Arts Outlook

First Friday

The year’s first “First Friday” art event is set for April 1 with exhibits or activities at several locations around town.

Ampersand Alaska is celebrating its fourth birthday, with ampersand-shaped treats and fridge magnets along with its regular fare of art and merchandise. Residents Andrea Nelson and Amelia Nash are partners in the business. The party will run 5-7 p.m.

“This is an opportunity for us to say ‘thank you’ to the community for all the support we’ve received, especially through COVID,” Nelson said. The shop supports nearly 60 artists from Alaska and the Yukon Territory.

She describes the gallery as a “curated space attuned to local artists, the nuances of Alaska and the environment we live in. We like to see the human hand in our merchandise, aiming at small-batch and hand-crafted goods.”

Next door to Ampersand on Main Street, the Alaska Arts Confluence office will feature an exhibit of hand-painted silks by Tonya Clark. A resident for more than 23 years, Clark has a zoology degree but minored in art while in college.

The exhibit is titled, “Fragile Colors: Appreciating Alaska’s Amazing Beauty and Delicate Ecosystem.” She works with silks, paints and dyes, including in the batik method.

The granddaughter of a professional oil painter, Clark took up a paint brush at age four and participated in adult art classes at an early age. She said she enjoys all painting mediums but currently favors silk paintings because colors show beautifully on fabric and the final product can be displayed easily in a number of different ways.

Clark’s goal as an artist is to develop her own style and create works that are light-hearted and fun.

At the Sheldon Museum, visitors will see a display of Tlingit miniatures, including tiny, hand-crafted totems, canoes dolls, moccasins and spoons.

Collections manager Zack James explained that previous to Western settlement, Tlingits created small items as toys for children, practice pieces, and/or as an expression of their artistry, as represented by tiny, woven thimble baskets.

With the arrival of the tourist trade, manufacture of miniatures boomed to meet the demand for souvenirs. Miniature totems carved to match real poles and tiny canoes also were made, as well as beaded items.

Some of the miniatures also may have been created by students at Haines House, a boarding house for Native students on the site of today’s Presbyterian Church.

“Many of the government schools and Presbyterian boarding schools were supported by craft-making on the industrial school model,” James said. Students were expected not only to do chores like kitchen work but also to raise money to pay for their keep. “They make you pay for your tuition,” was an expression used by James’ grandmother, who attended the Wrangell Institute, also a boarding school.

“From what I heard about the schedule, they hardly had any free time,” James said.

Haines Chamber of Commerce assistant manager Andrew Letchworth said he’s excited by the return of the downtown business promotion.

He said the event is a chance for people to see their neighbors again, to bring some fresh energy, motivation and hope, particularly to businesses. “We’re looking to restore the value that Haines brings to the region.”

Letchworth said businesses should be aware that the group has made changes to “First Friday.” “We’ve made some changes and revamped it. It took a while, but I think it’s going to be a better program.”

He said the chamber also was looking to partner “First Friday” with other events or programs going on around town.

Murder mystery planned for April

Lynn Canal Community Players will present Agatha Christie’s “A Murder Is Announced” on April 21-23, including a Sunday matinee.

The production will be the second directed locally by Roger Gentry, a theater professional who moved to Haines five years ago.

Gentry said he chose the script because he found it entertaining, suited to local actors and requires only a single set. “It’s a fun play and fun is something that’s badly needed in our world. Plus, it’s written by Agatha Christie, who is only outsold by the Bible and Shakespeare.”

Twelve local actors will perform the show, set in a rural English village in the 1950s. The plot starts with an announcement in the local newspaper that a murder will be committed at a prominent local home on the same evening.

Director Gentry worked in professional theater groups in Texas and Tucson, Ariz. He has worked as an acting coach and has directed more than 50 productions.

Live jazz at the Chilkat Center

Residents will be treated to a rare live performance of jazz on Saturday, April 2 when “Sundae and Mr. Goessl” play at the Chilkat Center auditorium. The show is sponsored by the Haines Arts Council and starts at 7 p.m.

Arts council president Tom Heywood describes the duo as act as “cool, retro jazz” featuring guitar, melodica and vocals.

Their show has been described as “Chet Atkins and Billie Holiday at a cocktail party.” Five Finger Review called the band’s music “a delightful brand of countrified jazz melding the likability of Americana, pop and country music and giving it a hybrid of jazz rhythms.”

They incorporate humor, vintage style, interesting instrumentation, nostalgia and serious musicianship in their act.

The duo is comprised of Kate Voss, an award-winning singer and entertainer from Seattle, and Jason Goessl, an accomplished jazz guitarist from eastern Wisconsin. Now married, they tour out of Oshkosh, Wis.

Heywood said the couple’s banter, Kate’s melodica-playing and the tenor of the show should have broad appeal. “They’re fun. Their music is creative and appealing and they’re humorous.”

The performance, part of a statewide Alaska tour, was booked and canceled twice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tickets are $15 for adults but free for students, owing to a donation from residents Kristin Hathhorn and Mark Battaion.

The show is the first for the local arts council since the Omicron variant shut down performances last October. The jazz duo also will perform at the Haines School on Friday, April 1.