State of Art: Recent Episodes
Alaska Public Media
On this episode of State of Art we're learning about this year's Alaska Book Week. The series of events celebrating writing and writers in Alaska runs from Sunday October 1 to 8. There will be live events and virtual presentations featuring everything from poetry and romance to nonfiction and children's books. Professor of English and Book Week coordinator, Trish Jenkins, joins us to tell us all about it.
LINKS:
Alaska Center for the Book
Alaska Book Week
Alaska Book Week Facebook
Alaska Book Week schedule
The 1923 film "Scaramouche" is a story of love and revenge during the French Revolution. Director Rex Ingram' 100-year-old masterpiece is filled with historic details, massive sets and action that holds up today. Anchorage Festival of Music will host a screening of the film and will be scoring the film live with period correct instruments. The event takes place at Bear Tooth Theater on Sunday, October 1 at 4 p.m. This week on State of Art we're joined by Anchorage Festival of Music Artistic Director and musician Laura Koenig. She tells us about the legacy of "Scaramouche," locating the original music cue sheets and what it takes to perform along with a film.
LINKS:
Anchorage Festival of Music
TICKETS
This week on State of Art we're joined by the founders of Wild Shore New Music. The group performs modern chamber music that explores place and environment while collaborating with a variety of other artists. Founders Andie Tanning, Katie Cox, and Conrad Winslow might live elsewhere, but they all still consider Alaska home. The group will be performing in Anchorage on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in the UAA Recital Hall and will be joined by UAA professor of viola Miriam English Ward.
LINKS:
Wild Shore New Music website
On this episode of State of Art we're discussing the Alaska Writers Guild and their upcoming conference. The guild connects Alaska writers and provides educational opportunities for things like business and marketing. Their annual conference for writers and illustrators will be held on Friday and Saturday the last weekend of September at UAA's Rasmuson Hall. We're joined by Alaska Writers Guild board members Laura Carpenter and Brooke Hartman to find out more about the guild, what to expect from the conference and more.
LINKS:
Alaska Writers Guild website
This week on State of Art we're joined by "Arsenic and Old Lace" director MaryAlice Larmi to discuss the fast-paced farce. It centers on Mortimer Brewster and his maniacal family including spinster aunts who have a habit of murdering lonely old men, a brother on the run from the law and one who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. She tells us about what to expect, casting the right performers, and acting icon Boris Karloff's contribution to Anchorage Community Theater's 1957 production of the play.
This week on State of Art we're hearing from filmmakers Kendrick Whiteman and Logan Smith. They're both products of Alaska Teen Media Institute and are peer mentors with the youth media training organization. Whiteman was featured at the Anchorage International Film Festival in 2022 and leans toward a surreal atmosphere with his work while Smith likes to blend the weird with comedy. We discuss what got them into film, their previous work and what comes next.
LINKS:
Kendrick Whiteman YouTube
Logan Smith YouTube
Logan Smith website
This week on State of Art we're discussing an upcoming benefit concert helping out the Qargi Academy Tribal School in Wainwright. We're joined by longtime musician and Marketing Manager for the Arctic Slope Community Foundation, James Dommek Jr. who is organizing the show. He tells us about what makes the Qargi Academy unique, including indigenous performers as the opening act and more.
This week on State of Art we meet an Anchorage winner of the "Hamilton" creative competition organized by the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and BroadwayBoundAK. Students from across Alaska going into grades 7 through 12 were invited to make and submit an original creative piece that was inspired by the hit musical. Winners were chosen from across the state and get to see "Hamilton" for free in September. Sam Beesley is starting his freshman year at West High and was chosen for his song called "Don't Wait For It." The song was a therapeutic response to a friend losing their father unexpectedly and features Beesley on piano and vocals. We're joined by Beesley and Alaska Center for the Performing Arts Community Engagement Manager, Lauren Rice.
This week on State of Art we're hearing all about Galway Days Irish Festival. It takes place on Saturday, August 12 at Town Square Park. There will be vendors, food, music and more. Irish Club of Alaska President Dawn Berg joins us to tell us about the festival, the club and she even sings us a song.
