Events to be held during Celebration 2020

Oct. 4, 2019

(JAS Application) (Fashion Show Application)

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) is accepting applications its Juried Art Show and Competition (JAS) and Indigenous Fashion Show, which will be held during Celebration 2020, scheduled June 10-13.

The events are held to challenge artists and designers to produce work at a caliber equal to the old masterpieces made by their ancestors and to encourage development of new art forms, said SHI President Rosita Worl.

“Many of the artists and designers who make it into the shows have spent years honing their skills, and we are honored to exhibit true Indigenous art and fashion,” Worl said. “The juried art show and fashion show have grown into some of our most exciting events at Celebration.”

The juried art show is open to Alaska Native and Native American artists who practice Northwest Coast arts. Artists will compete in five divisions:

1. Carving and sculpture
   1. Categories:
      1. Wood (masks, rattles, hooks, etc.);
      2. Metal (jewelry, cast metals, etc.); and,
      3. Other (sculptural creations in other media, such as glass and ceramics)
2. Two-dimensional and relief carving
   1. Categories:
      1. Painting and drawing (on paper, canvas, drums, paddles, chests, etc.);
      2. Relief-carving (painted or unpainted on paddles, chests, etc.)
3. Sewing
   1. Categories:
      1. Skin and fur
      2. Beadwork
      3. Button blankets, vests, etc.
4. Weaving
   1. Categories:
      1. Chilkat
      2. Ravenstail
      3. Basketry
5. Endangered art
   1. Categories
      1. Spruce-root weaving
      2. Horn spoons

Artists who win best of category will compete for best of division, and the division winners compete for best of show. SHI also will award a best of formline prize among all pieces submitted. The exhibit will run from April 15-October 15, 2020, and an award ceremony will take place on June 10, the first day of Celebration. The application deadline is Jan. 8.

The Indigenous Fashion Show is open to Indigenous artists and designers who are Alaska Native, First Nation or Native American. Preference is given to high-fashion and haute couture clothing that displays innovative use of traditional Indigenous styles and materials. The application deadline is March 27.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts social scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.

CONTACT: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com.
 

Captions: Top: “Raven’s Portal by Robert Mills, Best of Formline and Best of Painting Category, 2018 SHI Juried Art Show and Competition. Bottom: Design by Reg Davidson and Dahlia Drive, 2018 SHI Native Fashion Show. Photos by Brian Wallace, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage. For high res versions, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com.