State of Art

Alaska Writers Guild website

State of Art: The Alaska Writers Guild annual conference connects writers and illustrators

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 14:13:00 -0800

On this episode of State of Art we're discussing the Alaska Writers Guild and their upcoming conference. The guild connects Alaska writers and provides educational opportunities for things like business and marketing. Their annual conference for writers and illustrators will be held on Friday and Saturday the last weekend of September at UAA's Rasmuson Hall. We're joined by Alaska Writers Guild board members Laura Carpenter and Brooke Hartman to find out more about the guild, what to expect from the conference and more.

LINKS:

State of Art: Black comedy classic 'Arsenic and Old Lace' returns to Anchorage Community Theater

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 11:57:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we're joined by "Arsenic and Old Lace" director MaryAlice Larmi to discuss the fast-paced farce. It centers on Mortimer Brewster and his maniacal family including spinster aunts who have a habit of murdering lonely old men, a brother on the run from the law and one who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. She tells us about what to expect, casting the right performers, and acting icon Boris Karloff's contribution to Anchorage Community Theater's 1957 production of the play.

Event details:

September 8 - October 1

Thursdays - Saturdays @ 7 p.m.

Sundays @ 3 p.m.

Anchorage Community Theater

1133 E. 70th Ave

LINKS:

Anchorage Community Theater

State of Art: Meet two young filmmakers looking to take their next steps

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 14:42:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we're hearing from filmmakers Kendrick Whiteman and Logan Smith. They're both products of Alaska Teen Media Institute and are peer mentors with the youth media training organization. Whiteman was featured at the Anchorage International Film Festival in 2022 and leans toward a surreal atmosphere with his work while Smith likes to blend the weird with comedy. We discuss what got them into film, their previous work and what comes next.

LINKS:

Kendrick Whiteman YouTube

Logan Smith YouTube

Logan Smith website

State of Art: Medium Build and Quinn Christopherson to headline benefit concert in Anchorage for northern tribal school

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 16:19:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we're discussing an upcoming benefit concert helping out the Qargi Academy Tribal School in Wainwright. We're joined by longtime musician and Marketing Manager for the Arctic Slope Community Foundation, James Dommek Jr. who is organizing the show. He tells us about what makes the Qargi Academy unique, including indigenous performers as the opening act and more.

EVENT DETAILS:

Friday, September 15

7:00 p.m.

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts

Discovery Theater

LINKS:

Qargi Academy website

Arctic Slope Community Foundation website

TICKETS

Medium Build website

Quinn Christopherson website

State of Art: An original 'Hamilton' rap won this Anchorage student free tickets to the hit musical

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 13:25:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we meet an Anchorage winner of the "Hamilton" creative competition organized by the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and BroadwayBoundAK. Students from across Alaska going into grades 7 through 12 were invited to make and submit an original creative piece that was inspired by the hit musical. Winners were chosen from across the state and get to see "Hamilton" for free in September. Sam Beesley is starting his freshman year at West High and was chosen for his song called "Don't Wait For It." The song was a therapeutic response to a friend losing their father unexpectedly and features Beesley on piano and vocals. We're joined by Beesley and Alaska Center for the Performing Arts Community Engagement Manager, Lauren Rice.

LINKS:

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts

BroadwayBoundAK

"Hamilton" tickets

State of Art: Celebrate all things Irish at Galway Days

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 11:51:00 -0800

August 12 at Town Square Park. There will be vendors, food, music and more. Irish Club of Alaska President Dawn Berg joins us to tell us about the festival, the club and she even sings us a song.

LINKS:

Galway Days Irish Festival

Galway Days evening concert with Amelia Hogan

Irish Club of Alaska

State of Art: Old Crow Medicine Show lead singer says playing Alaska has been a life-long dream

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 14:49:00 -0800

Ketch Secor first visited Alaska when he was 14 and it made a lasting impression on him. He traveled the Alaska Railroad, bought chewing tobacco in Sitka and kissed a girl in Fairbanks. The singer and fiddle player for the long-running, high-energy folk band Old Crow Medicine Show joins us this week ahead of the group's Salmonfest appearance. He tells us about their upcoming album "Jubilee" that celebrates a quarter century as a band, the finer points of playing street corners and more.