Ketch Secor first visited Alaska when he was 14 and it made a lasting impression on him. He traveled the Alaska Railroad, bought chewing tobacco in Sitka and kissed a girl in Fairbanks. The singer and fiddle player for the long-running, high-energy folk band Old Crow Medicine Show joins us this week ahead of the group's Salmonfest appearance. He tells us about their upcoming album "Jubilee" that celebrates a quarter century as a band, the finer points of playing street corners and more.
This week on State of Art we're joined by Corky Parker. She was an original staff member of KSKA nearly 45 years ago, but she's added many chapters to her life since then. Her memoir “La Finca: Love, Loss, and Laundry on a Tiny Puerto Rican Island” tells her story of running a rustic eco-lodge and what she learned along the way. The book is filled with sketches, images and other artwork that won her a 2023 University Press Award for Book & Cover Design along with her 2023 Pacific Northwest Writers Association Nancy Pearl Award for Memoir. She will be in Alaska in August for readings and other events. She tells us about falling in love with a place, searching for authenticity and more.
This week on State of Art we're hearing from Salmonfest director David Stearns. The festival runs from August 4 through the 6 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik. Headliners include Old Crow Medicine Show, Sierra Farell, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Leftover Salmon. Stearns tells us about what to expect from the festival, this year's groovy artwork, zero waste efforts and more.
Last Tuesday, Antiques Roadshow came to film in Alaska for the first time ever in the show’s nearly 30-year history. The popular program travels around the country hosting events where people can bring items to be appraised and get more information about the object’s history. Shooting took place at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage.
Attendees were bussed from the Bartlett High School parking lot to the venue where they went through a sorting process that sent them to various experts located in and around the Heritage center’s facility. From there, the appraisers work with show producers to determine who will get on the show.
Only a small fraction of the nearly 2,500 attendees will make the cut, so here are some of the people who were there that day.
Former city mayor and the library’s namesake, Zachariah Joshua Loussac, left his collection of paintings by the famous landscape artist to the city of Anchorage. Now, the library is giving away prints for free.
This week on State of Art we're hearing from the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival's co-founders and artistic directors Christine Harada Li and Nathaniel Pierce. The two started the festival right out of college to share a style of classical music they love with the city and are now in their 11th season. They tell us about what makes chamber music unique, what to expect from this year's festival and more.
A short walk up the narrow, winding path through the lush forest reveals miniature structures made from natural materials. Some look like fancy animal burrows and others look like mouse-sized houses adorned with moss and bark, but these homes are intended for fairy-folk.
Seward-based folk band Blackwater Railroad Co. has seen its share of lineup changes over the years, but they've maintained their mission of good vibes and good times. The band is playing dates across the state and will be performing in Anchorage at Williwaw on Saturday, July 1. We're joined by lead singer and guitarist Tyson Davis, keyboardist Kyle Comeau, and bassist Ben Sayers as they reflect on the last decade and what comes next.
This week on State of Art we're checking out some of the free concerts and events that Anchorage Downtown Partnership is putting on this summer. We're joined by ADP Executive Director Radhika Krishna who breaks down what's happening every Wednesday through Sunday. We also visit downtown to sample ADP's Music in the Park and Live After Five.
This week on State of Art we're talking about the Sundown Solstice Festival. The three-day concert features a mix of well-known, up-and-coming and local artists whose music ranges from hip-hop, electronic and rock. The festival starts Friday, June 16 and runs through Sunday the 18 at Cuddy Park. We're joined by Hellen Fleming, co-owner of Showdown Productions, the organizers of the festival. She tells us about the artists, what it takes to put on an event this big and being caught up in city drama.
Museum's Aaron Leggett, senior curator and of Alaska history and indigenous cultures, who gives us a tour of some of the exhibits highlights. We hear about contributions of indigenous workers, Leggett's personal connections to the railroad and more.
LINKS:
Anchorage Museum Website
"All Aboard: The Alaska Railroad Centennial"
Alaska Railroad Website
This week on State of Art we talk about a creative competition for students to see the hit musical "Hamilton" and speak with John Damberg, founder of the Alaska Jazz workshop and a recent winner of a Governor's Arts and Humanities Award.
