The Sheldon Jackson Museum is pleased to welcome as artist-in-residence, Alutiiq/Sugpiaq gut skin sewer, and beader June Pardue. Her residency began May 15th and will go through the end of the day June 5th. She will be working on gut skin sewing most days Tuesday through Saturday in the museum gallery.
In addition to working in the gallery, Pardue will give a presentation on gut skin sewing techniques Sat., May 18th at 3pm and teach an intensive imitation gut skin sewing class at the museum over the course of six days. At the end of her residency on June 1st at 3pm will give a Recap Talk sharing what she has worked on while a the Sheldon Jackson Museum and about her experience in Sitka.
Pardue grew up in Old Harbor, Kodiak. As a child, she spent time with her mother and their neighbor, Fedosia Inga, weaving grass into baskets and other types of containers in the traditional Alutiiq/Sugpiaq styles. Over time she became one of the most highly regarded traditional Sugpiaq weavers.
An important element of Ms. Pardue’s vocation is teaching. Painfully aware that few skilled weavers remain, she has taught at numerous communities along the Aleutian, Southcentral and Southeast coastlines. “I love teaching cultural values, particularly respect for the elders,” she said. “It’s so important to give credit to those who taught you the values of your culture, and to pass those values on to the next generation.”
Pardue’s works, created mostly from beach rye and sedge, are in the collections of the Baranof and Alutiiq museums in Kodiak, the Sheldon Jackson Museum, and numerous private collections. Museums in Anchorage and Fairbanks often sell her work.
June has been an artist demonstrator at the Sheldon Jackson Museum and at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. She has conducted workshops on her art at numerous other places around the State. Later this year, she will be the lead teacher for the Pinguat beading project, a vital project to revitalize making beaded headdresses at the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak.
The museum invites the public to visit the Sheldon Jackson Museum to meet June, learn about her art form and culture and to visit the museum to learn about all Alaska Native cultures. The museum is open daily during the summer from 9am until 4:30pm. General Admission is $7, $6 for seniors, and free for children 18 and under and for members of the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum and Alaska State Museum.
The Alaska Native Artist Residency Program is sponsored by the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum and made possible with the support of the National Geographic Lex-NG Fund, which funded the program in 2018 and 2019, the National Endowment for the Arts, Alaska Airlines, Alaska Arts Southeast Inc., other local arts organizations, volunteers, and the general public. If you are interested in supporting the Alaska Native Artist Residency Program, you may call (907) 747-6233 or visit www.friendsofsjm.com.
0 Comments.