As residents, Alaska Native artists create artwork – traditional and nontraditional – demonstrate their techniques, and discuss their artistic process with visitors at the museum. Artists offer workshop, give artist talks, or lead another outreach or community engagement activity to creatively connect with the locals and visitors from near and far.
Artists often find inspiration in the museum collection on exhibit in the gallery and in collection storage. While here, some artists augment the knowledge and understanding of museum staff by more closely examining, researching, and discussing the collection.
There will be five artists in residence for the 2025 Alaska Native Artist Residency Program
- June 16 – July 6
- July 16 – Aug 4
- Aug 11 – Aug 31
- Sept 3 – Sept 22
- Sept 23 – Oct 14
While in residence, artists create art in an open studio-like format in the museum gallery and engage with the community through:
- Cultural Consultations
- Artist Talks
- Teaching an art form or art forms
Online Archive of Artist Talks
Please visit the Friends of SJM YouTube channel youtube.com/@friendsofSJM to view past programs. There are playlists organized by year. Past Share Your Culture Share Your Research speaker series events are also part of the online archive.
History of the Alaska Native Artist Residency Program
In 1988, Janice Criswell, a Tlingit basket weaver, volunteered her time to share her culture with Sheldon Jackson Museum’s summer visitors and the Native Artist Residency Program was born.
Native Alaskan from all over the state have participated in the program representing the Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Unangan, Alutiiq, Yup’ik, Inupiat and Athabascan cultures.
The museum has previously partnered with the Sitka Sound Science Center and the Sitka Fine Arts Camp to co-host artists to teach classes to youth and adults.
The thirty-seven-year-old residency program has grown and expanded since its inception, largely due to financial and in-kind support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Alaska Airlines, Alaska Arts Southeast Inc., the Friends of SJM, other local arts organizations, volunteers, and the general public.
Artists-in-residence are selected on a competitive basis in the spring. For an application or answers to questions about the program, contact the Sheldon Jackson Museum Curator by calling 907-747-8981 or emailing Jacqueline.Fernandez-Hamberg@alaska.gov.
The Alaska Native Artist Residency Program is underwritten by the Friends of SJM and is made possible with support from the Friends, the National Endowment for the Arts, and private donors. Individuals interested in donating to the residency program or sponsoring housing for the program should contact the Friends by calling 907-747-6233 or emailing friendsofsjm@gmail.com.