Artist Katie Craney is teaching a found materials art class via Zoom on May 14 at 7 p.m.
The course, hosted by Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, is open to Haines, Klukwan and Skagway residents and aims to make art out of found and recycled materials. Craney also wants to increase awareness for her project that is raising funds for COVID-19 relief.
“We’re encouraging people to use stuff they have around the house or to do a hike or a beach walk and incorporate that into their work. It’s very open ended,” Craney said. “I’ll be guiding them through the style I work with and talk about what the materials mean and how we can reflect on the things that we use in our daily lives and how we don’t always have to buy brand new materials to make art.”
Craney has been giving away a limited amount of her art works, typically made on small metal plates, to people who have donated at least $25 in cash or objects of a similar value.
“(Alpenglow owner) Cambria Goodwin gave away pizza,” Craney said. “It could be a donation to a homeless shelter or food pantry. Some people gave canned salmon to a food pantry here locally.”
Participants took pictures of their receipts, sent them to Craney and she mailed them one of her original artworks. She helped to raise $1,400 with the 24 pieces she gave away. Craney will begin the effort anew with 24 additional pieces on Tuesday, May 12. The pieces are from an exhibition she did in an Iceland herring factory last summer.
More details about the effort, and how to participate, can be found at katieionecraney.com
Craney went to art school in Wisconsin and has been featured in exhibitions across the country and in Europe.
Most of her work is done on scrap metal that she salvages from the recycling center, the side of the road or from building projects, along with found objects such as teeth, fur, fish bones, plastic food packaging and other human-made material.
RSVP for the Zoom class at http://www.seacc.org/lynn_canal_hunker_down. For more details, email [email protected].