Woman’s Club
Meets Via Zoom
Sitka Woman’s Club will hold its annual holiday party via Zoom at noon on Saturday, Jan. 23.
All are invited to join via Zoom Meeting ID: 770 3666 5625 and Passcode: friendly.
Call Robin at 752-8575 if you need help with using the ZOOM online meeting program.
Imagination Library
Celebration Slated
Dolly Parton’s Birthday Party, for families with children 0-5, is slated 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at the Sitka Elks Lodge parking lot.
The grab-and-go event will include cupcakes and a book giveaway.
The event is sponsored by the Sitka Elks Lodge, Sitka Emblem Club, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the Sitka Imagination Library.
‘Child Find’ Sets
Preschool Screening
Sitka Borough School District provides Child Find Preschool Screenings for children ages 3-5 at the Baranof Elementary School on Monday, Feb. 1. An appointment is required. For more information, or to schedule one, parents should call 966-1316.
The Child Find program is provided without charge to families who live within school district boundaries.
The program identifies children who are having difficulty in their development, and provides special education services to them, when it is appropriate.
Parents may have concerns about their child’s development in the areas of hearing, vision, speech/language skills, motor skills, thinking skills, or emotional or social skills.
A screening is a series of short tests and professional observations in various developmental areas. The screening is not enough to determine that a child is delayed, only signals whether further investigation into a child’s developmental progress is necessary, the school district said.
Screenings will be held at least once per quarter, and those dates will be publicized. Additional appointments at other times or locations may be scheduled as needed.
Little Free Library
Grand Opening Set
A Little Free Library will open 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, at the Sawmill Creek apartment complex on Burkhart Street near the playground.
To celebrate the opening, a book bingo competition is planned and cupcakes will be available. Bingo forms will be at the library and once completed can be dropped back off to be entered to win a $25 gift card.
All are invited to stop by to visit, take a book, or leave a book.
Parents, Caregivers
Support Offered
Parents and caregivers are invited to a Zoom meeting 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan, 28, to talk with other parents in a calm, supported parent-led Zoom meeting.
RSVP at www.tinyurl.com/AKzoomroom to guarantee a spot. Additional Zoom gatherings are planned. Call Kari at 752-7323 with questions.
Artist Talk Set
Via Teleconference
The second in a series of Island Artists Gallery artist talks is being presented 5 p.m. Feb. 4 via Zoom.
Contact islandpainter@hotmail.com for a Zoom invitation and/or more information.
Frances Brann, adventurer and artist, will discuss “Creating Unity and Excitement with Color.”
Brann will begin with a quick history of her art background and move into an explanation about the difference between color and value, color mixing and the color wheel. She will finish with watercolor-specific information on pigments and pigment qualities.
People can work along with the discussion and will need to have white paper, a brush and water, and a minimum of three colors – a red, a yellow and a blue. The medium can be anything that will blend watercolor, acrylic, gouache, watercolor pencils, or pastels.
A copy of a color wheel would be helpful and printable versions are at www.islandartistsgallery.com under Zoom workshops in the stories section. A biography of Brann and a few watercolors are available, as is a link to Norm Campbell’s recent talk.
Babies, Books Sets
Story Art Program
Sitka Babies and Books will offer a new curbside program made possible through a grant from Sitka Legacy Foundation, an affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation.
Call Sitka Public Library at 747-4020 to register a child for the February program and reserve a book and bag with art supplies.
The art bag can be picked up between 11 a.m. and noon on Feb. 13 at Sitka Public Library.
Story art has been designed for children ages 1 to 4 to spark imagination, creativity, and lifelong connections with books. The bag will include a free book and supplies to work on a project focused on the book on the book’s theme.
For information contact Maite at 747-4022.
Alaska Native Artist Residency Program Applications Available
The Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum is seeking Alaska Native artists to apply to the 2021 Native Artist Residency program, which runs May through September.
The museum is offering a higher financial award, food stipend, travel to and from Sitka, and paid time accessing and studying the museum’s exceptional Alaska Native ethnographic and art collection.
Five residency positions, lasting 17 or 19 days, are available. They will occur: May 14-June 1; June 4-June 20; July 10-26; July 27-Aug. 12; and Aug. 21-Sept. 6.
Residencies involve creating art at the museum in an open studio-like format and include artist stipends of $1,800-$2,200, a food per diem of $680, lodging, and travel to and from Sitka.
Artists may focus on traditional or contemporary Native art forms including but not limited to wood carving, ivory carving, silver engraving, beading, skin, gut and fish skin sewing, drum making, and basket or textile weaving, drumming, and dancing. Artists can benefit from utilizing the museum’s collections for research and meeting visitors from around Alaska and the world and local Sitka community members while working in the museum gallery.
Individuals who wish to obtain an information packet on the Alaska Native Artist Residency Program outlining pay and benefits, position expectations, the residency schedule, and other details may call the museum at 747-8981 and request a packet be emailed or mailed. The packet is also available at www.friendsofsjm.com and http://museums.alaska.gov/artist_opportunities.html. Email Jacqueline.Fernandez-Hamberg@alaska.gov or call 747-8904 with questions. Applications are due Feb. 11.
Sitka CLT
Meets Jan. 30
The Sitka Community Land Trust will hold its annual meeting 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, on a Zoom call.
The public is invited. The SCLT is a non-profit organization that relies on community support and participation. For information about joining the virtual meeting, contact Mim McConnell at 738-2888.
On Dean’s List
Sydnee Kimber was named to the fall semester dean’s list at McKendree University, Lebanon, Illinois, for earning a grade point average of 3.60 or higher.
Kimber, a 2018 Mt. Edgecumbe High School graduate, is the daughter of Mike and Charlotte Kimber of Sitka.
Work Being Done
At Goddard Springs
The Sitka Conservation Society’s Community Corps will be working at Goddard Hot Springs Jan. 21-24.
Crew members will remove hazard trees and clean up tree trunks and branches. Chainsaws will be in operation near the bathhouses and work may be noisy, the organization said.
‘‘Please plan any visits to the hot springs accordingly and understand that the work will improve the hot springs,’’ organizers said.
The work is part of the CARES Act transitional employment program with the City of Sitka and is also supported by members of the Sitka Conservation Society.
‘‘The Goddard Hot Springs are a tremendous community asset and it is our honor to help take care of the site together with the community,’’ organizers said.
Contact Andrew Thoms with any questions, andrew@sitkawild.org.
