Painting at the End of the Ice Age is currently on exhibit at the Alaska State Museum.
When David Rosenthal started painting almost 50 years ago, he did not intend to capture a decades-long process of glacial retreat. But his current exhibit, Painting at the End of the Ice Age, underscores how anthropogenic climate change has impacted the iciest parts of the planet. By combining his love of art with his scientific knowledge, Rosenthal hopes the exhibit will expose a wide group of audiences to the impacts of global warming.
Below, Rosenthal discusses what inspired him to become an artist and his motivations for the exhibit.
Olivia Black, February 1, 2024. Glacier Hub (Columbia Climate News).
AILA, an affiliate of the American Library Association, gives biennial awards to identify and honor “the best writings and illustrations for youth, by and about Native American and Indigenous peoples of North America.”
The book, which was illustrated by Tlingit artist Jaax̱snée Kelsey Mata Foote and authored by Tlingit writer and artist Lily Lalanya Hope, was published through Baby Raven Reads, a Sealaska Heritage program for Alaska Native families with children up to age 5 that promotes language development and school readiness.
The Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak in collaboration with the Alutiiq Museum have released a textbook to help revitalize an endangered Alaska Native language.
The Alutiiq language also known as Sugpiaq is broken up into two main dialects, the Koniag Alutiiq spoken in Kodiak as well as the upper Alaska Peninsula, and the Chugach Alutiiq, which is spoken on the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound.
Friends of the Sitka Public Library, Jeff Budd and Kari Sagel, spell out the terms of this month’s Adult Spelling Bee. Individual competitors must be at least 18 years of age, teams of two are allowed, one underage competitor can compete with one or two 18-and-over teammates (e.g. a family team). Prizes include a $100 gift certificate for the winner, and then four other $25 prizes for Best Team Name, Worst Spelling, Best Team Costume, and Biggest Laugh. Entry fee is $20. The event is a fundraiser for the Sitka Public Library. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, February 15, Harrigan Centennial Hall.
The Kodiak History Museum's new public photo database is up and running.
The database, which currently contains about 3,000 objects, archives and books, is a work in progress, with continuous updating, which will help researchers and the curious access all the museum's holdings online.
"This is very exciting, people can see all the objects that are not currently on exhibit. This will help potential researchers identify what they want to explore and increase transparency of what the museum preserves and collects for the general public," wrote museum Chief Curator Margaret Greutert in a press release.
Steve Williams, February 2, 2024. Kodiak Daily Mirror.
A public agency has tapped Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) to produce the state’s first-ever Alaska Native language reading standards, and the institute is inviting language educators and speakers, community members and allies to a virtual meeting in February.
Through the project, SHI will work with people across the state to develop the standards on behalf of the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development for adoption by the Alaska State Board of Education.
Public input and participation will be a critical component of the project, said SHI Education Director Kristy Ford. SHI will also work in partnership with Teaching Indigenous Design for Every Student (TIDES), an Alaska Native education consulting group owned by Shgen George and Nancy Douglas, who are long-time educators and developers of Native language curriculum.
Jane Hirshfield joined a distinguished panel of Alaskans to consider "Ways of Knowing: Poetry, Science, and the Environment” on January 26. The recording is now available on YouTube.
The panelists were Jane Hirshfield (Poet), Stephanie Holthaus (Climate Action Advisor for The Nature Conservancy Alaska and founder of the Women on Climate Initiative of TNC North America), Nancy Lord (Former Alaska Writer Laureate, Homer), and Marie Tozier (Iñupiaq poet, Nome).
This event celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the University of Alaska Anchorage/Alaska Pacific University Consortium Library and was co-sponsored by the Alaska Quarterly Review.
Passages Alaska is a new indigenized, arts-infused Alaska Studies Curriculum that invites students to explore Alaska histories, cultures and contemporary identities, and create artistic expressions of family and community stories that acknowledge and celebrate their own lived experiences as integral parts of Alaska’s unfolding history.
Join a free Big Readcommunity presentation and discussion about this new curriculum
Last week, Mat-Su Borough Manager Mike Brown announced that the borough’s Challenged Materials Review Committee for libraries would be put on hold after its January meeting.
In his weekly post on the Mat-Su Borough website, Borough Manager Mike Brown announced that he was suspending the challenged materials review process for libraries. Brown says the decision came as a result of some of the behavior exhibited at the last meeting of the committee that oversees the challenge process.
“It somewhat devolved into a shouting contest, some outbursts, some name-calling. So we kind of took a step back and said, ‘This is not the kind of public meeting that we want to be facilitating.’”
The Ketchikan School Board on Wednesday unanimously upheld the superintendent's decision to keep a copy of the graphic novel "Flamer" at the Ketchikan High School library after citizen Deb Simon appealed the superintendent's decision.
Sam Stockbridge, January 26, 2024. Ketchikan Daily News.
Community Webs invites public libraries and cultural heritage organizations to apply to join its Community History Web Archiving program. Participants receive support for building community history web archives and digital collections, particularly collections documenting the lives of patrons and groups traditionally under-represented in the historical record.
This support includes free web archiving, digital preservation, and technical services, in addition to training, professional development, local partnership development, and the opportunity to join a growing network of community-focused memory organizations doing similar work.
Visit the link for the full version of the following tips:
Gather all necessary tax paperwork and records for accuracy to avoid missing a deduction or credit.
Remember to report all types of income on the tax return.
Filing electronically with direct deposit is the fastest way to receive a refund.
Free resources are available to help eligible taxpayers file online. Free help may also be available to qualified taxpayers.
Consider which filing option to use; each one has its own benefits.
Don’t wait on hold when calling the IRS.
Need forms or publications? Visit Forms & Instructions | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov). No internet connection? You can order forms and publications by phone from 1-800-829-3676. Libraries, post offices and some other entities may have limited forms and publications available if they are a member of the “Tax Forms Outlet Program.”
Free public talks in the next few weeks will explore Mount Edgecumbe volcano, the peaking sun cycle’s boost to aurora viewing, Alaska’s role in new satellite observations of Earth, and a program bridging Indigenous and Western fisheries science.
For over 30 years, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute has hosted the Science for Alaska talk series as one of its largest public outreach efforts. The series brings information about current research to Alaskans from scientists with expertise across the state.
Rod Boyce, January 26, 2024. UAF Geophysical Institute News.
The Seattle Art Museum will remove five Native American cultural items from public view, a spokesperson said Thursday. The museum said the items are all of Tlingit origin, a group Indigenous to what is now Southeast Alaska. They include three headdresses, a dagger and a staff.
The move comes in response to new federal legislation that requires museums, universities and government agencies to consult with tribes before exhibiting or doing research on human remains, cultural objects and sacred items.
The new rules, which took effect Jan. 12, are meant to expedite the return of remains and sacred objects as part of revisions to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which was passed in 1990. The law requires federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funds, including museums, universities, state agencies and local governments, to consult with tribal organizations about items in their collections.
Margo Vansynghel, February 2, 2024. Seattle Times.
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