PRATT MUSEUM

established in 1968

Ron Senungetuk: A Retrospective

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The exhibit, Ron Senungetuk: A Retrospective is coming to the Pratt Museum & Park in October and will be open through December 18th.
The opening reception will be held from 4 – 6 PM on October 22nd, please join us!

“All world art regardless of age is based on a will to express. You “portray” art because you are a member of society and you interpret what is around you. While doing this, others may try to limit you, but you have no limits.” Ron Senungetuk, 2006

Iñupiaq artist Ronald Senungetuk was a world-renowned sculptor, silversmith, and woodcarver. As an artist, educator, and mentor, he had a profound impact on the visual arts in Alaska. He founded the Native Art Center in 1965 and was one of the first Alaska Native professors to receive tenure from UAF.

Senungetuk was a recipient of both the Rasmuson Foundation Distinguished Artist Award and the Alaska State Council on the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015, he was presented with an honorary doctorate from the University of Alaska for his work in advocating for art in Alaska.

Photo Art Credit: Aurora Borealis I II III by Ron Senungetuk. Purchase of this artwork for the Pratt Museum permanent collection has been made possible through the generous support of the Rasmuson Foundation
Photo of Ron Senungetuk by Michael Armstrong/Geo France

Alaska Positive: Juried Photograph Exhibition

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Join us at the Pratt Museum to see Alaska Positive on display in our People and Place Gallery May 7 – August 28, 2021.

Now in its 49th year, Alaska Positive is a statewide juried photographic exhibition organized and toured by the Alaska State Museum. Its purpose is to encourage the practice of photography as an art form in Alaska. Alaska Positive was on exhibit at the Alaska State Museum from December 6, 2019, through February 15, 2020, and then traveled to Cordova in 2021, and will now be on display in Homer from May through August. After Homer, the statewide tour continues, as the exhibition travels to museums throughout Alaska.

The juror for Alaska Positive was David Michael Kennedy, whose photographic career spans over 50 years. Kennedy selected 38 photographs by 26 photographers for the exhibit. Overall, 202 photographs were submitted by Alaskan photographers for the competition. The top award, the Juror’s Choice, went to Cody Swanson of Anchorage for the photograph titled Dipnetters. The Awards of Recognition went to Mike Gates of Ketchikan for Self, and Iris Korhonen-Penn of Juneau for Auke Lake, Bunchberry, Eagle Beach, and Lincoln Island. These awards are sponsored by the Friends of the Alaska State Library, Archives, and Museum.

In a Time of Change: Microbial Worlds

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June 4 – September 25, 2021Impermafrost by Gail Priday
An Art / Humanities / Science Collaborative exhibit

Discover the hidden world of microscopic organisms as seen through the lens of the arts. In this collaborative exhibit sponsored by the arts-humanities-science consortium, In a Time of Change, fourteen artists and writers magnify the physical beauty of microbes and illuminate the many roles they play in human and environmental health.

 

Familiar Faces: Portraits of Community

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Familiar Faces: Portraits of Community 2021 Exhibit imageJoin us February 5 – May 29, 2021 for our newest special exhibit, Familiar Faces: Portraits of Community. During an era of social distancing, this exhibit provides visitors the opportunity to ‘meet’ our neighbors and community members throughout history, with up-close observations of individuals and the stories that surround them. Familiar Faces features special content by guest community members Joshua Veldstra, Christina Whiting, and Clark Fair, and draws on the Pratt Museum’s permanent collections to illustrate the deeper stories behind – and beyond – these seemingly simple images. We hope you take an opportunity to discover the soul of our community portrayed in this exhibit, and explore what portraits can reveal about the people of Kachemak Bay.