Aug 16, 2010 | Acting Out and Musical Chairs, Relationship Overdrive, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Young "stars" of "A Hundred Thousand Drops of Rain"
Dan and I were headed out to pick berries on this rare sunny day in Juneau, but we got sidetracked by attending the last performance of “A Hundred Thousand Drops of Rain” directed by Ed Littlefield, with assistantdirector/stage manager Austin Tagaban and written by Ishmael Hope, was sponsored by Perseverance Theatre’s annual STAR (Summer Theatre Arts Rendevous) program.
The boy and his dog...
The shaman decides it's not going to hurt to go out on a date; they're just talking, that's all...
The canoe journey to...
The "good woman's" sillouette...
Pleading to have his way...
It is an extremely challenging play, Hope said, based on shamanism and dealing with themes of cultural healing and regeneration.
One of the children in the play told her mother that she didn’t really understand what was going on in the work, which he says, in a sense, “is wonderful.” Growing up, Hope said there were culturally significant seeds that were planted in him by his family and heritage which he didn’t fully recognize until later.
“When I became a man, they continued to help me become human,” he said. “We are not born fully human, we have an unusually long period of growing up. When you’re young, you’re still forming, so when you’re older you go, ‘Wow, there was this thing guiding me the entire time.'”
Cast members included: Kevin Allen, Savannah Strang, Kendrea Makaily, Bryan Johnson, Talia Lee Davis, Maxwell Peterson, Kenneth Morris, Savannah Leisholm, Adriann Rusch, Taylona Lafferty and Kyndra Blacks.
The STAR program is a five-week program that provides Juneau youth with the highest quality theatre training and performance opportunities available in Alaska. Launched by Perseverance Theatre in 1982, the STAR program has provided professional theatre instruction to youth for the past 28 Summers, offering training in acting, directing and playwriting. this specialized training culminates in final, fully-realized public productions. In 2002, STAR was recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as one of the 16 outstanding American arts programs for young people.
Special thanks to Sealaska Heritage Institute for providing scholarships for Alaska Native students in the STAR program.
Aug 15, 2010 | North Tide |
Devil's Club has many healing properties
A forest of Devil's Club can stand 10 to 12 feet high!
Yarrow
Plantain
Many of these plants are used for medicinal purposes. There are a few folks in Alaska who make healing tinctures, balms and salves. Visit my accupuncture friend, Jan Parrish’s website: www.alaskanabotanicals.com for more information on the healing properties of these plants – she has products that could help make your healing adventure a bit smoother – check out the site!
Mint
Aug 11, 2010 | Latest Art Projects, To Market To Market |
I am presently working on a portfolio of my first fifty Chilkat & Ravenstail weaving robes and button blanket ceremonial robes. My goal is to have this book available for sale at the “Alaska-Juneau Public Market” held in Juneau at Centennial Hall during Thanksgiving Day weekend.
Between 1983 and 2010, I designed and created 50 Tlingit ceremonial robes in the button blanket style, Ravenstail dance robes and the Chilkat dance robes. Keeping with the Tlingit tradition, each robe conveys a message, story or clan identity. The first 25 robe photos were snapshots before I got the idea I would document the latter half of her robes by a professional photographer! Like Duh!?
You will find the copy of this book available for sale on my “Shop and Buy” page of my website; check in with me periodically through this blog or my website. Or better yet, email me your email address so I may may put you on my list to send you the announcement of this book when it comes hot off the press! My email address is: clarissa@www.clarissarizal.com
Aug 11, 2010 | Latest Art Projects, To Market To Market |
Clarissa inspects the final version of her Chilkat robe design "Jennie Weaves An Apprentice"
I am working on several Chilkat designs at once. Some of the designs are just “generic” Chilkat patterns I’m drafting up for my students and folks who just want a new pattern to weave; some of the designs are for actual Chilkat robes. I am designing a series of robes called “a robe-within-a-robe.” It’s obviously a Chilkat robe within a Chilkat robe. I presently am working on one that I’ve wanted to weave for the past 24 years, and am finally doing it! The story of the robe is based on my apprenticeship with Jennie Thlunaut back in 1986 called “Jennie Weaves An Apprentice”, the same name given to the handbook I wrote.
Traditionally, a male artist painted the pattern board on wood and the weaver used wooden templates for the given shapes that she would hold up to the robe as a guide. Of course, we now create the actual robe image onto paper and most of us use paper templates as a guide. Yet, being the innovative people that we are in our modern times using resources at hand, I conjured up a simpler step. Several years ago, I developed the use of clear transparencies as the guiding template. The template has all the design elements (i.e. eyebrows, eye, nose, mouth, etc) within an 8″ x 11″ sheet of paper. Below is an image of Chilkat pattern transparencies; the one I am holding in my hand is a headband pattern I have used in my most recent Chilkat weaving class for beginning Chilkat students:
Clarissa holds a Chilkat pattern transparency; a modern adaptation used as a guide in Chilkat weaving.
