The art exhibition titled “Voices of Change: Perspectives on the Transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States" will open for public display at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday March 29th at the park Visitor Center. The community of Sitka is formally invited to join us for an opening reception that evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
“Voices of Change" is jointly curated by Sitka National Historical Park and the University of Alaska Museum of the North. The pieces in the exhibit are the result of an open call for artists to express their feelings, thoughts, and responses to the Alaska Purchase, or “Treaty of Cession," and the subsequent 150 years of American governance as it has impacted Alaska Native peoples. The Treaty of Cession explicitly excluded Alaska Natives from the rights and freedoms offered to white inhabitants of the same land under the new government. The perspectives offered through the artwork convey a sense of the broad effects this exclusion had on Alaska Natives.
Eight renowned artists, from diverse backgrounds, responded with provocative and original artworks. A variety of media including painting, sculpture, beadwork, and digital art are represented in this exhibit.
The public will have the opportunity to view the artwork and meet four of the artists at the opening reception. Remarks will be made by park Superintendent David Elkowitz, and the four artists will be available to talk about their work and the ideas that inspired them. Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of the Friends of Sitka National Historical Park. Those interested in attending can drop in anytime during the two-hour event. The exhibit will remain on display through November 2017. For more information about this exhibition, please contact Angie Richman at 907-747-0132 or Kelsey Lutz at 907-747-0141.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