The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts created an engagement program meant to connect the community to the Broadways shows that come to town. They are hosting a statewide creative competition for students from grades 7 through 12 to enter a two-minute video or two-page piece of writing inspired by "Hamilton." The deadline for submission is June 20.
We also speak with musician and educator John Damberg. His resume is filled with legendary musicians and productions he's played with, but one of his main focuses is the Alaska Jazz Workshop where he's trained the next generation of jazz musicians.
LINKS:
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
Broadway Alaska
Broadway BoundAK
Alaska Jazz Workshop
John Damberg website
BROADCAST: Friday, May 26th, 2023. 8 p.m. AKT
Indra Arriaga Delgado’s talents can be difficult to describe. Among other things, she’s an artist, writer, filmmaker and researcher. Originally from Veracruz, Mexico her new book “Opaque Etymologies: Fifteen Moons” examines decolonization, identity, and language through art, poetry and other media. She says the project required five years of work, three languages across two countries and the collaboration of more than 30 individuals. On this episode of State of Art, we hear from her to find out more about her book and we meet artist Diane Dunn who has an exhibition at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art called "2000 Journals: Filling the Void."
LINKS:
Indra Arriaga Delgado's website
Dian Dunn's website
This week on State of Art we're talking about the stage thriller "Wait Until Dark." The Anchorage Community Theater production tells the story of a blind woman who gets caught up in a tension-building game of cat and mouse with dangerous criminals. We're joined by show director Krista Schwarting and lead actor Kaichen McRae to talk about the technical challenges, character choices and the unique lead role.
"Wait Until Dark"
May 5-28
Anchorage Community Theatre
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
LINKS:
Anchorage Community Theater
"Wait Until Dark" TICKETS
BROADCAST: Friday, May 12th, 2023. 8 p.m. AKT
REPEAT BROADCASTS: Monday, May 15th, 2023 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. AKT at the end of Hometown Alaska
This week on State of Art we're discussing a play about the reality of friendship and an indigenous artist who looks to the resources that fed her ancestors. First, we hear from Erin Gingrich and Alaska Pacific University Gallery Manager James Temte. Gingrich's show "Kaviqsaaq Qivliaq-taaq Siññaktut (Red Silver Dreams)" includes photography and carving representing her experiences during the 2022 salmon fishing season. We're also joined by director Jill Bess and actor Gigi Lynch who tell us about Cyrano's Theater Company's upcoming production of "Dog Park."
Kaviqsaaq Qivliaq-taaq Siññaktut (Red Silver Dreams)
May 5 -31, 2023
Alaska Pacific University
Conoco Phillips Gallery
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Dog Park
May 12 - 28, 2023
Cyrano's Theatre Building
Fridays and Saturdays 7:00 p.m.
Sundays 3:00 p.m.
LINKS:
Cyrano's Theater Company website
"Dog Park" tickets
Erin Gingrich website
Erin Gingrich Instagram
APU galleries
LINKS:
Anchorage Opera
"Carmen" tickets
Momentum Dance Collective
"Rhapsody" tickets
Alaska Aids Assistance Association
This week on State of Art we’re hearing about the Anchorage Community Concert Band’s spring performance “Going Places.” We hear from the band’s conductor Dr. Mark Wolbers to find out more about the concert and what makes it a “journey through time and place.”
