John Hoover, Alaska art legend, passes away at 91

According to several outlets, Alaska art legend John Hoover died Saturday morning at his home in Washington state at the age of 91. Hoover, born in Cordova, said in 1998 he came to art late in life; building a seine boat from scratch in 1960 inspired him to begin sculpting, primarily wood. In the ensuing years, he explored a vision centering around traditional stories and legends of Native Alaska. Hoover's works were shown around the world and became some of the most prized contemporary Alaska art. Through public and corporate installations in Alaska, his work also remains some of the most visible to Alaskans. Read more at The Anchorage Daily News, here, but if nothing else, check out the web archive of the retrospective show of Hoover's work held by the Anchorage Museum of History and Art in 2002.