Claire Fejes, (1920-1998)
Woman Washing Dishes, Beaver, Alaska, 1981
Oil on canvas
Collection of the Anchorage Museum, 1981.83.1

Claire Fejes traveled throughout rural Alaska, painting scenes of daily life in Indigenous communities. Frequently, she depicted women at work, fishing, butchering, cleaning, and caring for children. By elevating scenes of work, particularly “women’s work,” Fejes communicated the intrinsic value of labor that is often overlooked.