About the Author: Mary Goddard is Tlingit, Kaagwaantaan, Eagle/Brown Bear of Klukwan and grew up in Yakutat. She resides in Sitka with her husband and son, creating Tlingit formline designs for her original carved jewelry, public art installations, and more. She runs a film company and an Indigenous cooking blog. Mary has served as Southeast Alaska’s Regional Catalyst for Regenerative Tourism as well continuing to serve on the board of the American Indian and Alaska Native Tourism Association.

Long gone are the days that culture is just stuffed away in a museum. We no longer consider this preservation of cultures (at least, not the only way!). As an Alaska Native, I can tell you that we preserve our cultures by actively sharing, through storytelling, culinary arts, song, dance, and creating and selling artwork.

Our Alaska Native cultures are warm and welcoming. We want to be the first to welcome you to our shores, to our docks when the cruise ships pull up, to be the one serving you our local cuisine; cuisine that is full of our history. We want to encourage you to take in art, with your eyes, with your soul, and even special gifts to take home. This art shares our way of life with you.

But where can you find this? We are woven throughout our communities, we are tour operators, we are totem pole carvers, we are local food producers, we are storytellers, and we are excited to be able to share our own stories – stories that we think will provide you with rich entertainment, authentic experiences, and a hunger to learn more about the diverse and vibrant cultures of our state. We want you to discover for yourself our warmth and generosity.

Start your journey on a small ship cruise or day cruise owned and operated by a Tlingit family – the Allen family, owners of Alaskan Dream Cruises and Allen Marine Tours. Spanning three generations and over five decades of offering cruises and tours in Southeast Alaska, the Allen family graciously shares their backyard (and perhaps even more importantly, their culture) with visitors. Closely connected to villages throughout the Inside Passage, by diligent relationship building with each community (waiting to enter until an invitation has been extended), their Alaskan Dream Crusies small ship cruise line (76 guests at most, and one cruise is as small as 12 guests!) will take you on an adventure of guided totem trail walks in Kasaan by local Alaska Native guides. You will be taken through glacial waters of Glacier Bay National Park with traditional storytelling. Perhaps you will hear about Raven releasing the moon, or how Raven lost his beak. You will stop in the village of Kake and witness dancers in full regalia (the distinctive clothing and jewelry worn by the Tlingits).

Cruise along on one of their Alaskan Dream Cruises vessels, watching whales, seals, and other wildlife while you nibble on Indigenous foods such as salmon, halibut, and appetizers like smoked salmon spread and kelp pickles on crusty bread prepared by talented onboard chefs. Book the “Inside Passage Sojourn” on the Alaska Dream Cruises’ vessel the Baranof Dream to get a snapshot of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian culture in a matter of a week! Or take a day cruise with Allen Marine Tours, departing from Sitka, Ketchikan, and Juneau, to experience world-class wildlife watching and dine at their lodge, Orca Point Lodge, to feast on local delicacies.

Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian are just three of the 11 cultures in Alaska. (That’s right, don’t forget that Alaska boasts over half a million square miles – about the same width as the lower 48 states – and is home to 228 of the 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States!) If you want your fill of culture rich vacations, Alaska is where it’s at.

Next, step into the world of Alaska’s Indigenous art. David Angaiak is a traditional Yup’ik and Unangax̂ artist raised in Bristol Bay. His handmade masks and maskettes are riddled with Yup’ik stories he learned as a young adult, such as his Ptarmigan mask that teaches the moral of respecting the animals we harvest. (Fun fact: Ptarmigan is the Alaska state bird!)

Many of us Alaska Natives learned later in life our traditional stories, helping to revitalize our cultures after coming out of a generation stripped of traditional ways, stories, song, and dance because it was not accepted by Western ways. However, not all artists practice strictly traditional art. Iñupiaq and Athabascan artist Caleigha Gotthardt of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe pushes the borders of traditional design in her jewelry, while maintaining use of traditional materials, such as baleen, walrus ivory, and sealskin. Though her jewelry is not directly linked to stories like David’s work, Caleigha tells us that when visitors purchase her art, “They are buying years of history that have been passed down. Ethically harvested. My art comes with knowledge and education.” She continues, “I am always happy to share who I am and the story behind the pieces.”

Caleigha’s artwork can be found in galleries and museum gift stores, proving that museums can be wonderful places to learn, explore, and even purchase authentic and quality Alaska Native art. (Remember, as I said, museums are not the only way we like to preserve our culture.)