I am both a Northwest Coast designer AND a weaver, which puts me in a unique category amongst Northwest Coast Native artists. As a weaver, I understands the intricate, Chilkat design elements that are workable and weavable in the unique Chilkat design style; as a Northwest Coast designer, I understand the form line elements – both are required to create a Chilkat design successfully. I would not say that I am an excellent designer of Chilkat, because I am still learning (in the words of Jennie Thlunaut), yet there are very few of us who understand how to design Chilkat and feel confident enough to create original designs. It is not as easy as it looks.
As I mentioned earlier, I am weaving the robe “Jennie Weaves An Apprentice.” I always base my designs on a historical/personal event or clan emblem. It is a commissioned robe where my clients and I got create with a payment plan suited to their pocketbook. I am open to doing trades or partial trades depending on whether or not the client has something to offer that I cannot do without! We set the deadline for the end of September or October. Based on the various things going on in my life, it looks like end of October. I must complete it by the end of October because I want to finish up the manuscript and photos for my robe book in time for publication and distribution by Thanksgiving!
Aug 11, 2010 | Class Act, Honoring Others, Latest Art Projects, To Market To Market |
I am in the process of editing this handbook that I wrote and self-printed for a class I taught at the University of Alaska Juneau back in the Summer of 2005; and I’ve had this handbook available to my students since. I hope to have the edited version completed by this Winter 2010.
This practical guide provides Chilkat weavers of all experience levels pertinent information gained from my apprenticeship in 1986 with the last traditional Chilkat weaver, Jennie Thlunaut; combined with my experiences as a weaver and a teacher of this traditional art form since the mid-80’s; topped with additional information from Jennie’s daughter, Agnes Bellinger. Most of the information in this handbook can also be applied to Ravenstail weaving. With black & white, color photos and drawings, some of the information includes: Jennie’s astounding fingering technique (for speed, accuracy and tension), her philosophies, traditions, values and tricks-of-the-trade; including my apprenticeship with Jennie, preparation of materials and supplies, natural & commercial dyeing, weft color samples, list of suppliers, a traveler’s weaving loom pattern; designs and descriptions; and, keeping with traditions, some of the information is shared with a touch of storytelling. This handbook is intended for use by either an experienced weaver who is seeking some additional information in Chilkat weaving, or utilized as a supplemental guide with a weaving instructor.
You will find the copy of this handbook available for sale on my “Shop and Buy” page of my website; check in with me periodically through this blog or my website. Or better yet, email me your email address so I may may put you on my list to send you the announcement of this book when it comes hot off the press!
Aug 10, 2010 | Class Act, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Chilkat hands helping Chilkat hands
Fausto, Mary, Gail, Trisha, Leandra - "the sitting weavers..."
We wanted to have a meal together so the last day of class was gracious hosted by Catrina at her home.
Catrina Mitchell has got the Chilkat "bug!"
Comfortably well fed, happy Chilkat weavers at Catrina's
Fausto is holding up his pattern transparency to find out exactly where he is on his weaving
Jeanette Tabor is happily braiding - again!
Leandra Makaily races to the finish line!
For the 5th time, Lily is completing her eye!
Ricky Tagaban ("La Machine") could teach the class next time!
Trisha Makaily seems to be having trouble? Is that normal for a beginning Chilkat weaver?
Secretly, Sharon Zuboff is completing the eyelid!
Thank you again to all who made this class possible: Trisha Makaily, SEARHC, and of course, all the new and returning students! It was a blast – we’ll do it again!
Aug 10, 2010 | Class Act, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Chilkat weavers: Fausto, Mary, Gail, Trisha, Leandra, Catrina, Ricky, Lily & Jeanette (minus Sharon)
Another photo essay of the Chilkat Weaving Class held in Juneau – July 26 through August 8th….
Fausto Paulo
Leandra Makaily
Ricky Tagaban
Gail Dabaluz
Mary Ebona Miller
Sharon Zuboff
Trisha Makaily
Catrina Mitchell
Jeanette Tabor
Lily Hudson - assist extraordinaire!
LIly demonstrates weaving the circle to Fausto, Gail & Catrina
Helping Hands!
Aug 10, 2010 | North Tide |
A big salmon berry on a big hand! - last of the crop is still out for picking' - pick 'em while you can!
We have a bumper crop of berries this Summer here in Juneau! The first of the berries to ripen at the end of June are the Salmonberry, of course, yet they are still around for the harvest, along with the raspberries, blueberries and huckleberries!
Summer is here on Salmonberry Land!
