Artist hopes Utqiaġvik snow sculpture can help bring light to people grieving during holidays

After the darkest night of the year, Utqiaġvik residents will hold a candlelight vigil and honor lost loved ones — gathering around an 8-foot-tall snow sculpture.

With hymns, songs and traditional dancing, the community will celebrate Blue Christmas, the Christian tradition that marks the longest night of the year and supports people who are navigating grief and loss during holidays. The event will take place from noon to 3 p.m. Friday at Eben Hopson Middle School.

“The holidays can be so challenging when you are grieving the loss of somebody,” said Tandi Perkins, development director of the nonprofit ministry Arctic Mission Adventures, which spearheaded the event. “We don’t talk about that a lot. We grieve silently.”

As a symbol of support and unity, the highlight of the event will be a snow sculpture depicting a semicircle of eight people with their arms around each other’s shoulders. Twenty feet across, 8 feet deep and 8 feet tall, the sculpture is titled “Strength in Our Light” and is located behind the school.

An ice lantern with a light inside will be inset into the chest area of each figure, said the sculptor, Paul Hanis, who was invited to create the sculpture.

“That kind of adds the symbolism of light that we have within ourselves,” Hanis said.

A seal oil lamp will be placed in front of the figures. During the candlelight vigil, some attendees will sit on a curved bench embedded in the sculpture.

The Friday program will open inside the school with a welcome and song, Perkins said. Then the attendants will move outside for a prayer, each given a flameless candle to hold.

“Everyone, as they turn their candle out, will speak the name of a loved one that they have lost,” Perkins said.

Back inside the school, people will hear words of support and encouragement from the borough and city mayors, as well as other community leaders, and pastors.

Brought to life with the help of the North Slope Borough, the City of Utqiaġvik, the Arctic Slope Native Association and others, the event will also include local artists performing traditional dances and organizations showcasing available mental health resources. There will also be activities for children and food to share.

In addition to the light from the candles, ice lanterns and a seal oil lamp, colored and flashing lights will shine on the sculpture and the crowd, Hanis said.

“It’s going to be a spectacle,” he said.

Hanis spent more than a week carving the sculpture, giving the most time and attention to the figures’ faces. He said he wanted each of the figures to look different in personality and age.

“I wanted them to be different from one another to represent a broad range of people instead of a row of ruff hoods that all look the same,” Hanis said on Facebook. “I want each figure to be able to tell its own story.”

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While Hanis was at work, community members came by to look at the sculpture in progress.

Hanis is an artist and sculptor who has been working in Alaska for 22 years, and lives in the McCarthy area. He creates nature-inspired art using watercolors and carves wood, steel, snow and ice. With his snow sculptures, he has participated in and won numerous state and national competitions. Coming to Utqiaġvik, he said, has been a highlight of his snow sculpting career.

“It’s just been really amazing being here and everybody here has been very wonderful to me,” he said. “I — like many, many others in Alaska — do have a personal story of losing a friend to suicide, so just the purpose of the event resonates with me. ... It’s close to the heart, and that just makes it more special.”

Alaska has one of the highest rates of suicide per capita in the country, and North Slope communities are no exception. A lack of resources is a big factor contributing to the troubling statistics, but another element that can make a difference is the ability to talk about mental health, said Yvonne Biswokarma, missionary volunteer and physical therapist trained in suicide prevention and crisis intervention.

In Alaska, when people struggle, they seldom reach out to each other, Biswokarma said.

“We need to make it something we can talk about,” she said. “Building those connections can make all the difference and save lives.”

The Blue Christmas tradition started in Utqiaġvik in 2019 as an attempt to open conversations about mental health and dispel the taboos associated with suicide, grief and loss, Biswokarma said. The hope is that other communities across Alaska will organize similar events as well.

“It’s important to tell people that they’re not alone, that, you know, there’s help,” Perkins said. “This holiday does not have to be a repeat, perhaps, of previous holidays where they felt isolated.”

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If you or someone you know are dealing with a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts, you can call the 24/7 Alaska Careline at 988, or 1-877-266-HELP at any time. For more information on the Alaska Suicide Prevention Council and suicide in Alaska, visit health.alaska.gov/suicideprevention.