A big crowd gathered at Stevens Anchorage International Airport on Sunday, Nov. 5, to welcome the Colony High School marching band on their return from Indianapolis, Indiana. The Northern Knights were the first Alaska group to compete in the Bands of America Grand Nationals. Ninety-five bands from schools large and small took part. Most had to beat out other teams in regional and state contests to advance this far. Being the only high school marching band in Alaska, however, Colony's main challenge was coming up with the airfare, which they managed with a lot of community support from fans in the Mat-Su region.
It was not expected that the band from a small school in a place where you can't march for most of the year would get much attention. Director Jamin Burton had previously told me that the main benefit of going was to expose the Alaska players to the best high school bands in the nation. But they did surprisingly well, placing a respectable 32nd in the highly competitive field. Judged on music, visual performance and overall effectiveness, they got a score of 64.55. Alas, not enough to get to the semifinals, where the five slots allotted for AA schools were topped by Marian Catholic of Chicago Heights, a school with a student body of 1,100.
The Marian band, which has won the Illinois state championships for 36 seasons in a row, received a 92.35 in the preliminary rounds and upped their game to 92.55 in the semifinals. They were the only AA band to make it to the finals. The last dozen bands consisted of 10 AAAA competitors, including several contenders from Texas who had undoubtedly encountered one another before. But the prize went to The Pride of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma -- which should be renamed "Smokin' Arrow," looking at the 97.50 total they scored to win the overall title for the third time. The Pride has been making noise this year with "Wild Blue Orchid," a sci-fi/fantasy routine that wowed the judges with some spectacular special effects.
Given that kind of experience, it's amazing Colony's modest "Great Land" show did as well as it did. But the judges knew pluck when they saw it. We hear the Palmer band was given the Spirit Award for "the most spirited, enthusiastic school." According to Bands of America's website, it comes with a $1,000 check for the program.
Two Alaskans receive USA fellowships
United States Artists has named two Fairbanks artists in their list of 37 fellows for 2015, Kathleen Carlo-Kendall and Da-ka-xeen Mehner. The two Alaskans were selected from a field of 400 submissions. Each receives an award of $50,000.
Both received their award in the category of traditional arts, though Alaskans may more readily identify them as contemporary artists with a certain amount of international stature. Carlo-Kendall's sculptures, which often reflect mask designs, are strong examples of abstract/expressionist forms. The materials used by multidimensional Mehner include photography, steel, projections, polymer and other media from the toolkit of the assemblage school, though his imagery is more clear and direct than what one generally encounters with "found art."
Work by each is included in the "Living Alaska" show now on display at the Anchorage Museum. The show is composed of art purchased through grants from the Rasmuson Foundation. Both Mehner and Carlo-Kendall have received Rasmuson grants.
Award for Heacox
Author Kim Heacox of Gustavus has won a National Outdoor Book Award for his novel "Jimmy Bluefeather," the story of an old Tlingit carver making his last canoe. The award is something of a surprise in two respects. First, it was published by Alaska Northwest Books, which hadn't published a work of original adult fiction in 56 years. Second, that it came from the National Outdoor Book people. Previous awards have gone to natural history, biography, science, travel guides and similar nonfiction. But this year is the first time that the honor has been presented for a work of fiction. It appears that the National Outdoor Book Award group had to come up with a brand-new category for "Jimmy Bluefeather," which suggests that the book is good enough to shake a lot of literati out of their usual way of doing things.
Know any Aleut hunters?
Author J. Pennelope Goforth is working on a new book with the enticing title, "Voyages of the Lost Ledgers." It will recount how six long-lost Alaska Commercial Company log books from the Aleutian Islands dating from the 1800s were discovered and what they contained, what locals bought from the stores and who hunted for the company. She'll give a talk and presentation at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, in Room 307 of the UAA/APU Consortium Library. She's particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may be related to the hunters of that era. The talk is free and open to the public.
Winds and wood concert
The next public program at Anchorage Lutheran Church will feature an unusual combination of woodwinds and marimba. Roxann Berry, Sharman Piper and Heather Williams (flute, oboe and bassoon, respectively) will be joined by Brady Byers on marimba in a program of mostly contemporary work. The performance is at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, and the church is located near Westchester Lagoon at 1420 N St. Admission is free, but donations are happily accepted to keep the concerts going.
Big screen in a narrow plane
Remember the days when in-flight movies were shown on a screen in the front of the cabin? You can relive that relatively uncomfortable experience -- rendered even more uncomfortable by the weather -- at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, when the Anchorage Museum will screen two films in a 737 now on display at the Alaska Aviation Museum. Part of the Cabin Fever Pop-Up Film Series, it will feature two experimental films that deal with "loneliness, eccentricity and dark humor," "Science Fiction" by J.J. Murphy and "Shockwaves" by Kasumi -- that's the multimedia professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Guggenheim award recipient, not the character in the "Dead or Alive" video game series, though neither of them seems to have a first name. The old Boeing jetliner parked at 4721 Aircraft Drive near Lake Hood is not running nowadays and that, apparently, means no heat. So viewers are advised to "please dress warmly." A reading by poet Elizabeth Thompson will also be part of the evening. Admission is $8 for museum members and $10 for others. Pre-order tickets by calling 929-9263.
Cannery history grants
The Alaska Historic Canneries Initiative Grant Program has grants of up to $1,000 to help jump-start cannery history projects in Alaska. Sponsored by the Alaska Historical Society, the grants are being made to people and groups to conduct historical research, collect archival materials, make photos, prepare educational material or actively preserve historic structures associated with Alaska's fishing industry. There are hundreds of cannery sites, some long abandoned, scattered across the state. The purpose of the project is to "raise the profile and enhance the preservation of seafood industry history in Alaska." Applications are due Jan. 1 and projects that receive grants must be completed by the end of 2016. Information can be found at alaskahistoricalsociety.org.
Juried art show opens in Bethel
The Yupiit Piciryarait Museum and Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center in Bethel are hosting their first juried art show, with an opening reception Friday, Nov. 20. Thirteen works selected by a jury panel are on display and will be available for sale through the Kuskokwim Art Guild. The show will remain on display through Dec. 23.
Subsistence art contest deadline approaches
The Federal Subsistence Management Program is seeking entries for its annual Subsistence Student Art Contest. The deadline is Dec. 1 for entries to be sent to the Office of Subsistence Management, Attn. Deborah Coble, 1011 E. Tudor Road, Mail Stop 121, Anchorage 99503-6199. This year's theme is Alaska subsistence wildlife and the winner will be published on the cover of the book of regulations concerning harvest of wildlife on federal lands. Artwork must be 8.5 by 11 inches and -- it should go without saying -- be original and have an Alaska wildlife subsistence theme.
Thanksgiving comes early
The Giving Thanks Dance Festival will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, in Lucy Cuddy Hall at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Billed as an Alaska Native dance and potluck event, performers will include Dena'ina, Sugpiaq, Inupiaq, Yup'ik and Tsimshian dance groups. Admission is free.
Reach Mike Dunham at 257-4332 or mdunham@alaskadispatch.com.