Schlichting performing music of Bach, Verdi, Takemitsu and Mozart. She will be joined by pianist Sue Kazama, and Elena Levi, violin, Meg Rosson, viola, and Ben Holtz, cello. The one-hour performance is pay-as-you-can. For more information contact Con Brio Chamber Series.

Saturday, February 18, 2023, 1 pm

You are invited to attend the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum’s annual meeting! At 1:00 pm, there will be hors d’oeuvres, renewal of memberships and registrations, and a cash-only 50/50 raffle. At 1:30, a short business meeting and election for board members will be held. At 2:00 there will be a presentation by guest lecturer Desiree Jackson, executive director of the Goldbelt Heritage Foundation in Juneau. After the speech, there will be one final chance to purchase raffle tickets before the winner(s) and the recipients of door prizes are announced. We hope to see you there!

At the 2023 meeting, FOSJM will vote on a set of minor revisions to our organization’s bylaws, intended to formalize the option for Zoom participation in meetings and correct grammatical errors. View the proposed changes.

Sheldon Jackson Museum
Through April 22, 2023

Filling Empty Spaces – Attraction and Distraction is an exhibition of new works by Robert Hoffmann.

Through his carvings and paintings, Robert Hoffmann (Tlingit) explores cultural values and to what ends they drive us in a search for fulfillment.

Image credit: Introspection by Robert Hoffmann

Fridays, noon-1 pm, online

Cold Mountain Path by Tom Kizzia started Dec. 2

Story hours for kids are great, but why should they get all the fun?

We’re continuing to read Cold Mountain Path, a prequel, of sorts, to his bestselling Pilgrim’s Wilderness: a True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier. Cold Mountain Path digs into the history of the community of McCarthy, from the closure of the Kennecott Mine through the mass murder there in 1983. Along the way, we learn about this unique place – an active “ghost town” that brings up “ghost state” fears, preservation in a geologically dynamic location, and celebrating industry in a national park. Join us!