SITKA – The Sheldon Jackson Museum is pleased to offer a two-part fish skin and porcupine quill earring making class with artist-in-residence June Pardue (Alutiiq/Sugpiaq). The class will take place in two parts and was rescheduled from the original dates earlier in the month. The first class will now occur on Tuesday, August 5th  from 2-3:30pm and Friday, August 7th from 2-3:30pm.  The class is currently full, but people will be able to view the classes online on the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum YouTube Channel. Follow the channel here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCinXJvmJaIy0muoYPxjWygQ/   to stay up to date on all the Alaska Native Artist Residency Program events including short tutorials, full-length classes, interviews, and more.

June Pardue grew up in Old Harbor, Kodiak. As a child, she spent time with her mother and their neighbor, Fedosia Inga, weaving grass into baskets and other types of containers in the traditional Alutiiq/Sugpiaq styles. Over time June Pardue became one of the most highly regarded traditional Sugpiaq weavers and began to work in other traditional mediums including gut and fish skin. Her artwork can be found in the collections of the Sheldon Jackson Museum, the Baranof and Alutiiq museums in Kodiak, and in numerous private collections. She is dedicated to teaching her art form, cultural values, and in particular, respect for elders, through her craft. She has been an artist demonstrator at Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage and an artist-in-residence at the Sheldon Jackson Museum and has given numerous workshops online and in person on sewing and tanning fish skin, gut, and pinguat (traditional Alutiiq beaded headdress) making.

Pardue will be in residence at the Sheldon Jackson Museum from July 24th until August 8th and working most days between Wednesday and Saturday, 12pm-4pm, working on her fish skin, gut skin, and beading. On Sat., Aug. 8th at 3pm, June will give her last presentation of her residency – an Artist Recap Talk. During this Zoom event, she will share what she has created while in residence at the Sheldon Jackson Museum.

Zoom links for the Alaska Native Artist Residency Program talks and most classes will be posted online in Alaska State Museum press releases at https://museums.alaska.gov/, the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum Facebook page and website: http://www.friendsofsjm.com/ . If there is a limit to the number of students permitted to attend an artist-in-residence class, the link will be shared only with people who have pre-registered for the class. Videos of recorded Alaska Native Artist Residency Program talks and most Alaska Native Artist Residency classes will be posted to the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum Facebook page, website, and Youtube Channel soon after they have been filmed.

The Sheldon Jackson Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday between 12pm and 4pm. Admission fees for adults is $5, $4 for ages 65+, and free for youth 18 and under or for Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum or Alaska State Museum members. The public should continue to pay by credit card. 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/ .

People with questions about the Alaska Native Artist Residency Program, artist-led Zoom classes and talks, art class materials