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Visceral: Verity Legacy Identity

Alaska Native Gut Knowledge and Perseverance

The Visceral Trilogy

A series of three interrelated Visceral exhibitions explore contemporary and historical Alaska Native issues, spotlighting gut as a conduit for Indigenous voices.

Visceral: Verity is the solo exhibition of contemporary artist Sonya Kelliher-Combs. Her mixed-media installations combine combines natural and synthetic materials and evoke questions of authentic experience, truth, abuse, transparency, and credibility. Sonya is one of only a few artists working with marine mammal gut.

Visceral: Legacy is a further interpretation of Sonya’s solo exhibition themes through objects that she and fellow gut enthusiast and Alaska State Museum conservator Ellen Carrlee chose from the museum’s permanent collection. As a guest curator, Sonya brings the richness of her childhood in Nome, her international career as an artist, her life in Anchorage, and her insights as a person of Iñupiaq, Athabascan, and European heritage.

Visceral: Identity features a selection of gut parkas from across Alaska to highlight the technical and historical aspects of this remarkable material in cross-cultural perspective. Ellen and Sonya explore the latest (analytical and social science) research examining this medium and why gut remains a significant material for key relationships in Alaska.

These three galleries will be open through the summer 2023 season, augmented by special workshops and lectures, and closing in mid-October 2023.

Visceral

  1. felt in or as if in the internal organs of the body
  2. characterized by or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect
  3. characterized by or dealing with coarse or base emotions

Verity

  1. the quality or state of being true or real
  2. something (such as a statement) that is true
  3. the quality or state of being truthful or honest

Legacy

  1. a gift by will especially of money or personal property
  2. something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past

Identity

  1. the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another
  2. condition or character as to whom a person or what a thing is: the qualities, beliefs, etc.
  3. the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions

Behind the Scenes of Visceral

Alaska State Museum conservator Ellen Carrlee gives a public presentation about her conservation treatments of gut objects featured in the exhibition Visceral and a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to put the show together.

Elaine Kingeekuk and the Arts from Savoonga

Raktenga Elaine Kingeekuk gives a public presentation about her cultural and artistic practices making dolls, gut baskets, toddler regalia, and jewelry from customary St. Lawrence Island Yupik materials. Ms. Kingeekuk is a St. Lawrence Island Yupik culture bearer and co-author of the book Seal, Thimble & Sinew Thread: Sewing Art of the Siberian Yupiks from Savoonga, Alaska.

Visceral Panel Discussion with Sonya Kelliher-Combs, Ellen Carrlee, and Sven Haakanson

Visceral: Verity, Legacy, Identity - Alaska Native Gut Knowledge and Perseverance co-curators Sonya Kelliher-Combs and Dr. Ellen Carrlee are joined by Dr. Sven Haakanson, Jr. for a discussion exploring contemporary and historical Alaska Native issues, spotlighting gut as a conduit for Indigenous voices.

Visceral-Verity with Sonya Kelliher-Combs

Alaska State Museum Solo Artist and Visceral Co-Curator Sonya Kelliher-Combs gives a lecture about her mixed-media work which employs both natural and synthetic materials and draws attention to questions of authentic experience, truth, abuse, transparency, and credibility.

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