Speaking of museums, let’s explore the Museum of Aleutians, located in Unalaska. This unique nonprofit was established by the City of Unalaska, in conjunction with the Aleut Corporation, the Ounalashka Corporation, and the Qawalangin Tribe, with the following mission: “The Museum of the Aleutians shall collect, preserve, and share the rich cultural legacy of the Aleutian Islands Region.” What’s unique about this museum is that they offer tours that take you outside the museum walls into the city. One tour will guide you up Bunker Hill, a bunker from World War II. Not only will you learn about the history of World War II in Unalaska, but you will also learn about the local flora and fauna used by the Unangax̂ people.

Unalaska, often referred to as Dutch Harbor, is about 800 miles southwest of Anchorage, on the Aleutian Chain. It sits at the intersection of the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Many visitors arrive via cruise ship and this tour is booked with your cruise line. However, if you are an independent traveler you can fly in on Ravn, a regional airline company based out of Anchorage. Unalaska is about a three hour flight from Anchorage. 

Alaska Native cultures are alive and thriving in Alaska. As a visitor, there are many ways to take part in our cultures, whether it be through small cruise lines, Indigenous art, museum tours, events, and other cultural tours and experiences. However, please keep in mind that many customs and traditions are sacred and revered for tribal members only. While some communities are set up for welcoming guests and eagerly share their culture, other communities are not prepared for visitors. By accepting guests, they would cause a strain on their community. So, I encourage you to travel where invited (where guided tours and experiences are offered), an example put forth by the Allen family. Remember to be respectful of each culture, be open to learning, and be mindful of how each Indigenous person refers to themselves. By following these simple guidelines you are sure to experience the warmth and generosity of our Alaska Native people, as well as our way of life, on your Alaska vacation!

Learn more about practicing Alaska Native values when visiting Alaska.

“Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023” focuses on fresh and nuanced visions by six contemporary Native American and Alaska Native artists who express the honors and burdens that connect people to one another. The exhibition features objects by Joe Feddersen (Arrow Lakes/Okanagan), Lily Hope (Tlingit), Ursala Hudson (Tlingit), Erica Lord (Athabaskan/Iñupiat), Geo Neptune (Passamaquoddy) and Maggie Thompson (Fond du Lac Ojibwe) that speak to the responsibility of ushering forward cultural traditions while shaping the future with innovative works of art. Their works are often culturally specific, yet they communicate across cultural boundaries. The 55 artworks in the exhibition arise from traditions of making that honor family, community or clan and require broad community participation.

The exhibition is on view from May 26 through March 31, 2024, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. It is organized by guest curator Lara M. Evans (Cherokee Nation), founding director of the Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and current vice president of programs for First Peoples Fund, with Nora Atkinson, the Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator in Charge at the Renwick Gallery.

“It is a great honor to spotlight these artists from Alaska, Washington State, New Mexico, Minnesota and Maine at SAAM’s Renwick Gallery, the preeminent center for American craft in the United States,” said Stephanie Stebich, the Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “It is also a special burden of responsibility to showcase their artwork in a way that recognizes the past, present and future. As visitors experience groundbreaking craft from these makers, we invite them to embrace a more nuanced understanding of how Indigenous perspectives and experiences are shaping American art today.”

It is the first time that artists chosen for the Renwick Invitational are all Native Americans and Alaska Natives. All are members of separate sovereign nations: Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska, Nenana Native Association, Wabanaki Confederacy, Okanagan Nation and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The artists were selected by a panel of distinguished jurors, including Evans; Miranda Belarde-Lewis (Zuni/Tlingit), independent curator and the Jill and Joe McKinstry Endowed Faculty Fellow of Native North American Indigenous Knowledge at the University of Washington’s iSchool; and Anya Montiel (Mexican/Tohono O’odham descent), curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

The exhibition includes 13 new artworks that were created within the past year in addition to three pieces the museum commissioned specifically for the exhibition: “Between Worlds (Child’s Robe)” by Hope, “Sister Bear” by Hudson and “The Codes We Carry” by Lord. The museum recently acquired Feddersen’s “Horses and Deer” and anticipates acquiring works by all of the featured artists for its permanent collection. 