GUESTS:
Melody Courage: Métis soprano Melody Courage gained national attention as The Native Girl “…played with ethereal grace…” in the 2017 world premiere of Marie Clements and Brian Current’s opera Missing, co-produced by City Opera Vancouver and Pacific Opera Victoria. Missing gives voice, in English and Gitxsan, to the story of Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women. Vancouver-based Melody, of Dene, Cree and Chipewyan descent, is much in demand by composers, with recent performances in Heart of the North (Neil Weisensel, Susanne Steele) written in languages of the Métis - Saulteaux, Michif and French, premiered by Regina Symphony Orchestra. During the pandemic, Melody premiered Ian Cusson’s In Winter with the Canadian Opera Company in their digital concert series and was a guest artist at National Indigenous Peoples Day in June 2022, broadcast on APTN. Engagements for Melody in the current season include her debut as Chrisann in Calgary Opera’s production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Messiah with Vancouver Bach Choir, and a recital with Marion Newman, Evan Korbut and pianist Gordon Gerrard with Toronto’s Music in the Afternoon. Melody sings the role of Countess in scenes from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. In Toronto, Melody starred in Two Odysseys: Pimooteewin/Gállábártnit, presented by Soundstreams Canada and Signal Theatre, directed by Michael Greyeyes/Cole Alvis, composed by Melissa Hui/Britta Byström. These two operas, sung in Cree and Sàmi, are rooted in traditional tales from Canada and Nordic countries.
Kate Bass: Kate Bass, originally from Anchorage Alaska, has appeared on stage as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, at Carnegie Hall, as well as on and off-Broadway for Emmy and Tony Award-nominated productions. She has recorded for film scores winning awards at both the Austin Film Festival and the Milan International Film Festival. Kate was the soprano soloist for Iranian musician Hafez Nazeri’s Grammy-nominated SONY Worldwide album “Untold” with the Rumi Symphony. She has toured internationally singing Gilbert and Sullivan, performing as Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore with the Colorado Symphony, Wolf Trap Opera, and the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. As a singer-songwriter, Kate has four albums released; her first single aired on radio in 2013. She has been hailed by the press as “easy to love,” “infectious,” and “one of the best vocalists on the scene today.” Kate taught on vocal faculty at Pepperdine University, and now leads masterclasses, songwriting workshops, and cross-cultural projects around the globe for organizations such as the Girl Scouts, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, Classical Singer Magazine, and American Voices. Her original cross-cultural collaborative musical project, “Conversations,” had its inaugural performance through the US Embassy in Kampala, Uganda this January 2023, and will continue to Rwanda this May. She arrives in Anchorage fresh off the plane from a performance with the Turkmen National Orchestra in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Last seen on the Anchorage Opera stage as “Mabel” in The Pirates of Penzance, Kate is thrilled to be back in her beloved hometown.
LINKS:
LINKS:
Sitka Fine Arts Camp
Summer Camps
Registration
Employment and Volunteer Opportunities
From Rasmuson Foundation:
Applications may be submitted online at www.rasmuson.org, by mail, or delivered in person. Paper applications delivered in person must be received by 5 p.m. AST on Feb. 14. Mailed applications must be postmarked by Feb. 14. Late applications will not be considered. Applications submitted online are due Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Alaska Time.
LINKS:
Rasmuson Foundation
Individual Artist Award Guidelines
IAA Registration
Past IAA Awardees
Kathleen McCoy spent decades as a journalist before joining Alaska Public Media as an original host of Hometown, Alaska. After years behind the mic interviewing local leaders and community members, she’s stepping down to enjoy retirement. We look back at McCoy’s career and what comes after public radio.
This week on State of Art we hear about artist Garry Kaulitz's retrospective at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art. Kaulitz worked as a professor at the University of Alaska where he taught printmaking and his works have been featured in hundreds of exhibitions. The show features a diverse range of prints, paintings and drawings spanning six decades with a concurrent exhibition in Kaulitz's adopted home of Cuenca, Ecuador. The works will be on display at IGCA through January 27. We're joined by Kaulitz's friend and agent Bob Curtis Johnson to talk about Kaulitz's life in Ecuador, his work, and more.
This week on State of Art the Anchorage Folk Festival returns with in-person performances, workshops, and more. We hear from Johnse Ostman, president of the fest’s board of directors, to find out about the local and featured acts, volunteer opportunities, and what to expect.
This week on State of Art we meet artist Meg Anderson. Her show “Yellow Skies and Black Birds” will be on display at Cyrano’s Art Gallery from January 6 through February 26. Originally from Wisconsin, Anderson spent 24 years as an interpretive graphic artist and illustrator for Alaska State Parks. We discuss her work for the parks, her show and her many other creative projects. We also hear from RKP Production’s Audrey Weltman Kelly and Dick Reichman about the new original play “Out to Lunch: A Political Comedy.”
