Some Alaska Native art speaks of cultural heritage in a whisper; some calls out in a loud, clear voice. But on some level, all the art in the (Re)Emergence exhibition celebrates what it means to be Native today.
(Re)Emergence: Contemporary Native Art and Design from the Anchorage Museum Collection is on view through Dec. 31. The exhibition features nearly 50 art works created during the past five decades by Alaska Native artists such as James Robert Schoppert, Alvin Amason and Preston Singletary.
The exhibition is flush with examples of Native artists transcending traditional media while embracing the past and initiating cultural renewal. For instance, Lawrence Beck’s metallic mask is sculpted from a hubcap, bicycle handle bars and dentist mirrors. Or there is Sonya Kelliher-Combs’ Idiot Strings IV, a thoroughly modern, ceiling-mounted installation fashioned from natural materials such as walrus stomach and rawhide.
Situated adjacent to the artifacts in the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, this contemporary art exhibition provides profound perspective on change and continuity in Alaska Native art.
Image: Kathleen Carlo-Kendall, No maagh hut’aanenh (Storytellers from the Coast) The Anchorage Museum
The Anchorage Museum is the largest museum in Alaska, and one of the top 10 most visited attractions in the state. The museum’s mission is to share and connect Alaska with the world through art, history and science.
Learn more online at www.anchoragemuseum.org