Christine Liggio

(609) 258-7615/cliggio@princeton.edu

 

PRINCETON, N.J.─In partnership with the Arts Council of Princeton, the Alaska Native Arts Foundation, and the Princeton Public Library, the Princeton University Art Museum is pleased to present Family Day: A Celebration of Alaskan Native Culture on Sunday, October 4, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Albert Hinds Plaza, adjacent to the Princeton Public Library. The event is free and open to the public.

 

As part of the opening weekend events for the Museum’s major new exhibition Gifts from the Ancestors: Ancient Ivories of Bering Strait, Family Day: A Celebration of Alaskan Native Culture will feature more than twenty-five artists, athletes, storytellers and performers demonstrating traditional crafts, games, music, and dance. Some of the many participants include Daisy Demientieff, an Athabascan Indian basket maker, one of a handful of artists in Alaska who practices the art of woven willow root trays, a style of basketry which originated in her home region of the state; Sheldon Bogenrife, an Inũpiaq artist from Wainwright, who practices the art of baleen basketry; and Ronald Brower Sr., an ivory carver, sculptor, and painter, who combines Inũpiaq legends and myths with modern and traditional art forms to create unique Eskimo art. In addition to the wide range of performances and demonstrations held throughout the day, families will also be able to participate in art activities highlighting Alaskan Native culture with the award-winning staff of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, a non-profit cultural organization based in Anchorage.

 

"Gifts from the Ancestors combines fresh scholarship, compelling works of art, and a visual tradition that deserves to be better known,” comments Museum Director James Steward. “This is a dramatic extension of the Museum’s ongoing exploration of the arts of the Americas, and the companion Family Day Celebration is a wonderful opportunity for visitors to connect these extraordinary ancient artworks to the arts of our own times.”

 

The celebration coincides with Gifts from the Ancestors: Ancient Ivories of Bering Strait, an exhibition featuring nearly 200 of the finest works of walrus ivory carving from more than twenty public and private collections around the globe. Gifts from the Ancestors brings to light the artistry and life practices of the hunters who worked across two millennia on what are now the American and Russian sides of Bering Strait. On view October 3, 2009, through January 10, 2010, the exhibition offers the opportunity to discover a little-known aspect of the art of the ancient Americas and represents a groundbreaking partnership between one of the world’s great research universities and the Native peoples of the Bering Strait region.

 

Family Day: A Celebration of Alaskan Native Culture will take the form of a lively outdoor arts and cultural festival, offering visitors an opportunity to learn about and explore first hand the many different cultures of Alaska, including Aleut, Athabascan, Inũpiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yup’ik, Tlingit, and more. Visitors will discover the time-honored tradition of skin sewing through Yup’ik master artist Carrie-Anvil-Kiana; see traditional Native games such as two-foot high kick and stick pull performed by Rayne Johnson; and learn about the effects of global warming and its impact on the Arctic region through Allison Warden’s performance of her work “Ode to the Polar bear.” In addition, Maria Williams, an Alaskan Native scholar, will be signing The Alaska Native Reader: History, Culture, Politics, an anthology edited by Williams, which includes essays on contemporary Alaska Native literature and the portrayal of Native peoples in the media.

 

“I can’t think of a better way to share the rich cultural heritage of Alaska with the Princeton community than with a celebration of Alaska Native culture featuring some of the state’s finest culture bearers,” said Angela Demma, curator at the Alaska Native Arts Foundation. “Visitors of all ages will glimpse the cultural life of Alaska through engaging storytelling, authentic Native song and dance, and artist demonstrations representing the many cultural groups of Alaska.”

 

In addition to the many activities taking place on Hinds Plaza, participants are encouraged to visit Dry Ice: Alaska Native Artists and the Landscape, an exhibition featuring the work of contemporary Alaskan artists, on view at the Arts Council. The exhibition includes the work of nine artists, some of which will be participating in Family Day: A Celebration of Alaskan Native Culture. Each explores their relationship to the landscape through a variety of interpretations and media, combining traditional and innovative forms from mask-making and skin sewing to photography and installation. The exhibition will be on view through November 21. For information, visit the Arts Council online at www.artscouncilofprinceton.org.

 

Gifts from the Ancestors: Ancient Ivories of Bering Strait is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; Perry J. Lewis, Class of 1959, and Basha Lewis; and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The opening reception and associated programming have been supported by the Friends and Partners of the Princeton University Art Museum.

 

 

Founded in 1882, the Princeton University Art Museum is one of the finest art museums in the country. Its collections feature approximately 72,000 works ranging from ancient to contemporary art, and concentrating geographically on the Mediterranean regions, Western Europe, China, the United States, and Latin America, with particular strengths in Chinese painting and calligraphy, art of the ancient Americas, and pictorial photography. As a public institution, the Museum is committed to serving the local community, the region, and beyond through innovative and dynamic programming, original research and new scholarship, an active loan program, and the organization of touring exhibitions. By collaborating with experts across many disciplines, fostering sustained study of original works of art, and uniting scholarship with broad accessibility, the Museum contributes to the development of critical thinking and visual literacy at Princeton University and enhances the civic fabric of our nation.

 

The Princeton University Art Museum is located at the heart of the Princeton University campus, and only a short walk from the shops and restaurants on Princeton’s Nassau Street. Museum admission is free and open to the public. Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Free highlights tours of the collection are given every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The Museum is closed Mondays and major holidays. For information, please visit the Museum’s Web site at http://artmuseum.princeton.edu or call (609) 258-3788.

All programs and events are free and open to the public.

October 1, 5:30–7:30 pm

Panel discussion, 4 p.m.

Taplin Gallery, Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, Arts Council of Princeton

 

In collaboration with the Princeton University Art Museum’s exhibition Gifts from the Ancestors: Ancient Ivories of Bering Strait, the Arts Council of Princeton presents an exhibition featuring work by contemporary Alaskan artists. A panel discussion with the curator and participating artists will precede the opening reception. Dry Ice: Alaska Native Artists and the Landscape will be on view through November 21.

October 3, 1 p.m.–4:30 p.m.

McCosh 50, Princeton University

 

The Art Museum brings together experts on cultural property policy and ethics to explore the complex issues surrounding cultural heritage and patrimony as it relates to the digging, sale, and display of ancient ivories from Bering Strait. A second panel will discuss the effects of climate change and its environmental and social impact on the Bering Strait region. Bryan Just, Peter Jay Sharp Curator of the Ancient Americas, will introduce the program, and William W. Fitzhugh, Director, Arctic Studies Center, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, will provide the keynote address.

 

The symposium is co-sponsored by the Princeton University Art Museum and the Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, Princeton University.

 

October 3, 5 p.m.

McCosh 50, Princeton University

 

William W. Fitzhugh, Director, Arctic Studies Center, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

 

6 p.m.–7:30 p.m., Princeton University Art Museum

 

October 15, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

McCormick 101, Princeton University

October 22, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

McCormick 101, Princeton University

 

November 19, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

McCormick 101, Princeton University

 

Bryan Just, Peter Jay Sharp Curator of Art of the Ancient Americas

November 20, 12:30 p.m., and November 22, 3 p.m.

Princeton University Art Museum 

Photo courtesy of Edward Tiulana