The most eye-catching items I saw in the round of art openings on Feb. 5 were not new. They were a trio of pieces by James Schoppert, who died in 1992. One was a painting that looked like an expressionist rendition of his well-known mask forms with legs, more sculpture than mask in some cases. Schoppert was best known for his contemporary work, like the sculpture outside the Sullivan Arena. Next to it, however, were two precise portraits in charcoal, I think. One was of a Native man, the other of a Native woman and child. It took a second glance to confirm that they were not photographs. The figures resembled the subjects in Edward Curtis' photos from Alaska, but I didn't find any originals that made me think Schoppert had copied them. It was a reminder that, early in his career, Schoppert made money with fabulously realistic portraits.
The Schoppert pieces, along with an original drawing of a dog team by another "old master," Florence Malewotkuk, were at Two Friends Gallery on Benson Boulevard. The shop directs part of its sales to different charities each month. February's charity is the Alaska Cancer Care Alliance.
I also swung by Alaska Pacific University, where two artists with work in the All-Alaska Biennial each had solo shows. Amy Meissner's piece in the Biennial, noted in Friday's main article, is titled "Reliquary # 8." There were at least eight other fabric "reliquaries" in her Grant Hall show, which is appropriately titled "Reliquary." Other pieces in the show included one of the disturbing numbers from her "Girl Story" series.
Next door in the Carr-Gottstein Building was more work by another Biennialist, Cole Robbins. Robbins' constructions are primarily interesting arrangements of wood pieces that look like they were rescued from the odds and ends box next to the table saw in a woodworker's shop. But there was also a startling found object, a single chunk of charred wall from the lamented Motherlode Lodge, the longtime establishment on Hatcher Pass Road that burned down last year.
Another artist with a simultaneous solo exhibit and juried work in the Biennial is Don Decker. His solo show at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art, "Snow on the Water," has paintings, wood carvings and assemblages.
Near the International Gallery at 417B D St. is a relatively new space, Uptown Artists. The independent gallery was started by four artists-in-residence in November. There's usually one revolving artist added in. The hours look iffy, but a sign asks patrons to enter through the Bubbly Mermaid oyster and Champagne bar next door and ask the bartender to let them in. Said saloonist can also take the money for purchases.
Returning to the Anchorage Museum for a moment, you may have noticed that lanes of Sixth Avenue and A Street adjacent to the building are blocked off. This is to accommodate construction of a fabulous new second-floor addition. Museum personnel tell me it will last for 14 months off and on, mostly on. Drive carefully.
Palmer historians seek help with photos
The Palmer Museum of History and Art is working to develop a visual history of the area and make it accessible to the public. The museum has over 2,200 historical prints, slides and negatives but most are not organized in a way that makes them available for public use or research. Other Valley nonprofits and private photo collections have at least as many photos and face the same problem, which the museum's Photography Collections Management Project hopes to address over the next few years.
A number of the photos show people and places that staff cannot identify, and the public's help is being asked at a three-day open house event. A number of the mystery photos will be on display. People will be asked to look them over and share whatever information they may know about the subjects in the photos. There will be door prizes, a slideshow and a roundtable area where participants can chat and maybe trigger some memories.
The museum will also take donations of pre-1960 photos from the vicinity during the event. Donors will be given copies of the photos on CDs. Eventually the photos will be available in an online database.
We should note that this is not necessarily an event just for Palmer people; the city has been home to many people who now live in other parts of the state.
The event will take place 1-9 p.m. Feb. 17, 18 and 21 at the Palmer Depot, 610 S. Valley Way. For more information, call 907-749-7668.
Hayes tours state
Ernestine Hayes, whose acclaimed memoir "Blonde Indian" is the featured book for this year's Alaska Reads program, has been busy traveling from one end of the state to the other encouraging people to read and, more specifically, to read books by Alaska authors. The program, sponsored by the Alaska Center for the Book, tries to get as many people in the state to read and talk about the same book at the same time.
Hayes is leaving no venue unturned. Her visit to Anchorage wraps up with appearances at Begich Middle School and Bean's Cafe on Friday, Feb. 12, and at McLaughlin Youth Center and the Clitheroe Center on Saturday. She'll be in Nome Feb. 15-16, in Kenai on Feb. 17, Ninilchik on Feb. 18 and Homer on Feb. 19-20. She'll have an event at the Noel Wien Library in Fairbanks at 2 p.m. Feb. 21, followed by other appearances in Fairbanks. Weather permitting, she'll be in Barrow Feb. 24-25, in Seward on Feb. 27 and Sitka on Feb. 28 before returning home to Juneau on Leap Day.
One wonders when she'll find time to write before spring.
Jazz at O'Malley's
Rick Zelinsky will perform with guitarist John Sterling and drummer Adesanjo Wolfe 6:30 – 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, at O'Malley's on the Green. Zelinsky tells us that Wolfe is "very young," a student at Dimond High School, in fact.
Garcia Lorca in Haines
The Lynn Canal Community Players in Haines are performing "The House of Bernarda Alba,'" by Spanish dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca. The playwright wrote down this play, his last one, shortly before he was executed in the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
The play is unusual in that it has 19 female characters and no men. Make that 218 female characters if you follow the stage directions literally, which no one does. It's kind of hard to know when Garcia Lorca was writing practical theater or metaphysical poetry. It may be the first time the play has ever been done in Alaska. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 13, and 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. The presentation will take place in the Chilkat Center for the Performing Arts.