The Anchorage Museum recently received $1 million from longtime museum supporter Verna von der Heydt and her late husband, district court Judge James A. von der Heydt. The gift will pay for a new curatorial position responsible for overseeing curatorial practices and content. The first person to hold the title of von der Heydt curator, as the position is to be known, is former director of the city's 1% for Art program, Angela Demma.
Aside from his long career as a jurist, the judge was an avid painter, signing his work "Von." He was among the founding members of the Anchorage Fine Arts Commission and the first president of the Anchorage Fine Arts Museum Association, which has since become the Anchorage Museum Association, responsible for the operations of the institution. He had a particular passion for conservation work and expanding the museum's collections, according to a museum press release, and provided significant financial support to the facility. Verna was heavily involved as a volunteer at the museum for a couple of decades or so.
Judge von der Heydt died on Dec. 1, 2013, at the age of 94. He came to Alaska in 1943 as a construction worker, became a deputy U.S. marshal, then U.S. commissioner at Nome and U.S. attorney. He served in the Alaska Territorial Legislature in 1957 and became a Superior Court judge in Juneau in 1959, then a federal judge in 1966. He served in the Alaska district until he retired in 1994.
Rising Russian soprano performs with Anchorage musicians
It's called "A Concert of Contrasts" and will feature two singers, two pianists and two contrasting musical styles: classical and jazz. The jazz side is handled by sweet-voiced Anchorage crooner John Teamer, better known as "Pypes" for reasons that become clear the moment you hear him, and pianist Evgeny Chernonog. The art song and opera will be presented by Anchorage pianist Juliana Osinchuk accompanying Russian soprano Anna Alkhimova. The last-named caught our attention in that she's been building a considerable international career over the past few years, appearing with Renee Fleming in the Los Angeles Opera's film version of "La Traviata."
The performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the University of Alaska Anchorage Fine Arts Building recital hall. Tickets are $25, $20 for military and seniors and $15 for students, available at contrasts.eventbrite.com or by calling 242-0079.
More music this weekend
The Alaska Children's Choir will present its Christmas concert at 2 p.m. Saturday in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church -- now a cathedral, we hear, as befits a building with such fine acoustics -- at 3900 Wisconsin St. At 4 p.m. on Sunday, the Anchorage Concert Chorus will present its Holiday Pops concert in Atwood Concert Hall.
New work from Jack Dalton
Alaska playwright, performer and storyteller Jack Dalton will present his latest musings this weekend. "Light: Returns -- New Stories of Hope from Village Alaska" has a connection with the winter solstice, Dalton says. "These have been dark times for Alaska Native peoples, with statistics still painting a dark picture. But a new generation is here, waiting, ready to take on the challenges of healing our peoples and our world." The performance will share their stories. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3:30 p.m. Sunday in Sydney Laurence Theatre. Admission is $20, $15 for seniors, military and youth, available at centertix.net.
Radio drama in the works
Coming up in one month, Anchorage's Time Travel Literary Club will present a live radio play in costume with piano accompaniment and sound effects. "In the past five years, live performance vintage radio plays have surged in popularity," says co-host Jocelyn Paine. The Anchorage Concert Association, for example, will present a twist on the format with "The Intergalactic Nemesis," also in January.
The Time Travel group is performing an homage to Dashiell Hammett, "The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Blood Money Caper." The performance will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 at Hugi-Lewis Studio, 1008 W. Northern Lights Blvd. Stay tuned.
Alaska authors make regional list
The most recent rankings from the Pacific Northwest Independent Booksellers have Eowyn Ivey's "The Snow Child" in position no. 15 in the paperback fiction rankings. "Snow Child" has made the regional listing several times since it came out in 2012. In what appears to be a debut appearance on the list, Sam Keith's "First Wilderness: My Quest in the Territory of Alaska" (Alaska Northwest Books) is also listed 15th on the paperback nonfiction list.
Writers sought for Alaska Sampler
Deb Vanasse's Running Fox Books project is looking for "fresh" work by Alaska authors for the next edition of "The Alaska Sampler," an annual ebook anthology. Vanasse is casting a wide net and says works can be whole or excerpted, new or previously published, fiction or nonfiction. She's also looking for illustrations and photos. The main criteria is the quality of the writing. The ebook is offered free to readers; the benefit for writers, Vanasse says, is that the anthology is "a proven discovery tool for increasing readership." The deadline is Jan. 10. You can get details at runningfoxbooks.com/submit.html. The 2014 edition included work by Dana Stabenow, Ned Rozell, Don Rearden, Leigh Newman and Howard Weaver.
First folk weekend artists announced
Foghorn Stringband will headline the first weekend at the Anchorage Folk Festival, Jan. 21-25. Festival organizers say the band is one of their most requested acts and is "credited for igniting the Old Time Renaissance in the Northwest." Well, I'm sure they weren't alone, but with thousands of shows and a decade of touring in America and Europe, along with seven albums, there's no denying their popularity.
Additional information about the Folk Festival is expected to be announced in coming weeks.
Arts council meets
The Alaska State Council on the Arts will hold its third-quarter teleconference meeting at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 23. Among other business, the council will be approving grants to artists and art groups. The public is welcome to attend the meeting in person at the offices at 161 Klevin St., Suite 102. To listen in, contact the office at 269-6610 or toll-free, 888-278-7424.
Maritime follow-ups
With regard to the Sikuliaq article in this section last week, we hear that the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks has an interactive exhibit about the ship, which has yet to arrive in Alaska. "Arctic Odyssey: Voyages of the R/V Sikuliaq" will be up through April with videos detailing the design and construction of the ship and scientists discussing research projects. You don't have to go there to appreciate the exhibit because there's a digital tour available. Visit uaf.edu/museum and look for the digital media section.
On a snowy May morning last year, we covered the commissioning of the USS Anchorage at the namesake city's port. Sharp-eyed readers noted that the warship -- technically an "amphibious transport dock" -- was involved in recovering the Orion spacecraft after it splashed down on Dec. 5. The Orion picks up where the old Apollo project, which took men to the moon, left off 42 years ago. It's said that the skills and technologies for manned space flight have eroded since Apollo 17, with close-orbit space shuttles and the International Space Station taking priority over dreams of interplanetary travel.
Those dreams may be revived, though on an uncertain timetable. Orion's unmanned four-hour test flight was aimed at determining whether the capsule will be capable of sending people to Mars. Navy divers were used to secure it once it hit the water and the Anchorage's capacious "well deck," sort of a floating dry dock, received the craft.
On last year's tour, this landlubber found the ship to be tight quarters, though the crew members I spoke with seemed delighted with the space when compared to other ships on which they've served. That said, the Anchorage seemed positively capacious compared to the Orion.
Alaska Dispatch Publishing