Native Artist Residency
Program at SJ Museum
Sheldon Jackson Museum has announced the participants for its Alaska Native Artist Residency Program this summer.
Selected from a pool of applicants statewide, artists will share their art forms and culture over the course of five months.
Between June and the end of October, the artists-in-residence will work in the museum gallery, give free hands-on classes teaching their art forms, give lectures, and provide the museum with material culture consultations on artifacts.
Artists will connect the public to their cultures through creation of art in an open studio-like format. Visitors can engage with artists and learn about Alaska Native traditions, art forms, artists’ techniques, and sources of inspiration.
Artists receive a stipend for their work, lodging, and travel to and from Sitka, and will have opportunities to study the museum’s permanent collection and educate staff through “cultural consultations.”
They have scheduled time to study artifacts on exhibit and in collections storage. Through the study of artifacts at the museum, artists have an opportunity to examine material culture created by their ancestors.
Museum staff members gain insight into artifacts as the artists share their knowledge and observations.
Information captured in these cultural consultations is recorded in museum records, adding to the knowledge of present-day staff and members of the public and to future generations of museum goers, researchers, artists, and Sheldon Jackson Museum staff.
Artists participating this year are:
–Lisa Lynch, Inupiaq painter and beader (June 11-July 2);
– Neva Mathias, Cup’ik grass weaver and dance fan maker (July 23-Aug. 11);
– Jim Hart, Tlingit carver (Aug. 20-Sept. 8);
– Tina Harness, Yup’ik beader (Sept. 12-Oct. 2);
– Denali McGlashan, Unangax (Oct. 3-Oct. 24.)
In addition to creating art at the museum and studying the permanent collection, resident artists will hold lectures and hands-on classes. The talks and classes likely will be held in-person but may also be on Zoom. Details on talks and classes will be announced. Contact the museum for information about each class.
The Alaska Native Artist Residency Program is underwritten by the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum and is made possible with support from the Friends, the National Endowment for the Arts, Alaska Airlines, the Baranov Lodge, and private donors.
To find out how to support the residency program or for future calendars of events, visit ww.friendsofsjm.com.
Herring Cove
Trail Closure On
City public works crew will be making repairs to the first bridge on the Herring Cove Trail today through Friday, May 17. The trail will remain closed during this timeframe.
The first bridge had a structural failure, resulting in a bridge collapse and is inaccessible for crossing, the city said. Until repairs are completed, Beaver Lake Trail Loop can be accessed via Blue Lake Road.
Hikers are to avoid the area and follow all signage. Call 907 747-1804 with questions.
Seward Avenue
Power Outage Set
The city electric department will conduct electrical upgrades in the Seward Avenue area on Japonski Island on Thursday, May 16. An electrical outage is anticipated from 5 to 8 p.m. It will affect customers beyond 212 Seward Avenue on the Northwest end of the SEARHC Campus.
City crews recommend residents have surge protection and battery backup power systems in place and operable. Call 907 747-4000 with questions.
