Neva Mathias (Cup’ik) will offer a traditional Cup’ik grass basket making class at the Sheldon Jackson Museum. The class is for ages 17+ and free of charge, but a $25 materials fee, payable to Neva Mathias, is due when you sign up. This class is in-person only and limited to a small number of students. It will take place July 13, 14, and 20, 9:30 am-12 pm and 2-4 pm; and July 21, 9:30 am-12 pm and 3-4 pm. Students are encouraged to attend all sessions.
Mathias is originally from Chevak. One of the village’s most prominent doll makers, she is also an expert basket maker. She began making dolls in 1988 and learned the process, including how to prepare doll and basketry materials from her mother. Her dolls are made with seal leather faces with pinched and stitched features; seal, rabbit, and wolf fur; seal intestine (for parkas); sealskin for mukluks, mittens, packs, straps, and buckets; glass bead eyes; cotton bodies and thread; and occasionally driftwood. Her basketry is made of grasses that she collects from Hooper Bay. Her dolls and basketry are in the collections of the Sheldon Jackson Museum, the Alaska Native Medical Center, the Smithsonian, and the University of Alaska Museum of the North, among others. She has taught doll making in Sitka and Bethel.
The Alaska Native Artist Residency Program is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum (FOSJM), Alaska Airlines, and private donors. To learn how you can support this vital program that brings culture bearers and artists like Neva from all over the state to the museum, visit friendsofsjm.com.
Visitors can come to the museum to meet Neva and see examples of her fine work most days Monday-Friday, 10 am-noon and 2-4 pm. She will be in-residence until July 28. For specific schedule details, see the July calendar or visit friendsofsjm.com, museums.alaska.gov, FOSJM on Facebook or FOSJM on Instagram. You may also call the museum at (907) 747-8981.
Summer hours at the Sheldon Jackson Museum are Monday-Saturday, 9 am to 4:30 pm and Sunday, 1-4:30 pm, closed holidays. Summer admission is $9 for adults and $8 for seniors. Visitors 18 and under are admitted free of charge. Assistance is available for visitors with special needs. For more information on operations or events, contact the museum at (907) 747-8981.
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