ARCHIVED NEWS
JULY ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE TERRY ADKINS OFFERS TALK, PERFORMANCE
July artist-in-residence Terry Adkins is on a quest to right historical wrongs. Adkins melds sculpture, music, video, literature and ritual to preserve the legacies of his subjects, including Sojourner Truth and Ralph Ellison. Adkins' work is in the permanent collections of New York's Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others.
While in Alaska, Adkins begins a new piece about African American explorer Matthew Henson, an often overlooked colleague of Arctic explorer Robert Peary. Adkins will research Inuit language and culture and learn traditional drum making. Adkins offers two public programs at the Anchorage Museum. At 7 p.m. Thursday, July 7 he'll give a talk and at 7 p.m. Friday, July 29 he'll debut a performance art piece inspired by his experiences in Alaska.
This residency is made possible through artist advocacy organization United States Artists, which offers fellowships funded by a coalition of leading foundations including the Rasmuson Foundation.
MASTER SNOWSHOE MAKERS SHARE CRAFT
In May the museum will host a master artists' workshop to highlight a key implement of Arctic survival - the snowshoe.
Gwich'in and Koyukon makers Trimble Gilbert of Arctic Village, George Albert of Ruby, and Butch Yaska of Huslia will build traditional snowshoes of sinew, hide and birch while teaching the intricate construction process to apprentices from their communities.
They will discuss art in their Native languages, documenting rich vocabulary and traditional knowledge that surround this focal item of Athabascan culture. Smithsonian anthropologists will document the workshop to produce a multilingual publication and film.
Museum visitors are invited to observe May 3-6 as the artists bend, carve and string snowshoes in the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center. About 200 local students will meet the artists and learn about Athabascan culture. The artists will give a public presentation noon Thursday, May 5.
This is one of several major research endeavors the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center has led recently, including a Dena'ina language workshop. This program is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Alaska State Council on the Arts, and the Smithsonian Institution's Recovering Voices program.
PICK. CLICK. GIVE.
Don't miss a great way to support the Anchorage Museum when applying for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend this year.
The Pick. Click. Give. PFD Charitable Contributions Program provides a safe, secure and quick way to donate to qualified Alaska nonprofit organizations, including the Anchorage Museum. The program is available to all Alaskans who file online for a PFD.
In 2010, more than 9,500 Alaskans gave $927,075 to support their favorite local nonprofit organizations.
By making an additional gift through this program, you can support the museum's exhibits, programs, events and educational outreach. To donate, apply online at the Alaska Permanent Fund website and follow the easy instructions. You may give all or part of your dividend.
The museum appreciates whatever level of additional support is appropriate for you.
Find more information at www.pickclickgive.org or (888) 785-4438.
MAMMOTHS AND MASTODONS EXHIBIT TICKETS GO ON SALE DEC. 1
Score the ultimate stocking stuffer: Tickets to “Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age,” on view March 4 through Oct. 9, 2011. This exhibition from The Field Museum in Chicago brings the Ice Age alive through life-size models and skeletons, hands-on activities and some of the world's oldest art. Tickets are $24 adult, $21 senior/student/military, $17 ages 3 to 12 and free ages 2 and younger. Prices include museum general admission. Purchase tickets online starting Dec. 1 here.
GRASS PARKA
The Rasmuson Foundation’s most recent donation to the museum is a Yup'ik Eskimo grass parka, one of only three known in existence. It was woven by Lena Atti, a 90-year-old artist from Kwigillingok. Atti is one of the last people regularly creating grass undergarments, socks and mittens.
The Rasmuson Foundation acquired this grass parka as a gift to commemorate the Anchorage Museum’s expansion project.
There is great respect within the Yup'ik culture for the qualities found in grass, especially its tensile strength and insulating properties. Grass is still gathered by Yup'ik women throughout western Alaska. The Yupiit have used grass to create items such as baskets, dog harnesses, mitten and boot liners, and dance fans.