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from Juneau-based singer-songwriter Marian Call. As part of the Alaska Independent Musician Initiative and a new endeavor called MusicAlaska, Call tells us about the work being done to compile playlists of Alaska musicians to help paint a more complete picture of the state’s music scene. We hear about the working musician’s grind, the benefits of these playlists and plans use them.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from Dr. Mark Wolbers, director of the Anchorage Community Concert Band. Their free winter performance, “Reverence,” will take place on Sunday, December 4 in the Discovery Theater in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. Wolbers tells us about being in the band, managing the wide range of skill levels and what to expect from the concert.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from local artist and the mastermind behind the Alaska BookMobile, Jimmy Riordan. His current work is focused on digitizing analogue Alaska music. He got his start working in Bethel and preserving recordings found around the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, but has branched out to more of a statewide focus. We hear about how he got started, what he’s found along the way and what comes next.
This week on State of Art we’re learning about Anchorage Museum’s Seed Lab. The black building covered in murals is located across from the main museum facility on the corner of 6th and A in downtown Anchorage. In addition to supplementing other museum programming, they hold a variety of workshops on topics ranging from climate to repair and reuse and other events and conversations focusing on community and the environment. They also support artists in residence in addition to things like housing a tool library and a newly built podcast studio. We’re joined by Anchorage Museum Public Programs and Audience Engagement Manager Rebecca Pottebaum and Communications Manager Hank Davis to find out more about what Seed Lab is, what they do and more.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from James Bartlett, author of true-crime book “The Alaskan Blonde: Sex, Secrets, and the Hollywood Story that Shocked America.” The book examines the murder of wealthy Fairbanks businessman Cecil Wells on October 17, 1953. We’ll also hear from the conductor and stage director/choreographer from Anchorage Opera’s production of “The Pirates of Penzance.” Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Discovery Theater at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from the owner of Tent City Press, Bryce Fredrick. Along with the Anchorage Public Library and the Seed Lab, Tent City Press will be hosting a zine fair and swap on Friday, November 4. We also hear from Anchorage Community Theater’s Executive Director Matt Fernandez about their current production of spooky musical “Constance and Sinestra and the Cabinet of Screams.”
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from Joy Harjo. She served as poet laureate of the United States from 2019 to this year. As the first Native American to hold the position, she made it her goal to lift up the voices of indigenous poets. We discuss her relationship to Alaska, her time as poet laureate and her new work.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from Marrin Eighinger, director of Anchorage Community Theater’s production of “The Sensuous Senator.” The fast-paced comedy follows a presidential candidate running on a morality platform, his indiscretions and the fallout of his secrets. The final performances are Saturday, October 1 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 2 at 3 p.m.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from Steph Johnson. She was an early hire when the Bear Tooth Grill was first opening, eventually becoming general manager of the Bear Tooth Theatrepub and Grill. After two decades with the company, she’s helping other restaurants find their way. We discuss her work as a consultant, what makes a good dining experience and the un-sexy side of the business.
Reach Steph Johnson at katabaticconsulting@gmail.com.
When you walk into the International Gallery of Contemporary art in downtown Anchorage, you’ll be greeted by a painting of a woman. She’s sitting on a chair, wearing nothing but a sheer scarf and hat that says “Art Slut.” It’s a self-portrait by artist Linda Lucky, inspired by Alice Neel who painted herself in the nude at 80. Lucky’s show at IGCA called “Loose Ends” is a journey through a diverse selection of work showing the fun and whimsy of youth, the sophistication of midlife and the nostalgia of looking back.
This week on State of Art Lucky tells us about her time as an art teacher and being a “fitness instructor for imagination,” the variety of her work and, of course, going nude to celebrate turning 80.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from artist Scott Clendaniel. He combines his love of the outdoors, beer and positive vibes in his work. In addition to landscapes and other Alaska scenes, when scanning through his collection of paintings, you might find X-wings from Star Wars flying over Denali, an octopus hitting up some fresh powder on skis, or local beers in the foreground of an epic background. You can find his paintings on display at Turnagain Brewing until October 6.
