APU’s Elder Artists-in-Residence, Joe and Martha Senungetuk, will be holding a workshop focusing on Alaska Native feast trays in August and September. The course is a sequel to their mask making class from the previous May-term.
Students will learn wood carving techniques as they design and shape their very own feast trays. Also, the class will review the history, rituals, and customs used by various Alaska Native tribes throughout prehistoric times to the present day.
“These items weren’t always called ‘art,’ because they were utility items,” Joe Senungetuk said. “But to me and Martha, they are the most original and contemporary designs made in Alaska.”
Surviving feast tray artifacts were photographed and preserved in various museums throughout the world and offered a pictorial history of how pre-contact Alaska Native tribes celebrated the seasons with ceremonies after gathering natural resources for food and sustenance. Like all ceremonial and celebratory artifacts, these trays tell of a rich history of Alaska Native peoples and generally, the museum pieces are valued monetarily as priceless one-of-a-kind original works of art.
At the end of the workshop, students and their guests will be invited to participate in a celebration.
Know before you go:
When: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings August 20-September 14, 2018, 6:00-8:50 p.m.
Where: Atwood Student Center, First Floor Studio
Course details: Credit (FP10030 Visual Arts Workshop, 2 credit) or Non-credit
APU Students: Register for the class through your student portal in MyAPU.
Community members interested in taking the course should contact Tania Marsh (907-564-8261 or tania@alaskapacific.edu) at APU for more information.”
