Supervision
Workshop Set
Sitka Community Hospital and UAS-Sitka Campus will host a workshop led by Foraker’s Director of Human Resources Rebecca Savidis titled ‘‘Leadership and Management: Fundamentals Every Supervisor Should Know.’’
It will be held 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27, and again on Thursday, Jan. 28. Both will be at UAS Room 106.
For more information or to register contact Kate Obrien at (907) 743-1200.
Island Institute
Event on Jan. 21
The Island Institute will host a potluck dinner and live music 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at 304 Baranof Street.
Attendees can learn about the Tidelines Ferry Tour, work on climate change, and offer climate change perspective. Take a dish to share. For questions, contact Annika at 747-3794 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
School Board Meets
The Sitka School Board will hold a special meeting to approve the superintendent contract 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, at the District Office Board Room.
The board will meet in executive session to discuss the contract. The public is encouraged to attend.
The Sitka History Museum Acquires Works by Local Artists
The Sitka History Museum has acquired five works from Sitka artists for its permanent collections.
The art entered the museum collections through an acquisition made possible with support from the Museums Alaska Art Acquisition Fund, sponsored by Alaska’s Rasmuson Foundation. The fund, first launched in 2003, provides grants to qualified Alaska cultural centers and museums for the collection of contemporary work by living, resident Alaska artists.
“When applying for the Art Acquisition Funds, we intentionally selected each work of art for its ability to enhance our permanent collection and exhibits, and for its capacity to tell a story unique to Sitka and Southeast Alaska,” said the Sitka History Museum’s Curator of Collections and Exhibits Kristy Griffin. “We are delighted at the opportunity to display these significant works for the education and enjoyment of the public and are thrilled to support local artists.”
The $23,400 grant supported the Sitka History Museum’s purchase of five new works of art by Mark Bartlett, Norman Campbell, Nicholas Galanin, Tommy Joseph and Teri Rofkar.
Bartlett’s painting ‘‘U.S.S. Jamestown’’ was created specifically for exposition in the Sitka History Museum’s exhibit ‘‘The Past Inspiring the Present.’’ The U.S.S. Jamestown was present in Sitka in 1867 during the transfer of Alaska from Russia to America, and later returned to Sitka in 1879. The exhibit marked the beginning of the museum’s commitment to offer new, dynamic, and varied perspectives of Sitka’s history, as reimagined through the eyes of contemporary artists, the museum said.
The drawing ‘‘The Watchman,’’ by Campbell, was also created for the museum’s recent exhibit. A 1933 photo taken by Sitka’s own Photo Shop Studio that captured the grandeur and mystery of a precariously balanced stalwart rock motivated Campbell to venture outside of his invented landscape style to capture the almost unbelievable boldness of the natural Southeast Alaskan scene.
Galanin’s photographic print, ‘‘Ism 1,’’ is a visual juxtaposition of two different belief systems. Beginning with the idea of the “heavy and real” influence of cultural assimilation on Native Alaskans by missionaries, Galanin uses photography to graphically marry a Tlingit shaman mask with Christian iconography in order to explore the long-lasting issues resulting from their interactions.
Joseph’s ‘‘Blue Man Helmet’’ takes its inspiration from Tlingit warrior helmets worn for protection in battle. Tommy Joseph/Naal xák’w, a Tlingit master carver, is informed by the traditional art of the Tlingit and utilizes traditional tools and methods. However, Joseph said, he works in the present, using Tlingit iconography to carve new stories about the people around him.
‘‘Cloak of the Aurora Waist Robe’’ is a complimentary piece to Rofkar’s upcoming Cloak of the Aurora Robe, the second in her Tlingit Superman series. Rofkar/Chaas’ koowu tlaa is a renowned Tlingit artist, internationally recognized for her Raven’s Tail weaving, a nearly lost art form. The latest project unites traditional designs and contemporary materials in an effort to keep Tlingit weaving relevant for future generations.
The Sitka History Museum endeavors to educate the public about the multifaceted nature of interpretations of Sitka’s past by combining art and artifacts in its new museum.
“The Sitka History Museum plans to display original works by local artists,’’ said Executive Director Hal Spackman, ‘‘Artistic representations of Sitka’s heritage promise to enrich museum visitors’ experiences.”
The works will be on view in the new Sitka History Museum, opening in spring of 2017.
Kaagwaantaan to Meet
Sitka Kaagwaantaan will meet 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17, in room 114 at Blatchely Middle School to plan for Celebration 2016 and the fall memorials. For more information, call Roby at 738-4004.
Kettleball Weights
Subject of Talk
Certified Russian kettlebell instructor Jeremiah Jeske will present a program 7-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, to learn the benefits and fundamentals of training with kettlebells.
The class is free with membership or daily entrance fee. Reserve a spot at www.hamescenter.org or 747-5080.
Sitka Kitch Seeks
Refrigerator Donations
The Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen, at First Presbyterian Church, is seeking donations of two working, clean and energy-efficient, less than 10 years old, refrigerators and a chest freezer.
They will be used by the Sitka Kitch to hold food for classes, entrepreneurs who are renting the Kitch, the church’s soup kitchen and by the Sitka Food Co-op.
The refrigerators and chest freezer will become church property, and any end-of-year tax donation will be through the church. For more information, contact Kristy Miller at the church at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 747-3356. For more information about the Sitka Kitch, go to http://www.sitkawild.org/sitka_kitch.
4-H Update
The next 4-H meeting will be 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25. For more information contact Mary at 747-7509.