The Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) is seeking artists to participate in the Batuk’enelyashi: Natural Dyes from Dena’ina Lands Project, a collaborative workshop provided by ANHC in partnership with the Alaska office of the Arctic Studies Center, Smithsonian Institution.
The outdoor education program will take place May 17-20, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1:30-4 p.m. at ANHC with a small group of Alaska Native teaching artists and students. Lunch will be provided by the Arctic Studies Center.
This project builds on the work of Yup’ik Elder and traditional healer Rita Pitka Blumenstein (1936-2021), specifically from her 1983 workshop on natural dyes in Anchorage, Alaska, when she taught grass-basket makers and co-authored the booklet Nuunam Qaralirkai/Earth Dyes.
In honor of Rita and in recognition of the Alaska Native traditions of sharing knowledge and promoting intergenerational learning, the project will focus on research, documentation, and teaching how to harvest, process, and use natural dyes from the Southcentral Alaska, working in collaboration with June Simeonoff Pardue (Sugpiaq and Iñupiaq). June attended Rita’s workshop in 1983 and has been exploring the use of natural dyes in her artwork for decades.
Eligibility Requirements:
*proof of vaccination
*can provide own transportation
*can attend workshop all 4 days
*over 18 years old
*Alaska Native Artist
*Agree to workshop filming (will sign a release form for filming)
If you are interested in signing up, please contact Angela Demma at ademma@alaskanative.net or 907-717-7811. We will need your name, contact information, Alaska Native cultural affiliation, and a copy of your COVID vaccine record.
Quyanaqpak to the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) American Rescue Plan from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for providing funding for this project!