The grass parka is on display through Oct. 20 in the Mary Louise Rasmuson Atrium.
JEWELRY INNOVATORArline Fisch is next artist-in-residence
This fall the Anchorage Museum will host jewelry innovator Arline Fisch as an artist-in-residence. Having practiced her craft for more than 50 years, Fisch is one of the most respected jewelry makers in the field.
In the 1960s she pioneered the use of textile techniques such as knitting to make metal behave like cloth. Fisch has received numerous honors, including a gold medal from the American Craft Council and multiple Fulbright fellowships. She is professor of art emerita at San Diego State University.
While in Anchorage, Fisch will research Alaska Native art forms and consult with Alaska artists. She will give a lecture at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1 in the museum auditorium.
Fisch’s residency is made possible through artist advocacy organization United States Artists, which offers fellowships funded by a coalition of leading foundations including the Rasmuson Foundation.
COLLECTIONS COMMITTEE SEEKS MEMBERS
Two seats on the Anchorage Museum Collections Committee open in February. Ideal candidates are knowledgeable about Alaska art, history or ethnology. Committee duties include reviewing possible acquisitions and evaluating museum collection policies. Committee members serve a three-year term. To apply, submit a resume and letter of interest by Dec. 17. AMA board members will select new committee members. For more information about the committee, call Chief Curator Marilyn Knapp at (907) 929-9237.
2010: AN ART ODYSSEY
Anchorage Museum Gala 2010
5:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 10
Plan on an out-of-this-world evening at the Anchorage Museum's 2010 gala April 10 at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center. The theme 2010: An Art Odyssey is a nod to the current ?Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination? exhibition, and the May opening of the Imaginarium Discovery Center and Thomas Planetarium. Gala guests will enjoy sumptuous food, fine wine and an auction of art created specifically for the gala by some of the state's best artists. Gala tickets cost $150. Gala raffle tickets are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (907) 929-9226.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
2010 Summer Art Potpourri and Crafts Weekend
The museum promotes and supports Alaska artists by sponsoring two juried showcases for artists to sell art. Summer Art Potpourri occurs daily in summer. Crafts Weekend happens during the three-day Thanksgiving weekend. Both events will be juried simultaneously; artists can submit slides or digital images for one or both events. Deadline for entries is March 26. Selections will be made by April 16. The prospectus will be available in late January 2010 at www.anchoragemuseum.org. For more information, call Adam Baldwin at 929-9254 or e-mail abaldwin@anchoragemuseum.org.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
The Anchorage Museum's admission and membership rates will modestly increase in January 2010. In the upcoming year, the museum will open the new Imaginarium Discovery Center, Thomas Planetarium and Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center. The new prices reflect an expanded Anchorage Museum that includes, essentially, three museums in one.
Now is the time to lock in current membership rates for one more year. To renew your membership today, please contact the membership department at 929-9228 or membership@anchoragemuseum.org.
New rates for basic memberships, effective Jan. 1, 2010:
$60 Individual Adult
This option is for one adult only; it does not include general admission for children. When the Imaginarium Discovery Center opens May 2010, museum general admission for children will be $7.
$40 for Senior/Military/Student Individual/Individual Associate
An Individual Associate membership is for individual members who live more than 200 miles away from the museum. As with the Individual Adult membership, this option does not include general admission for children.
$90 Family
A Family membership includes general admission for adults and children in the same household. If a family of four visits the museum just three times a year, the membership has paid for itself.
$60 Senior Family/Military Family/ Family Associate
A Family membership includes general admission for adults and children in the same household. A Family Associate membership is for families who live more than 200 miles away from the museum.
New rates for general admission, effective Jan. 1, 2010:
Member: Free
Adult: $10
Senior/Student/Military: $8
Ages 3 to 12: $7 (effective May 2010)
Ages 2 and younger: Free
ART STRIKES A CHORD WITH COMPOSER
The Anchorage Museum's permanent collection inspired a new musical work commissioned by the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra's commissioning club, Musica Nova. The symphony premieres Exposition on the Anchorage Museum as part of its Pride of Alaska concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16 in Atwood Concert Hall.
