The Sheldon Jackson Museum and Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum are pleased to announce the late August/ September Sheldon Jackson Museum artist-in-residence has been selected! After the current artist-in-residence Neva Mathias (Cup’ik) finishes her residency in mid-August, the museum will welcome Stacey Williams (Tlingit).
Stacey Williams is a Tlingit native born into the raven side of the Tleeiweidi under the Dogsalmon clan. She was raised in Ketchikan, AK where she continues to practice her arts and teaching. As a student under Holly Churchill, Dorica Jackson, Diane Douglas-Willard, and many other talented weavers, she has worked hard to study multiple disciplines of weaving including cedar bark, spruce root and textiles. As an instructor, she instills hope in each of her students that the arts will go on. She inspires many to delve deeper into her love that is Northwest coast weaving. As an educator, she works to maintain the delicate balance of traditional knowledge and contemporary growth of the culture. Her baskets and pieces can be seen on display in the Ketchikan Museums collection as well as Crazy Wolf studios and in private collections.
Williams will begin her residency August 24th and will be working at the museum most days between Tuesday and Saturday from 10am until 4pm and give an artist talk entitled Teach, Learn Repeat on Sat. Sept. 11th at 3pm. The talk will be on zoom and have limited seating available for in-person attendees. For information on her schedule or the talk, please call the museum at (907) 747-8981.
While in residence, Williams will teach a cedar bark weaving class from 2-4pm on August 27th, 28th, 31st, and Sept. 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. In this workshop, students will work to identify the differences between red and yellow cedar bark and how to use them. While utilizing the fundamentals of weaving unique projects will be created and will vary, but will include basic twining, advanced twining and plaiting. Throughout the course we will identify survival techniques used by the native tribes of this area while practicing with rope, wristbands and coasters. The end result will be a small unique masterpiece, mostly likely a 3-5 inch sized cedar bark basket like the one shown above, and a renewed appreciation for the art of basketry. The workshop is free, but students must make out a check for $25 to Stacey Williams to cover material costs and register by calling (907) 747-8981 or stopping by the museum to sign up.
The Sheldon Jackson Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday between 10am and 4pm. Admission fees for adults is $9, $8 for ages 65+, and free for youth 18 and under or for Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum or Alaska State Museum members. The Sheldon Jackson Museum is compliant with State mandates pertaining to Alaska State Libraries, Archives and Museums. For more information on COVID-19 health mandates and advisories, please visit https://covid19.alaska.gov/health-mandates/