LINKS:

Old Crow Medicine Show website

State of Art: Writer Corky Parker comes to Anchorage to share her award-winning memoir

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:32:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we're joined by Corky Parker. She was an original staff member of KSKA nearly 45 years ago, but she's added many chapters to her life since then. Her memoir “La Finca: Love, Loss, and Laundry on a Tiny Puerto Rican Island” tells her story of running a rustic eco-lodge and what she learned along the way. The book is filled with sketches, images and other artwork that won her a 2023 University Press Award for Book & Cover Design along with her 2023 Pacific Northwest Writers Association Nancy Pearl Award for Memoir. She will be in Alaska in August for readings and other events. She tells us about falling in love with a place, searching for authenticity and more.

Corky Parker Alaska Events:

Wednesday, August 2, 6 p.m.

Georgia Blue Gallery in Anchorage: slideshow focusing on the book’s outsider art and illustration.

Tuesday, August 8, 6 p.m.

Homer Public Library: a book reading, and talk, emceed and cohosted by Corky’s best friend since middle school, Charlotte Adamson Kilcher — star of the Discovery Channel series, "Alaska, the Last Frontier." This will be a more personal discussion about the book and how both women made their off beat life choices after growing up in the 60s and 70s in the bay area together. This will be available both in person and via Zoom.

Thursday, August 10, 6 p.m.

Writer’s Block Bookstore and Café in Anchorage: a book reading, talk and signing.

LINKS:

Corky Parker website

State of Art: Salmonfest 2023 is packed to the gills with talent

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:45:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we're hearing from Salmonfest director David Stearns. The festival runs from August 4 through the 6 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik. Headliners include Old Crow Medicine Show, Sierra Farell, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Leftover Salmon. Stearns tells us about what to expect from the festival, this year's groovy artwork, zero waste efforts and more.

LINKS:

Salmonfest website

Anchorage Chamber Music Festival website

State of Art: Voices of Antiques Roadshow

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 10:48:00 -0800

Last Tuesday, Antiques Roadshow came to film in Alaska for the first time ever in the show’s nearly 30-year history. The popular program travels around the country hosting events where people can bring items to be appraised and get more information about the object’s history. Shooting took place at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. Attendees were bussed from the Bartlett High School parking lot to the venue where they went through a sorting process that sent them to various experts located in and around the Heritage center’s facility. From there, the appraisers work with show producers to determine who will get on the show. Only a small fraction of the nearly 2,500 attendees will make the cut, so here are some of the people who were there that day.

Want a free Sydney Laurence print? Head to the Anchorage library

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 16:29:00 -0800

If you’re looking to spruce up your walls this summer, you can get a free Sydney Laurence print at Anchorage’s Loussac Library.

Former city mayor and the library’s namesake, Zachariah Joshua Loussac, left his collection of paintings by the famous landscape artist to the city of Anchorage to be displayed at the library.

Now, library staff say they want to make sure the artwork is shared with even more of the city, and they’re distributing the prints to the public.

The free art is also a way to encourage more people to visit the library’s Alaska Collection, which houses and displays Loussac’s paintings, said Andi Haley, the library’s Alaska Collection Librarian.

They said there are about 20 paintings in the collection, with about 15 available to view, including ones from Eustace P. Zeigler, who painted images of life in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

“They’re not in the museum, so you don’t have to pay to come and see them,” Haley said.

Laurence is considered one of the most prominent and prolific artists who depicted Alaska’s landscape. Information about the oil painter can be hazy and his past is complicated – like abandoning his family to come to Alaska and eventually pumping out his work from a Los Angeles studio.

Anchorage Museum Chief Curator Francesca DuBrock said that while Laurence might have perpetuated a mythical, uninhabited view of Alaska, his work is undeniably linked to the state.

"Sydney Laurence, you know, is pretty foundational to most Alaskans’ understanding of Alaska landscape, right or wrong. Love him or hate him,” DuBrock said.

To get a print and see the collection of paintings, head to the third floor of Loussac and go through the doors behind the reference desk. You’ll find the paintings behind glass along the wall of the Anne Stevens room. You can see works like Laurence’s “Winter Birches,” “Northern Lights” or “McKinley Spring.” Then go back to the desk and choose a rolled up mystery print from a random selection.

