Golga Oscar intends to explore different forms of the Yup’ik collection ranging from headwear to footwear and capture them through the lens of photography.
Golga Oscar of Kasigluk and Tununak and Nicolette Corbett originally of Bethel are two of seven artists that have been named grantees for the Museums Alaska, the state’s museum association, first round of the new Access to Alaska Native Collections (AANC) grant with $21,000 awarded to Alaska Native artists and museums across Alaska.
This year, Museums Alaska has begun managing a new grant program for The CIRI Foundation that provides travel funding to Alaska Native artists so they can visit Alaska Native collections in museums.
One of Museums Alaska’s goals has been to provide resources to the field that help build stronger relationships between museums and Alaska Native communities. Providing this grant program to the Alaska Native artist community and museums is one way to do so.
“When The CIRI Foundation approached us about managing this new program, we were excited for the opportunity,” said Dixie Clough, director of Museums Alaska. “Museums are honored to care for and steward Alaska Native belongings, but many of these collections are far away from the communities that created them. This fund makes the collections more accessible to Alaska Native artists across the state who may not otherwise be able to visit them.”
The grant program is supported with funding from the Journey to What Matters program at The CIRI Foundation, which seeks to add Indigenous stories, perspectives and voices in exhibition and collection spaces, and provide community members better access to the material belongings that museums hold.
“Historically museums have collected, exhibited and cared for materials without much involvement from Alaska Native communities,” said Nadia Jackinsky-Sethi, program director for Journey to What Matters. “Thankfully, we are in a period where this is changing as museums become more aware of the importance of working with Indigenous community members.”
“Our hope is that this grant program will provide Alaska Native artists access to material culture that can inspire and teach new generations important information about cultural heritage, design elements, aesthetic principles, construction techniques and technologies,” Jackinsky-Sethi continued.
Through this grant program, artists will receive grants of $2,500 or $3,500 to visit museum collections this summer. The museums also receive a stipend to cover the expenses of the visit.
In total, seven artists have been awarded grants to visit six museums and cultural centers. Further information on these visits can be found below:
Nicolette Corbett has been awarded a grant to visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center to study the piluguk/kameskak collection. Photos courtesy of Museums Alaska
● Nicolette Corbett has been awarded a grant to visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center to study the piluguk/kameskak collection from the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Region. Since starting her sewing business, Sew Yup’ik, in the summer of 2015, it has taken off. In addition to creating and selling qaspeqs, bags of various sizes, and other small sewing pieces, Nikki has taken on a new role teaching qaspeq workshops across the state of Alaska. In the last year, her focus has been to work on skin sewing projects and especially those that are of the lost art, like piluguks/kameksaks (hard sole bottom shoes). She is hoping to learn the art so that she can share that knowledge with others and keep Yup’ik traditions alive. Learn more about Nikki and her work at https://sewyupik.com.
● Golga Oscar has been awarded a grant to visit the Anchorage Museum where he intends to explore different forms of the Yup’ik collection ranging from headwear to footwear and capture them through the lens of photography. A self-taught artist with a huge passion for his culture and tradition, Golga enjoys revitalizing traditional designs with careful observation. Through revitalization, he observes the material, technique, and significance behind the clothing with a goal of bringing back what was once discontinued since the impact of westernization. Golga’s goals are to pursue cultural awareness teaching and get into the fashion industry. He aims to showcase the Yup’ik cultural art and bring recognition of Yup’ik clothing and traditions to the “American” mainstream. Follow Golga on Instagram to learn more: https://www.instagram.com/quki92/?hl=en.
● X̱’unei Lance Twitchell has been awarded a grant to visit Ketchikan Museums to study with Nathan Jackson while continuing to document his life and work through video and photo. He will work closely with staff of the Totem Heritage Center and the Tongass Historical Museum to organize visits with the intention of documenting both the work and Nathan Jackson’s comments on the artwork. X̱ʼunei will also photograph the collections in the Totem Heritage Center and the Tongass Historical Museum for both individual artistic study and teaching at the University of Alaska Southeast and in workshops with the Goldbelt Heritage Foundation and Sealaska Heritage Institute. These visits will greatly increase X̱ʼunei’s ability to continue to grow as a visual artist and to produce new works in design, sculpture, fashion, regalia, and more. Learn more about X̱’unei Twitchell at https://troubledraven.com.
● Erin Ggaadimits Ivalu Gingrich (Koyukon Athabascan and Inupiaq) has been awarded a grant to visit the University of Alaska Museum of the North. Erin is a carver, an interdisciplinary artist, and is expanding her practice to include other artforms and more complex narratives. She is currently pursuing her MFA, and the visit will allow her to engage in museum collections to ground her work in that of the Indigenous artists that have come before her. Erin hopes to visit a variety of collections including historical cultural belongings, photographs, carved objects, animal representations and animal specimens that are culturally connected to her many homelands and Indigenous heritage. You can learn more about Erin and her work at https://ggaadimitsivalu.com.
● Elaine Kingeekuk has been awarded a grant to visit the Alaska State Museum for three days of collaboration with conservator Ellen Carrlee on gut conservation and care. Elaine will also spend time in collections storage, freely opening cabinets and drawers to see and handle dolls, sewing tools, jewelry, toys, footwear, garments, and any other items in the museum collection that may promote her artistic and teaching goals. Elaine has been sewing dolls, baskets, clothing, boots, toys, and other small items since her childhood in Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island. She learned sewing and its cultural values from her mother (Ruthelle) and grandmother. Elaine has been working with scholars and museums for nearly 20 years. In addition to visiting the collections, Elaine is considering hosting a public program at the museum, and getting the word out about a teaching studio she would like to open in Savoonga. Elaine will also take time in Juneau to connect with old friends and the land through berry picking and other cultural activities.
● Chloe Bourdukofsky and Carter Price have been awarded a grant to visit the Museum of the Aleutians where they will visit the archives and pieces that include their family history and art. Qaadax Chloe Bourdukofsky was raised by her grandparents and great grandma who taught her how to speak some Unangam Tunuu, to crochet, about traditional foods, and an Unangax way of life and community. To this day she wishes to continue to teach others about traditional Unangax dance, sewing, foods and community life as her relatives did for her growing up. Carter Price over the past 2 years has begun creating Unangan model Iqyaxs (kayaks) to connect with his culture. More recently his art medium has taken form in ivory. He grew up connected to his culture, but only surface level. Since diving into the connection with culture and art Carter’s overall well-being has increased. His goal for the future generations is to provide a space separate from school, to connect, educate, and create whatever their passions are. Chloe and Carter hope to photograph artwork—like basketry—to learn from and share with their fellow Unangans in Unangam Tanangin who do not have this opportunity to visit. The visit will also provide a wonderful opportunity to visit with relatives on Iluulux (Unalaska) to gain oral information on Unangax history, stories and art to also connect with the local Unangans on the Island. Learn more about Chloe at https://www.qaadax.com/about-me.
