An artist’s representation of WWII in Alaska
The Haines Sheldon Museum will unveil a new exhibit “Attu75: War Came to a Wilderness” featuring Andrea Nelson’s artistic renditions commemorating the 75th anniversary of the World War II Battle of Attu on Feb. 9 at 1 p.m.
In 2017, Nelson spent ten days on the Aleutian Island as part of a “Voices of the Wilderness” artist residency program sponsored by Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Two other artist residents, photographer Irene Owlsley and writer Nancy Lord, contributed photographs and prose to the exhibit. The exhibit art is “one small component” of a larger commemoration in Anchorage of the Battle of Attu in 2018, where veterans and Japanese and Unangax Aleut descendants presented their stories.
Nelson’s 11 pieces were assembled using natural found objects from the island, photographs and her personal materials to re-create specific themes, events and feelings from the only World War II battle fought on American soil.
The assemblages incorporate physical and ideological layers of Attu’s natural environment with elements symbolic of the American and Japanese military occupations, Russian influence and the indigenous Unangax peoples, Nelson wrote in a preview.
One of the pieces, “Senninbari & Death Before Defeat” uses an original World War II bandage as a canvas, embroidered with one thousand red dots and images of a tiger and an eagle.
The Imperial Japanese Military culture taught principles of death before defeat, according to Nelson’s online explanation of the piece. “Upon comprehension of defeat, the last group of Japanese attackers on Attu pulled grenades on themselves,” she wrote, “Of approximately 2500 Japanese soldiers, only 29 were taken alive.”
The piece uses an original World War II bandage in lieu of a “senninbari,” a Japanese strip of cloth decorated with 1,000 knots and placed on a soldier’s waist by a wife, mother or sister as a sign of luck. “Imagery of tigers on senninbari were also common, symbolic of an animal that travels far from home but returns. Nelson said she found the bandage at a Haines garage sale.
“Attu75” will travel throughout Southeast communities for the next two years. The Haines Sheldon Museum will display it through March.
On Feb. 9, Nelson will present her work with a slideshow and talk starting at 2 p.m., sponsored by the Alaska Arts Confluence as part of its “Inside Out” workshop series.
Nelson said the exhibit represents the importance of learning and acknowledging Alaskan history.
“Some artwork is people reflecting on themselves and I like doing art that goes into depth about a place and its significance, the bigger picture,” she said.
Nelson will display different collages and assemblages at the Haines Brewery as part of First Friday.
Northern Lights Showcase
Haines Arts Council will host a Northern Lights Showcase of 6-8 performing artists Feb. 17 at the Chilkat Center.
“(The event) gives locals the opportunity to play in just a little bit more professional setting on stage with a sound system and an audience,” said Matt Whittman, event organizer on behalf of the arts council. Artists will perform in 12-minute sets, Whittman said.
Henry Leasia will perform on the keyboard and possibly sing, he said. Leasia has performed at open mic events.
“I think that open mic is a great way to cut your teeth and find other musicians to jam with,” Leasia said, “but I’m excited to play in a quiet setting where people are there specifically to see music.” He added that he’s feeling nervous, “because the audience will actually realize if I make a mistake.”
Student musicians Matilda Rogers and Nora Prisciandaro will play guitar and sing.
Whitman said he is recruiting additional performers, and interested community members should contact him for participation.
Admission will be $8 at the door, or $5 for students and arts council members.
Chocolate Galore at First Friday
Several downtown businesses will offer sweets during the Feb. 1 Valentine’s Day-inspired First Friday.
The Gateway Building businesses and nonprofits have teamed up to provide sweet treats and love-themed decor on Friday evening.
Chilkat Valley Community Foundation, proHNS and the Haines Chamber of Commerce will jazz up their hallway with local heart art, some of which will be for sale at the Valentine Artist Bazaar the following weekend, according to organizer Karen Garcia of proHNS.
The group will also feature “have a heart” decorations from past year’s Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) craft fundraiser.
Sarah Chappell hatched the idea to cover a wall with butcher paper, and have visitors write what they love most about Haines.
Garcia said they will be playing cheesy love songs on a boom box, and serve truffles and homemade hot cocoa she intends to make in her InstantPot.
“I might bring Baileys Irish Cream to spike it (for the adults),” she added.
Gerri Marquardt will perform a demonstration of airbrush techniques on the Gateway Building’s front doors. Marquardt said they are portraits of famous men who brought the town of Haines to life.
Next door, the Alaska Arts Confluence will host artists Naomi Green and Cosmo Fudge. Green will display her digital artwork “The Fantasy in Reality” work that has been three years in the making. Her exhibit consists of 25 portraits and fantastical images she created using digital software on her iPad.
“I draw a lot of portraits of nobody in particular, just out of my head,” Green said, though she added that she uses things around her for inspiration. “I usually remember features less and an overall feeling that I get from someone more, like a vibe.”
Fudge will showcase two handmade guitars, one acoustic one solid-body electric, in his exhibit entitled “Spruce Sound & Sawdust: Stringed Instruments.” Fudge has apprenticed with luthier Rob Goldberg since 2013, but said that these guitars were the first he felt are experimental models he created.
“I strung up the acoustic like a cello, and I put a tailpiece on it so that the force from the strings wouldn’t be pulling up, they’d be pushing down,” Fudge said. “It interacts with the sound in a different way.”
Arts Confluence director Carol Tuynman said Fudge will be the only chocolate the confluence will be offering on Friday.
The Magpie Gallery also will be opening its doors. It’s offering Mexican chocolate bread pudding and other treats by Josie’s Bread and Bagels.
La Loft will have Lao Tzu and Company teas and chocolate treats.
Paintings at Jilkaat Kwaan
Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center will host art by Jami Campbell from 1-4 p.m. on First Friday. Art will include three oil paintings and beaded jewelry. Campbell said that she was inspired by Native artwork, particularly in her beading, where artists draw from their surrounding environment.
“I am not Native, but I really appreciated how a lot of the Native art pictures things they can see,” she said.
Campbell said she tried to emulate the same theme in her jewelry by using colors she sees in nature, as she did with a pair of ice-blue glacial earrings.
Her paintings depict still life flowers, a winter scene of the Chilkat Valley and California’s Mount Tallac.