Haley said if you haven’t been to the Loussac library in a while, this is a perfect reason to stop by and see what’s new.

"It’s a great thing to come and see part of the culture of the library — to not just come in for books or reading materials and whatnot,” Haley said.

The free prints are available during normal library hours until Labor Day or while supplies last.

State of Art: Anchorage Chamber Music Festival returns for 11th season

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 15:40:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we're hearing from the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival's co-founders and artistic directors Christine Harada Li and Nathaniel Pierce. The two started the festival right out of college to share a style of classical music they love with the city and are now in their 11th season. They tell us about what makes chamber music unique, what to expect from this year's festival and more.

LINKS:

Blackwater Railroad Co. website

State of Art: Fairy houses turn a normal Anchorage walking trail into something magical

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 15:59:00 -0800

If you’re walking in Russian Jack Park this summer, you might come across a side trail with a birch bark sign that says “Fairies Live Here.”

A short walk up the narrow, winding path through the lush forest reveals miniature structures made from natural materials. Some look like fancy animal burrows and others look like mouse-sized houses adorned with moss and bark, but these homes are intended for fairy-folk.

Barbara Brown was at the park on a recent Friday setting up the trail and helping people build their own houses from materials she brought. She organized building the fairy trail after traveling and seeing similar projects in places like Oregon and Toronto.

"And then I said, okay, that’s it. This is too much fairy stuff. We gotta have one in Anchorage," Brown said.

Brown pitched the idea to Parks and Rec and they recommended Russian Jack Park. After doing some research she learned fairy houses can be found around the world.

"And there are so many books about how to design them – building one out of pumpkins, building one out of logs – it’s huge," Brown said.

Her daughter loved fairies as a child, but Brown didn’t feel the same way as a kid.

"I was into witches. So this is all very new to me. But fairies overtook our house," she said.

Brown teamed up with the Anchorage Museum’s Seed Lab to host a fairy house building workshop where people could assemble their own structures. Some of those houses can be seen on the trail. An architectural firm contributed a detailed house straight out of the Swiss Family Robinson, complete with a spiraling staircase.

Sherri Douglas is friends with Brown and has been involved with the project since the beginning. As a retired youth services librarian, she has lots of favorite fairy stories. Her fairy house was more of a fairy spa complete with a scallop shell bathtub.

"To me, the point of the fairy trail is to really stop and look around and just look and be in nature. And let your mind be blank and see what pops up into your imagination and what you’re actually seeing in the woods there," Douglas said.

Brown says the trail will stay up indefinitely with Parks and Rec’s approval, but she will be regularly monitoring the area keeping things tidy. To find it, walk left past the Russian Jack chalet, cross the bridge at the bottom of the hill and look for the sign.

State of Art: Blackwater Railroad Co. celebrates 10 years as a band with an Alaska tour

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 12:23:00 -0800

Seward-based folk band Blackwater Railroad Co. has seen its share of lineup changes over the years, but they've maintained their mission of good vibes and good times. The band is playing dates across the state and will be performing in Anchorage at Williwaw on Saturday, July 1. We're joined by lead singer and guitarist Tyson Davis, keyboardist Kyle Comeau, and bassist Ben Sayers as they reflect on the last decade and what comes next.

LINKS:

Anchorage Downtown Partnership website

State of Art: These free concerts are happening all summer in downtown Anchorage

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 10:14:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we're checking out some of the free concerts and events that Anchorage Downtown Partnership is putting on this summer. We're joined by ADP Executive Director Radhika Krishna who breaks down what's happening every Wednesday through Sunday. We also visit downtown to sample ADP's Music in the Park and Live After Five.

LINKS:

Anchorage Downtown Partnership events

State of Art: Celebrate summer with the Sundown Solstice Festival

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 17:14:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we're talking about the Sundown Solstice Festival. The three-day concert features a mix of well-known, up-and-coming and local artists whose music ranges from hip-hop, electronic and rock. The festival starts Friday, June 16 and runs through Sunday the 18 at Cuddy Park. We're joined by Hellen Fleming, co-owner of Showdown Productions, the organizers of the festival. She tells us about the artists, what it takes to put on an event this big and being caught up in city drama.

