Thursday, Feb. 16, 12 pm

Join us for a virtual conversation with artists Katie Ione Craney and Anna Mikušková as they discuss their work in the 2022 Alaska Biennial exhibition. There will be an audience Q&A following the artist talks. Free, RSVP via Facebook.

Organized by the Anchorage Museum under various titles and forms for more than 30 years, Alaska Biennial celebrates place through the lens of contemporary art and encourages the creation of new works by Alaska artists.

The artworks on view are created by artists from across the state, in media including drawing, painting, mixed media, craft, jewelry, fiber art, visual art, metalsmithing, printmaking, encaustic, ceramic, book/paper arts, and photography. Written work, sound art, and performance art are new additions to the biennial this year.

Anchoragemuseum.org

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) an additional $500,000 in funding to support a second round of SHARP grants to Native cultural institutions. These are short-term grants to help tribal organizations and their partners recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and provide humanities programming to their communities. Funded projects must be completed by July 31. Grants range from $5,000-$50,000.

Eligible entities include federally recognized tribal governments with cultural institutions, tribal cultural facilities with non-profit status, non-tribal cultural institutions working in partnership with tribes, and higher education institutions working in partnership with tribes.

From Valdez Museum & Historical Archive:

Do you have a great idea for an exhibit? We would love to hear from you!

We mount 4-5 temporary exhibits annually at the main Valdez Museum. Whether you’re dreaming of a solo or group show and art installation, or taking a historical, cultural, scientific, or interdisciplinary look at this place we call home, we want to hear your proposals and ideas. Proposals should fit within the museum’s mission and values, and explore the culture, art, history, or geography of Valdez, Prince William Sound and the Copper River Basin, and its place in the world.

Exhibit Proposals are due March 1, 2023, for 2024 and later. Questions can be directed to Caren S. Oberg, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at coberg@valdezmuseum.org or (907) 835-8905.

On Tuesday, Homer’s Library Advisory Board unanimously voted to uphold a decision to keep 55 books in the children’s section of the public library. The decision followed a months-long debate over the future of children and young adult titles that largely feature LGBTQ themes.

Desiree Hagan, January 20, 2023. Alaska Public Media.

Nearly two decades ago, Sven Haakanson Jr. traveled from Kodiak to the Peabody Museum at Harvard University.

The Peabody had invited Haakanson, then the executive director of Kodiak’s Alutiiq Museum, and Ronnie Lind from Karluk to consult on the museum’s repatriation work in 2006. As they toured the museum, the kayak collection caught Haakanson’s eye. Once they finished their consultation, Haakanson and Lind doubled back to look at the kayaks.

As they perused the items in storage, Lind called Haakanson over to look at something.

“So I went over, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is an Alutiiq kayak,’” Haakanson recalled.

The discovery of the rare, one-person kayak was remarkable. Haakanson said he knows of only seven such kayaks in existence. This one had been owned by the Peabody Museum for nearly 150 years.

Riley Rogerson, January 25, 2023. ADN.

Saturday, February 18, 11 am, on Zoom

Join us at the Gustavus Library to learn ALL ABOUT SEED SAVING from a Southeast EXPERT! Leah Wagner of Foundroot has so much to share and teach us! This workshop will be 60-90 minutes with time for questions and discussion. The link to her bio is below. 

We will also be sharing MORE about our own Gustavus Seed Library and how you can get seeds for this year's garden! 

Questions? Contact aerfling@gmail.com.

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82547526817?pwd=a1ozc2U3clJ5K0tGQ3ozZnhNeGd6QT09

Meeting ID: 825 4752 6817
Passcode: 920214

The sound of dozens of small shoes tapping the ground in rhythm to Tlingit songs filled the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s clan house as young students from the Tlingit Culture Language and Literacy program at Harborview Elementary School performed a Chilkat dancing-of-the-robes ceremony that has been over two years in the making.

The ceremony, which brought more than 50 people in person and hundreds more online to witness the event in Juneau Wednesday afternoon, marked the culmination of an over two-year-long apprenticeship and a two-week-long Chilkat weaving intensive workshop that occurred throughout January. It all started with multiple-medium Juneau-based artist Lily Wooshkindein Da.áat Hope, who started offering lessons virtually during the pandemic to expand the knowledge of the craft which reached dozens of student weavers from across Southeast Alaska — and across the country.

Clarise Larson, February 1, 2023. Juneau Empire.