The First Friday art openings came on what my Alaskan sensitivities consider an intolerably hot night, 75 degrees. That and the exodus of Anchorage's mobile population for the Fourth of July weekend made for some pretty sparse crowds at most of the shows I got to. But some of the work deserves a bigger audience and a second look.
Patrons at Blue.Hollomon Gallery commented on the brightness of Graham Dane's recent abstracts. Dane spoke to me about the metaphysical implications of his show, titled "Roots of Travel," how he hoped that people would react to the paintings as if to music, letting the images wash over them and reacting directly, without reference to verbal, visual or physical analogs.
In his artist statement, Dane wrote about "conjuring of the world beyond the edge or your eyesight" as an act of faith "that painting can be evocative, a thing in itself." The question a viewer should ask when looking at a work of art is not "What am I looking at?" he said, but "How do I feel?" People accept that connection with music, he said. In fact few ever ask how they feel about music because most of us know, instantly, how we feel. People are less willing to accept the connection with visual art, but Dane pleads for viewers to be open to the possibility.
Of the three exhibits at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art, I was most impressed by "Sexual Sovereignty," in which Ricky Tagaban "compares sexual and weaving norms and taboos in Tlingit and mainstream culture." Though trained in traditional weaving, Tagaban's key piece here is "Don'ts," an installation of inflated condoms, each containing a piece of paper on which an admonition is written. Visitors pop a condom with a pin and read sentences like "Don't spin wool while pregnant," "Don't weave with red" and "Men don't weave."
Condoms also feature in an assemblage titled "Self Preservation," a reference to STDs. Tagaban, who identifies himself as gay, uses familiar Chilkat weaving techniques in unexpected ways in several pieces, like a woven whip titled "Dominant Culture."
Tagaban says he respects the traditions of his Native culture, but is "taking thoughtful liberties" with them. There's a strong sense of distance in "Cultural Preservation," a classic formline figure behind frames, as if being viewed through a window.
Also in the gallery is a series of "Picture Letters" by Meiko Takamae that include mostly plant and animal figures accompanied by motivational statements written in Japanese and translated in the adjacent name tag. For instance, a shrimp comes with the message, "Even with a bent back, I will stay healthy." A number of these small paintings had sold by last week.
The center gallery is taken by large ceramic animal parts, including walrus heads and a giant moose jaw, by Alanna DeRocchi with animal sketches posted on the wall. The sculptures were somewhat disturbing, especially the decapitated moose, but I thought the stand-alone moose rump might make good garden art.
DeRocchi will give an artist talk at the gallery at 6 p.m. July 31. The other two gave their talks earlier this month.
Next door to the International is Sparc studio, gallery and learning space. I stuck my head in to check out John Will's rolling ball sculpture, "One Man's Trash." It's an ambitious construction of rails and moving parts, but was not in motion while I was there. The main art on display was by an artist who signs himself "Ramond" and who paints some arresting images of Native American scenes. His oil paintings are large and engrossing. A print of one, "Apache," is on sale for $20. There are also several postcards with his work in the gallery.
By the time I got to the recently inaugurated Huffman Road scene, the sun had me sizzling like the hot dogs on the grill in front of the Northern Made Creations Gift Shop and Gallery. The store is mostly gift-oriented, but had some notable ceramics, gold jewelry and photos of northern lights. They also had an assortment of kuspuks, which you don't find in many places.
Other area business owners were lending their walls and space to create a First Friday happening in South Anchorage. One that particularly charmed me was Anchorage re:Made. This is a collective of volunteer crafties who give used stuff new uses, sort of like the Salvation Army's "Transformed Treasures" event, except run like a shop filled with one-of-a-kinds. I particularly liked the stuffed whales made from old clothes.
On July 3 they were temporarily in the back of the 12-100 Coffee Shop at 12100 Old Seward Highway, where they meet and accept donations each week, 1-7 p.m. Thursdays. You can find out more, including a list of acceptable donations, at anchorageremade.com. They're still looking for a permanent site, but you can find them at the Anchorage Market and Festival on Saturday, July 18.
The best double-take I got while prowling between art venues came from the big posters applied to the windows of the former Elaine Baker and Associates showroom at Fifth and C (now relocated to Fifth and Gambell), announcing a new North Face outlet "opening fall 2014."
I can't wait.
Centennial follow-up
In an opinion column about the Anchorage Centennial last Friday I glibly asked "where's the cake?" and mentioned some was promised at the Cook Inlet Historical Society meeting on July 9. In fact they did have a 12-by-18-inch cake and Major Ethan Berkowitz was there to cut it. The meeting was very well attended, perhaps 200 people, but the mayor managed to produce enough slices so that everyone who wanted it got a piece. CIHS President James Barnett said he offered to take over the cutting duties at one point but Berkowitz insisted on wielding the knife himself.
The speaker of the evening was historian Preston Jones, whose books include "City for Empire," an analysis of early Anchorage. He made the case for Anchorage's strategic importance to the nation, even before the first lots of the government railroad town were auctioned off on July 10, 1915. He also got heads nodding when he talked about "the myth of Seward's Folly."
It's become part of the Alaska story that William Seward was ridiculed for promoting the purchase of Russian holdings in North America, widely thought to have been nothing but ice and polar bears. The reality was somewhat different, Jones noted. Congress agreed to the purchase with near unanimity, by today's standards. The public and press were mostly enthusiastic about the idea of expanding America's holdings. Opposition, and ridicule, was limited to a few muted voices.
But it is that handful of critiques that we remember and repeat. Jones' theory is that their importance has been inflated by Alaskans themselves, reading into history their general attitude that the rest of the country doesn't love or understand us.
The next CIHS meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 20 at the Anchorage Museum and will recognize the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Municipality of Anchorage, Sept. 15, 1975. Former mayors and members of the Anchorage Charter Commission will talk about the grinding process that led to the merger of the old City of Anchorage and the Greater Anchorage Area Borough.
Also of Centennial note, the ledger of sales at the 1915 land auction has been loaned by Merle Akers to Cyrano's, where it will be on display for the next several weeks. The 413 D St. Playhouse is presenting a series of historical plays focused on successive decades from Anchorage's past. This week's installment: "The Lady is a Trucker; Anchorage Rides the Road to War" by Peter Porco, directed by Dick Reichman.
Tier 2 grants announced
The Rasmuson Foundation announced grants to 16 Alaska groups for large capital projects and programs of "broad" impact. Among the grants for recreational, health and social services were some with a particularly artistic thrust. The City of Saxman will receive $220,750 to expand the Edwin DeWitt Carving Center; $750,000 will pay for interior construction of the Jilkaat Kwaan cultural Heritage Center in Klukwan; and the Alaska State Fair will get $250,000 to design and build a stage dedicated to Alaska Native performances.
The Tier 2 grants were part of a disbursement of $7.6 million announced on July 1 for a list of items that include a campaign to discuss "a sustainable fiscal strategy for Alaska" and statewide marketing and coordination for the Pick.Click.Give program.
Cirque release party
The launch party for the latest edition of the Alaska literary journal Cirque will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, at the Blue.Hollomon Gallery, Arctic and 36th. Pieces in the new issue include an update from former Alaska Poet Laureate Joanne Townsend, an interview with Fairbanks poet John Morgan and a feature on the state parks' "Poems in Place" program.