LINKS:

Showdown Productions website

"All Aboard: The Alaska Railroad Centennial"

State of Art: The Anchorage Museum celebrates 100 years of the Alaska Railroad

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 12:11:00 -0800

Museum's Aaron Leggett, senior curator and of Alaska history and indigenous cultures, who gives us a tour of some of the exhibits highlights. We hear about contributions of indigenous workers, Leggett's personal connections to the railroad and more.

LINKS:

Anchorage Museum Website

Alaska Railroad Website

State of Art: 'Hamilton' student competition and the Alaska Jazz Workshop

Tue, 30 May 2023 11:08:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we talk about a creative competition for students to see the hit musical "Hamilton" and speak with John Damberg, founder of the Alaska Jazz workshop and a recent winner of a Governor's Arts and Humanities Award.

The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts created an engagement program meant to connect the community to the Broadways shows that come to town. They are hosting a statewide creative competition for students from grades 7 through 12 to enter a two-minute video or two-page piece of writing inspired by "Hamilton." The deadline for submission is June 20.

We also speak with musician and educator John Damberg. His resume is filled with legendary musicians and productions he's played with, but one of his main focuses is the Alaska Jazz Workshop where he's trained the next generation of jazz musicians.

LINKS:

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts

BROADCAST: Friday, May 26th, 2023. 8 p.m. AKT

State of Art: Artist Indra Arriaga Delgado releases new book examining decolonization, identity and language

Mon, 22 May 2023 12:04:00 -0800

Indra Arriaga Delgado’s talents can be difficult to describe. Among other things, she’s an artist, writer, filmmaker and researcher. Originally from Veracruz, Mexico her new book “Opaque Etymologies: Fifteen Moons” examines decolonization, identity, and language through art, poetry and other media. She says the project required five years of work, three languages across two countries and the collaboration of more than 30 individuals. On this episode of State of Art, we hear from her to find out more about her book and we meet artist Diane Dunn who has an exhibition at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art called "2000 Journals: Filling the Void."

LINKS:

Indra Arriaga Delgado's website

Dian Dunn's website

State of Art: Anchorage Community Theater's 'Wait Until Dark'

Fri, 12 May 2023 12:23:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we're talking about the stage thriller "Wait Until Dark." The Anchorage Community Theater production tells the story of a blind woman who gets caught up in a tension-building game of cat and mouse with dangerous criminals. We're joined by show director Krista Schwarting and lead actor Kaichen McRae to talk about the technical challenges, character choices and the unique lead role.

"Wait Until Dark"

May 5-28

Anchorage Community Theatre

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

LINKS:

Anchorage Community Theater

"Wait Until Dark" TICKETS

BROADCAST: Friday, May 12th, 2023. 8 p.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCASTS: Monday, May 15th, 2023 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. AKT at the end of Hometown Alaska

State of Art: Cyrano's 'Dog Park' and artist Erin Gingrich

Mon, 08 May 2023 10:29:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we're discussing a play about the reality of friendship and an indigenous artist who looks to the resources that fed her ancestors. First, we hear from Erin Gingrich and Alaska Pacific University Gallery Manager James Temte. Gingrich's show "Kaviqsaaq Qivliaq-taaq Siññaktut (Red Silver Dreams)" includes photography and carving representing her experiences during the 2022 salmon fishing season. We're also joined by director Jill Bess and actor Gigi Lynch who tell us about Cyrano's Theater Company's upcoming production of "Dog Park."

Kaviqsaaq Qivliaq-taaq Siññaktut (Red Silver Dreams)

May 5 -31, 2023

Alaska Pacific University

Conoco Phillips Gallery

4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Dog Park

May 12 - 28, 2023

Cyrano's Theatre Building

Fridays and Saturdays 7:00 p.m.

Sundays 3:00 p.m.