In this episode we discuss splitting his time between Anchorage and his cabin in McCarthy, being inspired by nature and his series of beer themed paintings.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from O’Hara Shipe. She took over as managing editor of the Anchorage Press in March after being a long-time contributor to the alt-weekly. She is also the state director for cannabis magazine Alaska Leaf and has her own photography business Shipe Shots. We discuss her professional hockey career, her work as a journalist and her goals for the paper.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from Jovell Rennie and Young Kim from Akela Space. The local photographers and long-time friends are the driving force behind the spot’s mission to showcase new artistic talent and provide an inclusive community space. We hear about what they look for when collaborating with an artist, past shows and events, and how they want the spot to be a blank canvas of possibilities.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from three creatives that make up August’s diverse International Gallery of Contemporary Art exhibits. Rachael Juzeler has a love for rust and incorporating found objects into her sculptures, Ronald Viol examines human expression with his clay work, and Robert Werner engineers objects using 3D printing and computer processors. We find out more about the artists, their work and how it all fits together.
This week on State of Art we’re diving into what’s been happening at Cyrano’s this month. We hear from the theater’s Producing Artistic Director Teresa K. Pond about the play “5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche” and how social repression and dread of nuclear war in the 1950s helps influence the period comedy. We also hear from painter Elizabeth Belanger about her work on display in the theater’s gallery and how a cancer diagnosis helped her start painting again.
This week on State of Art we’re joined by local singer-songwriter Emma Hill who tells us about her project “Park Songs.” Hill spent months travelling around the U.S. and Canada visiting national parks, recording notes and melodies along the way. The project is a combination of music, travelogue and advocacy for parklands.
In this episode we also learn about Galway Days which takes place August 13 at Town Square Park. Peggy Monaghan from the Irish Club of Alaska tells us about the upcoming celebration of Irish culture.
The music and arts festival runs from August 5 through 7 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik. Headliners include Umphrey’s McGee, Shakey Graves, Rising Appalachia and California Honeydrops. We learn about the old days, the festival’s salmon-centric mission, and what’s new this year.
In her collection of essays called “All the Colors We Will See,” Patrice Gopo examines her experience of being raised by Jamaican immigrant parents and growing up Black in Alaska. Now she’s helping others tell their stories in a free writing workshop.
The class takes place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on July 28 at the Anchorage Museum. Gopo will be leading a discussion and providing writing prompts to help attendees of any writing experience develop their skills.
“I think we all benefit when we have an abundance of stories that are out there in the world,” Gopo said.
The workshop caps off a series of events organized by the Anchorage Museum, the Anchorage Public Library and YWCA Alaska discussing “All the Colors We Will See.”
Gopo will also be promoting her new picture book “All the Places We Call Home” at Barnes & Noble on July 31 at 1 p.m.
On this week’s State of Art Gopo tells us about her writing, the workshop and shares tips on personal storytelling.
Dan McElrath spent the last three decades living and making a name for himself in Alaska through his jazz combo The Dan Mac Band, collaborations with local artists and through is work as the state’s premier piano technician. He’s moving on to warmer climes, but won’t be leaving quietly.
The Dan Mac band, which has been active since 1995, will play at Jack Sprat in Girdwood on June 18 as part of the Solstice festivities. McElrath’s 18-piece big band will perform on July 16 at the MatSu Lodge on Wasilla Lake and this final show will also be a fundraiser for Alaska Medical Missions.
This week on State of Art we’re joined by McElrath who tells us about finding his passion, memorable moments, and putting a piano on a glacier.
Wild Shore New Music is a New-York based chamber music collective that features Alaska-raised musicians with a focus on the relationship between art and our environment.
For their eighth season in Alaska, the group is performing the music of featured composer Joseph C. Phillips Jr., who brings a diverse background of musical influences to the table.
Wild Shore New Music is performing in Kenai, Homer and Anchorage this week. Their Anchorage program is on Saturday, June 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the UAA Recital Hall in the Fine Arts Building and is free.