Commissioning seven works in as many years, Musica Nova is a group of donors committed to advancing the symphonic art form. ?For our newest commission I thought of our wonderful and newly expanded museum here in Anchorage and decided we'd commission our own piece celebrating our Anchorage Museum,? said ASO Music Director Randall Craig Fleischer.
When film and television composer Gregory Prechel was first engaged to write the work, his objective was to choose a few pieces of art and then write a movement on each, much like Modest Mussorgsky's famed Pictures at an Exhibition. Upon touring the museum with Collections Department Director Walter Van Horn, Prechel quickly found his task impossible. ?It became clear to me that I wouldn't be able to represent the Anchorage Museum with just a few pieces (of art),? he said.
Instead, he created a four-movement musical montage based on many works in the permanent collection. The first movement is a fanfare inspired by depictions of Mt. McKinley, including paintings by Sydney Laurence.
The second movement is based on wildlife art, including work by Fred Machetanz and Eustace Ziegler. The movement culminates in a musical theme based on the colored pencil drawing Cannery Life by Carolyn Reed. Artwork depicting Alaska Native culture dominates the third movement, while landscapes are the subject of the finale. In concert, video projections of the art will accompany the music it inspired. Learn more about Exposition on the Anchorage Museum at the symphony's Web site www.anchoragesymphony.org.
Discount for museum members
The Anchorage Symphony Orchestra offers museum members 10 percent off adult tickets to its Jan. 16 concert. To obtain this discount, present your museum membership card when you place your order at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts box office. For more information, call CenterTix at 263-2787
WISHES GRANTED
The Anchorage Museum received a $147,736 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, to develop an exhibition and catalog on Dena'ina culture and history. The exhibition is scheduled to open summer 2011.
About 60 percent of Alaska's population lives within traditional Dena'ina territory, yet there is little public awareness of Dena'ina people and their history. This exhibition of more than 200 objects will bring to Alaska many early Dena'ina artifacts and help fill that knowledge gap. Many of these ancestral objects now reside in European museums, far away from their culture of origin and those who would benefit most from their legacy.
The museum is working with a Dena'ina advisory committee and partnering with the Alaska Native Heritage Center on this exhibition, believed to be the first on Dena'ina history and culture.
The Alaska Community Foundation awarded $50,000 to the Anchorage Museum to process and scan 25 percent of the 140,000 negatives in the Steve McCutcheon photograph collection. This grant was made available through the foundation's Anchorage Statehood Celebration Fund.
This photograph collection is of extraordinary historical value, said Chief Curator Marilyn Knapp. These photographs, housed in the museum's Bob and Evangeline Atwood Alaska Resource Center, document Alaska life in the mid-20th century: The move toward statehood, changing indigenous lifestyles, and the growing, post-World War II military population. He also chronicled life in rural communities and construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
By helping the museum digitize the McCutcheon collection, the Alaska Community Foundation has ensured new chapters of Alaska history will be accessible for generations to come.
OTHER ARCHIVED NEWS
ALASKA'S MEMORY
KTUU feature on the Atwood Resource Center
Crafts Weekend:
Alaska's Finest Juried Crafts Show Thanksgiving Weekend
Food Review
Anchorage Daily News gives Muse four stars
Earth, Fire And Fibre XXVII
List of accepted entries here.
We?re Expanding
Learn how the museum is growing
Relics Returned To Life
Native artifacts come home
Shoulda Been There...
Slide shows of recent Museum events
Anchorage Daily News previews expansion
Student show celebrates King's legacy
Anchorage Daily News
Profile on artist-in-residence Zoe Strauss
Anchorage Daily News
Lecturer makes WWII discovery about Black soldiers
Anchorage Daily News
Annual ASD student show "energetic"
Anchorage Daily News
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