PRATT MUSEUM

established in 1968

Shifting Tides: Convergence in Cloth

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October 9 – November 28, 2020

“Whither the Waterfront?” by Cathy Miranker

Art quilts from Studio Art Quilt Associates Pacific regions

An exploration of the effect of the Pacific Ocean on the lives of people
living in the coastal states and province of the North American continent
and in Hawai‘i.

Created as a group exhibit to shine a light on the issues facing the Pacific Ocean today, Shifting Tides is a collection of work by 45 artists chosen from the seven Pacific-facing regions of SAQA. Curated by renowned textile artist Ann Johnston, the exhibit offers a variation of style and context about the plight of oceans and the communities they support.

From their strikingly different vantage points—from Southern California northward to Western Canada and Alaska, plus Hawai`i—artists from a range of backgrounds were asked to express their concerns and feelings about the Pacific. “Merely because we live in this part of the world, we as individuals are part of the Pacific ecosystem. On a daily basis we may not recognize the changes that are happening, but they are of vital importance to our world,” write Georgia French and Sonja Campbell, co-chairs of the exhibit planning committee.

Shifting Tides debuted in San Jose, California at the 2019 SAQA Conference for the purpose of showcasing the talents of SAQA members living in the greater North Pacific region. The show will tour the seven participating Regions, bringing to public view the innovative contemporary art that SAQA stands for.

 

 

Denali: Artists Respond to Composers

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February 4 – May 25, 2020

DENALI Artists Respond to Music Inspired by Wilderness was conceived at the confluence of two languages-music and visual art. Elements Artist Group, six artists anchored in Alaska, created eighteen pieces of art in collaboration with nine composers from Composing in the Wilderness 2017. Each piece of art is a personal response to a musical composition. Composers from Denali National Park’s Composing in the Wilderness program shared their music scores, ideas, and information about specific locations that kindled their inspiration. Elements artists have all experience the transformative potency of living, working, traveling, or being an Artist in Residence in Denali Park. Their connections to this rare wilderness, alon with knowledge of specific places influence their responses–the colors, textures, shapes, and images they chose.

Each visual work in the show is accompanied by a musical score and QR link to audio of the composition by which it was inspired.

Kathy Smith: Rivers of Ice

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October 4 – December 28, 2019

Kathy Smith is a painter and a long time resident of Homer, Alaska. She can see Grewingk Glacier from her house, and has been watching glaciers retreat since visiting Portage Glacier as a child. Her new paintings are a record of visits to various glaciers in Alaska, and a testament to the effects of a changing climate on the northern landscape. Her work is represented in the Pratt Museum’s permanent collection.

All Alaska Biennial

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“Grandma” by Christopher Judd. Oil on Linen, 5′ x 3′. All Alaska Biennial, Honorable Mention

All-Alaska Biennial features contemporary work by Alaska artists. This juried exhibition is a continuation of the museum’s All-Alaska Juried and Earth, Fire & Fibre exhibitions, which began more than 30 years ago to encourage creation of new works in all media by Alaska artists. Guest juror Candice Hopkins is a citizen of Carcross/Tagish First Nation in Yukon, Canada, and is an independent curator and writer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The exhibition’s call for entries drew 634 submissions from 161 artists. Works include drawing, painting, mixed media, craft, jewelry, fiber art, visual art, metalsmithing, printmaking, encaustic, ceramic, book/paper arts, photography and sculpture.

Hopkins selected Anchorage artist Kristy Summers’ mixed-media piece Descend for the Juror’s Choice Award, with honorable mentions going to Anchorage artist Christopher Judd’s oil on linen on board painting, Grandma; and Anchorage photographer Mark Stadsklev’s photography giclée print No Way Out. The exhibition opened in Anchorage and travels to other Alaska locations throughout Fall 2019.

All Alaska Biennial is organized by The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. Support for this traveling exhibition has been made possible with the support of: Alaska State Council on the Arts, a federal Agency; the Municipality of Anchorage, the Anchorage Museum Association and the Anchorage Museum Foundation Alaska Airlines Silver Anniversary Fund.