ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) is kicking off our summer season with our annual, family-friendly Mother’s Day Celebration on Sunday, May 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free for all, and the celebration features a full schedule of cultural activities, performances, and special programming for all ages.
In addition to our general summer season programming, special event highlights will include:
- Village Games: Three-Legged Race, Water Balloon Toss, Spoon Balance, Corn Hole, and more! These games will take place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. only; there will be prizes for the winners.
- Alaska Native dance performances with a guest performance by Yurapik at 2 p.m.
- Face painting for kids
- Dippin' Dots food truck
- Take-home gifts for Mom's (while supplies last)
- 10% off all items in the Ch'k'iqadi Gallery
- Three new exhibitions in the Hall of Cultures honoring the resilience, artistry, and living histories of Alaska’s First Peoples.
- New short films in the Theater
- Coffee, savory foods, sweet treats, & more at Café Di'eshchin
This event marks the start of ANHC's 26th summer season, which runs from May 11 through September 14, 2025. ANHC, Ch’k’iqadi Gallery and Café Di’eshchin will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can experience award-winning immersive cultural tours, Alaska Native dance performances, Alaska Native games demonstrations, cultural presentations, exhibitions, Alaska Native artist vendors, and more!
“ANHC is more than a museum — it is Alaska’s premier living cultural center. Our summer staff includes high school youth, elders, and young adult culture bearers, creating opportunities for mentorship, cross-cultural learning, and the sharing of knowledge across generations. Here, our youth are shown that they are part of a living, thriving community with powerful stories to share. Visitors experience authentic Alaska Native cultures firsthand through our engaging cultural programming as well as having meaningful interactions with our youth and elders. That’s part of what makes ANHC’s cross-cultural education unparalleled to any other location in the world,” Emily Keneggnarkayaaggaq Edenshaw (Yup’ik/Iñupiaq/Adopted Raven/Thunderbird Clan), President and CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center.
This year’s summer season is especially meaningful as ANHC embarks on a transformative, multi-phase campus expansion. The $26 million-dollar campus expansion includes a community subsistence kitchen, a large community hall, a healing garden, and a renovated Indigenous theater space. The expanded campus will create space for year-round cultural programming, workforce development, and intergenerational healing. Our team is actively engaging architects, funders, and community voices to ensure this vision is led by and for Alaska Native peoples.
“The expansion will include dedicated areas for healing, Elder-youth engagement, and cultural tourism, as well as new infrastructure that reflects Indigenous design and sustainability principles. This expansion is not just about buildings; it is about creating a legacy of belonging, healing, and innovation to carry us across the next 100 years,” Emily Keneggnarkayaaggaq Edenshaw (Yup’ik/Iñupiaq/Adopted Raven/Thunderbird Clan), President and CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center.
Join us on May 11th to celebrate Mother’s Day, the opening of our summer season, and the exciting future of ANHC.
About the Alaska Native Heritage Center
The Alaska Native Heritage Center is a nonprofit organization that preserves and strengthens the traditions, languages and art of Alaska’s Native Peoples through statewide collaboration, celebration and education. To learn more, visit www.alaskanative.net.
Media Contact
Rachel Ruston
Communications & Development Manager
[email protected] | 561-373-3738
