As part of the Share Your Culture/Share Your Research Winter Series, Laine Rinehart (Tlingit) will give a Zoom-only presentation on Chilkat weaving and share a visual update on their robe-in-progress from the loom. To attend, visit www.zoom.com and input meeting ID: 878 6155 6757 and passcode: Rinehart.
Further description from Laine Rinehart, Tlingit (they, them, theirs):
Chilkat weaving has been practiced by many tribes along the Northwest Coast, both historically and in modern times, with many weavers contributing to the growth of this unique textile art form. Unique in its adaptation of Northwest Coast formline into a curvilinear weaving form, it is an in-depth technique which tells clan histories and stories and often is representative of clan crests.
This conversation will include a history of Chilkat Weaving, its origin, how this style of weaving has traveled, and how it continues to spread across different tribes. Additionally, the artist will share the Chilkat robe that they were weaving as an artist-in-residence at the Sheldon Jackson Museum in June of 2021. Further discussion will revolve around the preparation of mountain goat wool, from the hide to weft yarns and the spinning of warp, in order to prepare for the actual weaving of a robe. Finally, they will examine the differences between mountain goat wool and merino wool for the dye and spinning process.
As part of the Share Your Culture/Share Your Research Winter Series, biographer and journalist Marcia Biederman (non-Native) will give a Zoom-only historical talk entitled “The Courage of Agnes Young McAlpin: The Forgotten Story of a Haida Woman Who Won a Fight for Her Human Rights.” To attend, visit www.zoom.com and input meeting ID: 842 3603 1991 and passcode: Agnes.
Join us for this event as Biederman takes us back to 1906, at a time when people fought for seats in a Pennsylvania courtroom to hear a young Haida woman tell of years of mistreatment at the hands of her white husband and in-laws. Originally from Kasaan, Agnes Young was 17 when a white dentist named Kenneth McAlpin married her in Wrangell. A year later, with Agnes pregnant, the couple returned to Kenneth’s home. Horrified by the interracial marriage, his mother and sister banished Agnes to a barren attic while Kenneth got a luxuriously furnished room.
Hidden from visitors and forced to eat separately, Agnes thought of suicide. Instead, she developed a plan to free herself and her children from this intolerable situation. Using photos and excerpts from news accounts, Marcia Biederman will explain how Agnes won a highly publicized divorce trial, ensuring a future for her descendants in Alaska, and prompting a small Pennsylvania city to examine its commitment to civil rights.
Filling Empty Spaces – Attraction and Distraction is an exhibition of new works by Robert Hoffmann. Join us at Sheldon Jackson Museum for his opening reception and artist talk from 2-3 PM, and enjoy the show and light fare afterwards. Or attend the talk and view a slide show of art in the exhibition on Zoom! Go to www.zoom.com and input meeting ID: 816 5128 2902 and passcode: Robert.
Hoffmann is one of three artists selected for the Sheldon Jackson Museum 2020-2023 Solo Artist Exhibition Series, alongside artists Allie High and Peter Williams. Through his carvings and paintings, Hoffmann explores cultural values and to what ends they drive us in a search for fulfillment.
As part of the Share Your Culture/Share Your Research Winter Series, guest speaker Jan Steinbright (non-Native) will give a presentation entitled “Out of Roots, Bark, Grass, and Baleen: Alaska Native Basketry Stories.” People may attend the event in-person at the museum or on Zoom. To attend via Zoom, visit www.zoom.com and input meeting ID: 895 9116 4275 and passcode: Jan.
Steinbright shares this about her presentation:
“In my 40-some years living and working with Alaska Native artists, I have had the honor of getting to know some incredibly talented people. As an artist myself, I was particularly drawn to the practice of basketry, an art form I had been involved with since childhood. My job allowed me to gather materials and interact with Native basket makers as they went about their work. I also was privileged to organize workshops around the state and work on exhibits for museums on basketry. From these precious experiences, I have come away with many stories which I love to share.
Using a PowerPoint presentation, I will talk about the gathering and preparation of natural materials and the basket construction, and share some personal stories of these amazing people.”
Watch this space – details to follow!
As part of the Share Your Culture/Share Your Research Winter Series, artist Maryteri Kennedy (Tsimshian) will give a Zoom-only talk entitled “Cultural & Environmental Changes of Tsimshian Weaving.” To attend, visit www.zoom.com and input meeting ID: 815 1922 9955 and passcode: Metlakatla.
Kennedy will describe traditional Tsimshian weaving – the style of weaving, materials used, and how language was used to “teach” this style of weaving. She will also detail how the Metlakatla weaving style was heavily influenced by neighboring tribes and how it has changed slightly over time. The talk will highlight weaving in the 1980s and 1990s, when Lillian Buchert, Lucy Rainmen, and Brenda White were known for Tsimshian weaving. At that time, Violet Booth taught many students at Annette Island School District, though only a handful of students became weavers in their adult lives.