In this program we’re joined by Wild Shore featured composer Phillips with founders and ensemble musicians Katie Cox and Andie Tanning. We discuss what the group has been up to since arriving in Alaska, Phillips’ music selections and what comes next.
NOTE: It’s mentioned in the interview that the Kenai and Homer performances are at 7:30, but they are at 7 p.m.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing about Anchorage Community Theater’s production of “The Claw.” The show tells the story of toys stuck in a out of order claw machine and what happens when it’s turned on.
We’re joined by “The Claw” director Justin Stewart and music director Annika Merkel to find out about the musical, working with youth and the play’s theme of facing the unknown.
The musical runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. from May 13 through May 29th.
This week on State of Art we’re learning about Turnagain Ceramics. The studio occupies the former Fire Island Bakery Location on G Street in downtown Anchorage and promises memberships, one-off classes and more. Co-founders Max Kubitz and Evan Fried grew up in that area and after reconnecting in California, and returning to Alaska, they decided to take their love of ceramics to the next level.
On this episode we’re joined by Kubitz and Fried to talk about their friendship, what to expect from the studio, and their pitch for taking up ceramics.
This week on State of Art we’re learning about Anchorage Opera returning to the stage after a two-year hiatus. After postponing twice, their production of Puccini’s “Tosca” is happening this weekend.
The opera is considered one of Puccini’s masterpieces and has all the passion, intrigue and death you’d want from a dramatic performance.
We’re joined by Anchorage Opera’s principal conductor Brian DeMaris and stage director Laura Alley to get reacquainted after such a long break and to find out more about the production.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing about the upcoming Dave Brubeck Centennial Celebration 2.0 concert from Anchorage Festival of Music. The performance will feature pieces from across Brubeck’s career, including genres outside of jazz great’s well-known work.
The concert takes place on Wednesday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Discovery Theater at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. A live-stream option is also available. Alaska’s Melissa “Jazzmom” Fischer Quartet will perform Brubeck’s jazz pieces while guest vocalist Carl Dupont will perform solo works.
We’re joined by Dupont and AFM artistic director Laura Koenig to learn more about Brubeck’s lesser known musical output, his connection to Anchorage and what to expect from the performance.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing about Out North‘s Fringe Festival. The multi-week fest consists of performances, workshops, and film. We’re joined by three guests who tell us about coming back to the stage after a long hiatus, how the fest has been going and what else we can expect.
Fringe Festival runs from March 26 – April 14.
Anchorage Community Theater’s production of “Ordinary Days” starts this weekend and runs through April 3rd. It follows the lives of four average people as they navigate life in New York City and is driven by the music of renowned theater composer Adam Gwon.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing from “Ordinary Days” director Warren Weinstein. He’s been involved with ACT since the early 90s, but this will be his directorial debut for the company. He tells us about his deep ties to ACT, why a sung-through musical is nothing to be afraid of and what’s on his mind as he gets ready to debut.
“Ordinary Days” runs from March 18 – April 3 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7 pm and Sundays at 3 pm.
Seafood is a major aspect to Alaska’s economy and culture. There are the standards – salmon, halibut, crab – but what about other options and how can we spruce up those old favorites?
That’s where the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) comes in. #alaskaseafoodhacks launched earlier this year and features chefs and other seafood experts giving tips on how to make the most out of Alaska seafood.
On this episode of State of Art we hear from five-time Olympian Kikkan Randall and ASMI communications director Ashley Heimbigner about their seafood hacks, underrated seafood options, and more.
This week on State of Art we’re hearing about RKP Productions‘ upcoming presentation of “Tiny Beautiful Things.” It’s based on the book “Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life From Dear Sugar” by author Cheryl Strayed. She compiled selections from her time writing anonymously for the brutally honest “Dear Sugar” advice column. The book was later adapted for stage by “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” star and writer, Nia Vardalos.
We’re joined by RKP Productions’ Dick Reichman, Audrey Weltman Kelly and Bruce Kelly. They tell us about putting on a play that’s not a play, roles that are “actor candy” and what we can expect.
“Tiny Beautiful Things” opens Jan. 13 and runs through Jan. 23. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Proof of vaccination will be required.