A fine sight to see a pair of Chilkat boots in a nagoon-berry patch!
Berry-picking Amongst the Sitka (Rugosa) Rose and Fireweed
Occasionally, there's a fellow berry-lover in the raspberry patch: a young porcupine
Aug 10, 2010 | To See or Not to See |
This is my 2nd group of Natural Sculptures around Juneau. As I had stated in my first group, I do not tamper with the natural image before I take the photo, nor do I enhance in any way shape or form. The natural image and photo of the image is what it is!
An alien checking out pebbles on the beach?
Not a Barbie doll?
Wish y'all coulda seen this!
A hawk with a "bad hair" day?
He ain't nothing but a hound dog crying all the time!
Somebody help get me outa here!
Huh? So what IS it?
Aug 10, 2010 | North Tide |
I’ve temporarily moved back to my hometown of Juneau, Alaska. When I lived here year-round until 18 years ago, from the time began a family in 1977 until the time I moved away in 1993, I rarely hiked or beach-combed. I was too busy running self-employed businesses in art, landscaping and sign-painting, while raising a family. I’m still busy with running a business, but I don’t have a family to raise full-time. So, I’ve actually made time to go on walks in our beautiful surroundings. Juneau is one of the most beautiful Capital cities in America – even when it rains! From time to time, I will post photographs of various walks in our city. Here are a few photographs of our Mendenhall Glacier taken at the end of July during our drizzling rain around 10pm:
Mendenhall Glacier at 10pm in July, 2010
Mendenhall Glacier's Icebergs
For the entire month of July, we hadn’t any sunshine; the temperature remained pretty steady between 52 – 55 degrees. Yet, we still had enough warmth for the Mendenhall to calve off and create icebergs like I hadn’t ever experienced before. They say the Mendenhall is receeding 120 feet per year; maybe this is that time of year – and as I mentioned earlier, I hadn’t gone out and enjoyed our surroundings for a number of years until recently, so how would I know if this is the largest number of icebergs ever?
Mendenhall Glacier on a Sunny Day(!) taken from 10-mile North Douglas Hwy
Jul 30, 2010 | To See or Not to See |
Like many of us who live in this isolated, condensed community of Juneau, my life is full. I have family, relatives, life-long friends, appointments, art to create, classes to teach, website to update and lately, blogging. However, I make sure I get out into Nature as often as possible every day, even if the moon rising! During my outings, I have come across all kinds of natural sculptures. While you are out and about in the Juneau area, maybe you will discover these guys too! Here are some recent shots (I do not enhance these photographs; I do not tamper with the sculptures either, these photos are as is)–enjoy!
Pretty dang cool, eh? Stay tuned for additional shots! — thanks for the visit!
Jul 29, 2010 | Class Act |
A group of 10 Chilkat weaving students gathered for the first day of a two-week intensive class on Monday, July 26th at the SEARHC Board Room in Juneau, Alaska – this was a long-awaited class organized by fellow artist and dance group leader, Atricia Makaily. A little over a month ago, Makaily had sent out an email to all on her listing announcing the class; she received a total of 35 people interested in Chilkat weaving, and this was just from the Juneau area! Why is the number seem to be such a big deal to me? I have been teaching Chilkat weaving for almost 22 years. Up until now, I have never had more than 5 or even 10 people interested at one given time. It was like pulling teeth to get people interested (and then dedicated) to weaving Chilkat!
Above is a photo showing some of the students beginning to “warp up their loom” (meaning: to hang their warp); below is a photo of Leandra measuring the warp using cardboard, one of the many Jennie Thlunaut’s tricks-of-the-trade :
My daughter, Lily Hudson is student-teaching the class with me. I think she is just as good a teacher, if not better! She says that teaching this class confirms what she knows about herself and what she wants to do in life – so she is on the right road in obtaining her Master’s Degree in Elementary School Education this year at UAS.
Students in this class are: Ricky Tagaban, Fausto Paulo, Mary Ebona-Miller, Gail Dabaluz, Leandra Makaily, Atricia Makaily, Catrina Mitchell, Sharon Zuboff, Jeanette Tabor, Lorraine DeAsis & Lily Hudson
Due to popular interest, there will be another two-week Chilkat weaving class for beginner’s and those who want to brush up on their weaving skills, starting on Sunday, August 15th through Sunday, August 29th. Student limit is 10, although we may allow 15 depending on whether or not my student teacher is on. We already have 8 confirmed for this class. For more information and to reserve your space, contact me on my cell phone at: 970-903-8386 or email me at: clarissa@www.clarissarizal.com
Many thanks to Karen Taug and SEARHC for allowing us the use of their beautiful Board Room to hold our classes. The room has skylights!
Stay tuned for more photos on this class to be posted later…!