LINKS:

Cyrano's Theater Company website

"Dog Park" tickets

Erin Gingrich website

Erin Gingrich Instagram

APU galleries

State of Art: Anchorage Opera's 'Carmen' and Momentum Dance Collective's 'Rhapsody'

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 14:27:00 -0800

LINKS:

Anchorage Opera

"Carmen" tickets

Momentum Dance Collective

"Rhapsody" tickets

Alaska Aids Assistance Association

State of Art: Preserving history and maintaining culture with Summit Day Media

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 09:49:00 -0800

LINKS:

Summit Day Media

American Archive of Public Broadcasting: KYUK

State of Art: Anchorage Public Library upcoming events, projects and more

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 17:06:00 -0800

LINKS:

Anchorage Public Library website

Anchorage Community Theater website

State of Art: ‘Going Places’ with the Anchorage Community Concert Band

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 09:33:00 -0800

This week on State of Art we’re hearing about the Anchorage Community Concert Band’s spring performance “Going Places.” We hear from the band’s conductor Dr. Mark Wolbers to find out more about the concert and what makes it a “journey through time and place.”

State of Art: Out North's 2023 Fringe Festival

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 16:38:00 -0800

LINKS:

Out North website

Out North Facebook

2023 Fringe Festival

State of Art: Anchorage Community Theater's 'They Promised Her the Moon'

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 11:40:00 -0900

LINKS:

Laurel Ollstein website

State of Art: Anchorage Opera's 'Missing'

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 10:32:00 -0900

GUESTS:

Melody Courage: Métis soprano Melody Courage gained national attention as The Native Girl “…played with ethereal grace…” in the 2017 world premiere of Marie Clements and Brian Current’s opera Missing, co-produced by City Opera Vancouver and Pacific Opera Victoria. Missing gives voice, in English and Gitxsan, to the story of Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women. Vancouver-based Melody, of Dene, Cree and Chipewyan descent, is much in demand by composers, with recent performances in Heart of the North (Neil Weisensel, Susanne Steele) written in languages of the Métis - Saulteaux, Michif and French, premiered by Regina Symphony Orchestra. During the pandemic, Melody premiered Ian Cusson’s In Winter with the Canadian Opera Company in their digital concert series and was a guest artist at National Indigenous Peoples Day in June 2022, broadcast on APTN. Engagements for Melody in the current season include her debut as Chrisann in Calgary Opera’s production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Messiah with Vancouver Bach Choir, and a recital with Marion Newman, Evan Korbut and pianist Gordon Gerrard with Toronto’s Music in the Afternoon. Melody sings the role of Countess in scenes from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. In Toronto, Melody starred in Two Odysseys: Pimooteewin/Gállábártnit, presented by Soundstreams Canada and Signal Theatre, directed by Michael Greyeyes/Cole Alvis, composed by Melissa Hui/Britta Byström. These two operas, sung in Cree and Sàmi, are rooted in traditional tales from Canada and Nordic countries.

Kate Bass: Kate Bass, originally from Anchorage Alaska, has appeared on stage as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, at Carnegie Hall, as well as on and off-Broadway for Emmy and Tony Award-nominated productions. She has recorded for film scores winning awards at both the Austin Film Festival and the Milan International Film Festival. Kate was the soprano soloist for Iranian musician Hafez Nazeri’s Grammy-nominated SONY Worldwide album “Untold” with the Rumi Symphony. She has toured internationally singing Gilbert and Sullivan, performing as Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore with the Colorado Symphony, Wolf Trap Opera, and the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. As a singer-songwriter, Kate has four albums released; her first single aired on radio in 2013. She has been hailed by the press as “easy to love,” “infectious,” and “one of the best vocalists on the scene today.” Kate taught on vocal faculty at Pepperdine University, and now leads masterclasses, songwriting workshops, and cross-cultural projects around the globe for organizations such as the Girl Scouts, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, Classical Singer Magazine, and American Voices. Her original cross-cultural collaborative musical project, “Conversations,” had its inaugural performance through the US Embassy in Kampala, Uganda this January 2023, and will continue to Rwanda this May. She arrives in Anchorage fresh off the plane from a performance with the Turkmen National Orchestra in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Last seen on the Anchorage Opera stage as “Mabel” in The Pirates of Penzance, Kate is thrilled to be back in her beloved hometown.

LINKS:

State of Art: Music, sound and science with Matthew Burtner

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 15:53:00 -0900

LINKS:

Matthew Burtner's website

Matthew Burtner at the Anchorage Museum

State of Art: Cyrano's 'First Date, The Musical'

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 12:09:00 -0900

LINKS:

Cyrano's website