The 37th year of the renowned Alaska Native Artist in Residence Program at the SJ Museum welcomes five new artists:
Liz Morrow, Unangax painter and print maker (June 17 – July 3)
Shirley Hootch, Yup’ik carver and jewelry maker (July 16 – Aug 4)
Sydney Akagi, Lingít Chilkat Weaver (Aug 18 – Aug 31)
Danielle Larsen, Koyukon Athabascan, Unangax, & Inupiaq beader (Sept 2 – Sept 20)
Lillian Jackson, Tlingit & Athabascan beader (Sept 23 – Oct 14)
Between June and the end of October, the Sheldon Jackson Museum Alaska Native artists-in-residence will work in the museum gallery, provide free hands-on classes teaching their art forms, give lectures, and provide the museum with material culture consultations on artifacts. Artists-in-residence will connect the public to their culture(s) through creation of art in an open studio-like format. Visitors will have opportunities to engage with artists and learn about Alaska Native traditions, art forms, artists’ techniques, and sources of inspiration.
In addition to creating art at the museum and studying the permanent collection, resident artists will also hold lectures and hands-on-classes. The talks and classes will likely be held in-person but may also be on Zoom. Details on talks and classes will be announced soon. Contact the museum for information about each class.
The Sheldon Jackson Museum and Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum are pleased to announce the selection of the Alaska Native artists for this year’s Alaska Native Artist Residency Program. Selected from a pool of applicants, these artists will come to the museum from all over the state to share their art forms and culture over the course of five months.
Workshops are free, but some require that you order materials online in advance. Some classes have age restrictions. For more details or materials lists, call (907) 747-8981. Upcoming activities:
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- a public class on relief printing with Liz Morrow (Unangax̂)
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- artist talks by Liz Morrow on June 20 & 27 and July 3
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- a two-part maskette earring making class with Shirley Hootch (Yup’ik) on July 18 & 25
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- an artist talk by Shirley Hootch on August 1
- programs by Sydney Akagi
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- a painting still life class with Danielle Larsen (Koyukon Athabascan, Unangax̂, & Inupiaq) on September 11
- Lillian Jackson artist talk on October 9th
Artists-in-residence receive an artist stipend for their work, lodging, and travel to and from Sitka, and will have a variety of opportunities to study the museum’s permanent collection and educate staff through “cultural consultations.” As part of their residency, artists have scheduled time to study artifacts on exhibit and in collections storage. Through the study of artifacts at the museum, artists have an invaluable opportunity to examine material culture created by their ancestors. The benefits of this study time extend to the museum staff who gain priceless insight into artifacts as the artists share their knowledge and observations. The indispensable 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.
The Alaska Native Artist Residency Program is underwritten by the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum and is made possible with support from the Friends, Alaska Airlines, Sitka Fine Arts Camp, and private donors. To find out how to support the residency program or for future calendars of events, visit ww.friendsofsjm.com.
Note: This blog post was edited on 5/23/2025 to reflect a change with the artist for the 5th residency position. Anna Brown Ehlers was no longer able to participate and this position was filled by Lillian Jackson.
Note: This blog post was edited on 6/10/2025 to reflect a change with the 3rd residency position. Amber Webb is no longer able to participate and this position was filled by Sydney Akagi.