Making serves as not only a form of self-expression, but also a powerful way of  processing everyday life and expressing ties to community. In doing so, each artist uses traditional forms of making—weaving, beading or sewing—and adapts the materials and techniques to create contemporary works of art. Individually, each craftsperson works in some manner with techniques, materials or concepts embedded within their tribe’s customary practices and history, but their work is also intended to engage with global audiences. Adding to the complexities of making are the unique decisions Native and Alaskan Native artists must often consider while creating, including balancing customary functional forms with beauty and personal narratives, determining which aspects are suitable to share with outside, non-Native audiences, and weighing the risks and benefits involved in adapting historical practices to new uses.

The artists in “Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023” come from communities where making is an honored way of coming to know: for example, Feddersen is a printmaker, glass artist and basket maker who creates geometric patterns sourced from everyday life. Lord, a multimedia artist, crafts beaded burden straps and sled-dog blankets with abstracted representations of the diseases that disproportionately impact Native and other marginalized communities. Neptune is a master basket maker, activist and educator who uses colorful narratives to emphasize the honor and burden of keeping tradition alive. Hope and Hudson, who are sisters, weave labor-intensive textiles that convey Tlingit values of reciprocity and balance, maintaining cultural integrity while experimenting with new forms and materials. Thompson, a textile artist, creates large-scale works that explore the intersections of grief and trauma with honor, beauty and healing.

“In the summer of 2021, as Anya, Miranda and I discussed our selections, we found our way toward two related themes that link these artists’ practice and artwork: honors and burdens,” said Evans. “The artworks themselves make tangible the range of honors and burdens we carry with us, from the grief and trauma of personal and community loss to precious knowledge gained from teachers and ancestors. ‘Sharing Honors and Burdens’ helps us think about these ideas through beautifully crafted artworks, large and small, in stillness and in movement.”

A series of videos was produced for the exhibition, including an introductory video with guest curator Evans and six artist videos that focus on the artists in their studios produced by the Institute of American Indian Arts in collaboration with the museum. The videos are available on the museum’s YouTube channel and are part of the in-gallery presentation. Visitors are encouraged to reflect on the honors and burdens in their own lives via a response wall at the end of the exhibition.

Established in 2000, the Renwick Invitational showcases emerging and mid-career makers deserving of wider national recognition. “Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023” is the 10th installment of the series. It is the latest example of the museum’s commitment to highlighting contemporary Native American artists and Indigenous voices through acquisitions and exhibitions.

Public Programs

The museum will present a robust set of public programs in conjunction with the exhibition, beginning with an open house Friday, May 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring all six artists; guest curator Evans will give a gallery talk at noon. A series of artist conversations is planned throughout the run of the exhibition. Evans moderates a virtual conversation between Lord and Thompson Thursday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. ET. Belarde-Lewis moderates a conversation between Neptune and Hope Thursday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m. ET that will take place online and in person in the museum’s McEvoy Auditorium at its main building (Eighth and G streets N.W.). Feddersen will lead an in-person-only workshop Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. followed by a conversation with Montiel at 6:30 p.m. ET that will be in person and online. The programming concludes with a virtual artist talk with Hudson Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 7 p.m. ET. These programs are free, but registration is required. More information is available on the museum’s website at AmericanArt.si.edu/events.

Book

A beautifully illustrated catalog accompanies the exhibition, co-published by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the University of Washington Press, with essays by jurors Evans, Belarde-Lewis and Montiel. Each juror highlights two artists: Evans focuses on Lord and Thompson’s processes while Montiel reflects on Feddersen and Neptune’s works and legacies. Lastly, Belarde-Lewis highlights Hope and Hudson’s contributions to craft. It is available for purchase ($35) in the museum store and online.

Credit

“Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023” is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation Endowment provides support for the Renwick Invitational. The Cohen Family’s generosity in creating this endowment helps make possible this series highlighting outstanding craft artists who are deserving of wider national recognition. 

Additional support has been provided by the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, the Lannan Foundation, The Robert Lehman Foundation, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Windgate Foundation and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art.

About the Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is the flagship museum in the United States for American art and craft. It is home to one of the most significant and inclusive collections of American art in the world. The museum’s main building, located at Eighth and G streets N.W., is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The museum’s Renwick Gallery, a branch museum dedicated to contemporary craft, is located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W. and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Check online for current hours and admission information. Admission is free. Follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Smithsonian information: (202) 633-1000. Museum information (recorded): (202) 633-7970. Website: americanart.si.edu.

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Note to editors: Selected high-resolution images for publicity only are available through the museum’s Dropbox account. Email americanartpressoffice@si.edu to request the link.

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