The Sheldon Jackson Museum is pleased to announce the arrival of the first artist in the 2024 Alaska Native Artist Residency Program, Lisa Kamahamak Lynch (Iñupiaq). Lisa is a beader, painter, skin sewer, and ivory carver. She will be creating art at the museum June 11 through July 2, Monday through Friday most days. During her residency, she will focus on beadwork and painting, teach a beginner’s beading class, and offer three artist talks.
Lynch is a self-described member of the Nome Eskimo Community from Anchorage, Alaska. Her parents are Cheryl and Tim Lynch of Nome and Buffalo, New York. Her maternal grandparents are the late Lawrence and Mary Ann Davis of Deering and Teller, Alaska. Her paternal grandparents are the late Robert and Ellen Lynch of Buffalo. Lynch has spent summers in Nome with her extended family learning about her culture and traditions. She has also spent time in the summer visiting her father’s family in upstate New York and traveling the East Coast. She studied art history and classical studies in Rome for four years, where she learned to appreciate art and the depth of emotion it carries. After that, she studied to become an EMT here in Alaska. She is currently a pre-med student at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Lynch’s crafts and artwork are inspired by her culture and formed from her studies in Italy. She focuses on creating everyday objects with an Iñupiaq twist. Her personal philosophy is there doesn’t need to be a special occasion to be Iñupiaq - it’s who she is. So she doesn’t “feel weird about incorporating traditional clothing, foods and arts into everyday life.” Her mother is a talented seamstress, and Lynch grew up watching her mother and her grandmother craft kuspuks, blankets, and keepsakes for the entire family. Her parents encouraged her to express herself through any medium and enjoyed hearing stories about what crafts or projects she wanted to start.
While living abroad, Lynch learned to appreciate how rare her family’s talents were and how she took for granted being surrounded by familiar art. She started creating small pieces for herself to decorate her apartments that fit with her personal style. When she came back to Alaska, she had some requests from family and friends. She started learning more about traditional crafts such as skin sewing, beading, and ivory scrimshaw from various family members and workshops in her community.
Friday, June 14, 2 pm
Sheldon Jackson Museum and online
Lisa’s first artist talk will demystify and clear up any misconceptions about how to find and buy indigenous made artwork, clothing, and jewelry.
Zoom Info
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83384356740?pwd=Mk5EMkZsWjdhMVZDV3l3eWhOVDVDQT09
Meeting ID: 833 8435 6740
Passcode: Lynch
The Alaska Native Artist Residency Program is underwritten by the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum and is made possible with support from the Friends, the National Endowment for the Arts, Alaska Airlines, the Baranov Lodge, and private donors. To find out how to support the residency program or for future calendars of events and details, visit friendsofsjm.com.
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