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The Sheldon Jackson museum is tucked away in Sitka, Alaska.
This past summer five artists were chosen to participate in the pilot program
offered by the National Museum of the American Indian
to study the museum's collections. Each artist studied objects that were related to their art field.
After they completed their studies each artist went back to their own community
and shared what they learned through an art project.
My name is Tommy Joseph. I'm from Sitka, Alaska.
I'm of the Tlingit tribe.
As an artist, the collections study has definitely helped me grow.
I mean, to see the old pieces are my teachers.
by studying those pieces, being able to physically pick them up
look at them and see how they're made or
figuring that stuff out
that's a huge part of my growth and the art that I do.
Collections studies benefits
my community because
the things that I get to see and experience in the collections
I don't keep for myself, I photograph and document
and share with whomever.
I'm Jenny Wheeler. I'm from Yakutat, Alaska, and I'm from the Tlingit tribe
and my mother mother was from Kluckwan. Her name was Genevive Warne.
When I go home I'll be taking
people out to go dig spruce roots, to teach them
how to dig the roots, and
and then prepare them for weaving-- which you have to dig them first
and then you got to start a fire and burn them and then split them
So I'll get them, take a group out, we'll do all that
and hopefully get them to where they get t them all split
and then, if we have a little time
I'd like to make them get started on how to weave.
My name is Okalena (?) Patricia Lekanoff-Gregory
and to simplify it I go by Patty, my middle name,
but I'm from Unalaska out on the Aleutian Chain
born and raised there, and I'm and Aleut,
and I was fortunate to learn the art of the Aleut bentwood hats.
I learned, you know, to appreciate what our ancestors did
and then this, and also it's a living art you know that guys to go out, and the girls, too, nowadays.
you can go out and kayak your boat and you're gonna be able to wear when these hats if you want
and maybe we're not going to hunt the sea mammal
because they said their artwork was a a representation of
the sea mammal would give themselves to the person who had the most vibrant hat
I would like to, you know, to see, you know
when all of my students, whoever you know, making these hats
I think is very important, you know, it's very powerful to know that
you know, some pieces, "I made this hat and I learned."
And then, given that they,
one day I'm going to be able to go to the Smithsonian, or one of the museums
and see a real, you know, authentic hat,
and to me that's powerful in itself.
My name is Sonya Kelliher-Combs, and I was born in Bethel, raised in Nome,
but I'm currently living and working in Anchorage,
and I'm an artist. I work with mixed media
and sculpture and installation.
The collections here--I'm primarily interested in looking at these gut parkas
and stitching and embellishment on a gut and stomach and
a lot of the work
that I create, especially my two dimensional work
my painting and drawings are really influenced by gut work.
I'm an Alaskan Native artist
I make work that's influenced by my background.
I'm a contemporary artist, and I'm creating a new tradition
through the work I'm making. I'm building on the traditions of my people,
and we live in, we're a living culture, so
I feel like when people say this is traditional art
it's historical art to me, it's art that was made in the past
and we can learn from that. We can grow it
and it's a part of who we are. And it's a continuation.
My name is Othniel Art Oomittuk Jr.
My Inupiat name is Anaqulutuq.
I am from Point Hope,
what we call "Tikigaq."
And I belong to, there are two clans
one of them is kagmaktuuq and ungasiksikaaq.
and I am ungasiksikaaq.
I just want to thank the staff, you-- Nadia and Mary
for allowing this to happen
Because without, without the study of the artifacts by indigenous
artists who come from those areas
we're lost, we're just, we're ...
we don't have the connection of who we are anymore,
and studying these artifacts is
so important because
there's so much erosion throughout our land
and that's how this contemporary time is.
it's like, there's this erosion that
if we don't watch what's happening
its gonna disappear it's not gonna
it's not gonna be around any more.
Thank you to the museum. Thank you to NMAI!
Thanks to the Smithsonian.
Thanks to those that have collected those images
so that we have a chance to study.