Book sale, trucker hats at First Friday
A slew of First Friday live arts events in downtown Haines and nearby are planned for Friday, Sep. 7 beginning at 5 p.m.
The Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center in Klukwan will feature demonstrations from master weaver Lani Hotch and Northwest coast carver Jim Heaton between 3 and 4 p.m.
The Babbling Book and Dragon’s Nook will hold a first anniversary celebration between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. with refreshments and music from 5 to 7 p.m.
Local author Tom Lang will be signing copies of his books, “How To Write A Love Letter” and “Tales From Alaska” on Main Street during First Friday. On Monday, Sep. 10 at the Haines Public Library, Lang will be doing another signing and a workshop on writing love letters. Fifty percent of the book sales will go to Hospice of Haines. The suggested donation for both the workshop and the book is $30.
From his website: “A great love letter can open hearts, build bridges, and heal wounds. This workbook, full of beautiful roses and beautiful questions, will help you build a love letter full of little love notes to tell a love story to everyone in your life, be it partner, family or friends.”
Alpenglow and the Rusty Compass will host a sidewalk chalk art contest on Main Street with the theme “Wild Things!” Prizes will be awarded.
The Magpie Gallery on Second Avenue will have Annemarie Hasskamp’s “Glacial Naturals” line of bath, body, and homecare products. Glacial Naturals are handcrafted candles, balms, oils, soaps and other products made with local botanicals and ingredients.
Ampersand AK Gallery will have Dress Fest: a 1950’s-90’s vintage clothing pop-up.
The Haines Sheldon Museum will host an opening reception for their new exhibit, “Watershed: Ecology and Culture of the Chilkat Valley.” Several artists will contribute to the exhibit.
The Port Chilkoot Distillery will be showing collages by Nate Anderson. “These collages are manifested from an impulse to create,” Anderson said. “They are blended juxtapositions of 90’s Nat Geo, 70’s WWII, and, of course, Alaska.”
The Alaska Wild Bear Photography Gallery, across from the cruise ship dock, will be showing Brian Staurseth’s Photos by the Sea.
At Lynn View Mercantile, Mandy Ramsey will be presenting her trucker hats—trucker style hats with Ramsey’s designs.
Shipwreck subject of September play
The sinking of the Princess Sophia will be the subject of an original play written and directed by Sue Waterhouse and Mark Sebens. The play, based on the 1918 ship disaster just outside of Berner’s Bay, is billed as a documentary theater production.
“The play is based on real events and real people,” Waterhouse said. “We chronicle the experiences of a few of the passengers as the ship was grounded on Vanderbilt Reef.”
A storm forced the Canadian Pacific steamer aground shortly after pulling out of Skagway on Oct. 23, 1918. Rescue crews circled the steamer waiting to unload passengers until the storm drove them away. None of the 353 passengers or crew survived the ship’s sinking.
Waterhouse and Sebens are using letters recovered from the wreckage that will help them create characters for the play. Waterhouse said she’s read four books and completed online research in an effort to bring the history to life on stage.
“I found this story so intriguing because it basically happened in our backyard, on the same route we’ve all travelled in the ferries,” Waterhouse said. “I can’t help but thinking, ‘These are people just like us.’ The historical events themselves are so interesting, we don’t need to overdramatize them.”
Theatergoers will witness a series of vignettes that explore the characters and their lives. The set of the Princess Sophia will be built on the stage and wings of the Chilkat Center. Emphasis on lighting and costumes will highlight the characters more than the ship, Waterhouse said. Historical photos will also be part of the set. Although not a musical, singing and dancing will be a part of the play.
The Lynn Canal Community Players production will include 22 characters including two roles for kids. A casting call was held Monday. Performances are set for the last weekend of September.
Performer to teach ukulele workshop
Singer songwriter Richard Gilewitz will teach ukulele and guitar workshops before his scheduled performance in the Chilkat Center Lobby Sep. 15.
Haines Arts Council’s Tom Heywood said Gilewitz uses humor and storytelling as part of his set. “He’s coming up here from Tallahassee,” Heywood said. “He’s got a long history of international travel and performances. He’s also a humorist. He’s a very entertaining performer.”
Gilewitz, a fingerstyle guitarist, has taught guitar at the Alaska Guitar Camp in Wasilla.
He’ll teach the ukulele workshop at noon on Sep. 15 and a guitar workshop at 1 p.m. The cost is $15 for each workshop, or $25 for both. Participants must bring their own instruments. There is no size limit for the classes. Interested musicians should call Heywood at 766-3056 to sign up.
Gilewitz said he plans to teach fingerpicking, rhythm, how to play along with others and a sneak peak into music theory. “Bring a capo and a tuner,” Gilewitz said. “I’ll have people put the capo on the different locations. If they play the same thing it creates a little guitar orchestra.
Gilewitz will perform at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for arts council members.
‘Watershed’ aims to spotlight valley’s natural beauty
The Haines Sheldon Museum will open its newest exhibit “Watershed” from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Hakkinen Gallery during First Friday, Sep. 7.
The collaborative exhibit will display pieces by a host of local artists including Katie Craney, Megan Morehouse, Andrea Nelson, Joe Ordonez, Lindsay Johnson, Alan Jones, Jeffrey Moskowitz, Debi Knight Kennedy, Rebecca Brewer and Sam Jackson. To showcase the myriad textures of the Chilkat Valley, the artists will present work in a variety of mediums including cartography, photography, painting, sculpture and more.
The pieces are designed to showcase the “intrinsic ecological, cultural and aesthetic value of the Chilkat Valley and its fragility in the face of cumulative environmental impacts,” the exhibit’s press release says.
Southeast Alaska Conservation Council’s Chilkat Watershed Organizer Shannon Donahue said while many valley residents understand the watershed’s importance for its consumptive benefits, such as salmon and berries, it also has an intrinsic beauty that might escape notice. “I think we sometimes fail to recognize the watershed for its own intrinsic values, the beauty of what it is,” Donahue said. “I think that’s what the exhibit is trying to convey.”
The exhibit’s title refers both to the ecological watershed and to the concept of a watershed moment. “From an artistic perspective, the show aims to precipitate a watershed moment that challenges the way we think about the natural systems that support us, and fosters active participation in our place and its dynamic natural systems,” the release says.
“Watershed” runs from Friday, Sep. 7 through Saturday, Nov. 11. New exhibits will be added in October.