The Totem Heritage Center’s Native Arts Studies Program is dedicated to perpetuating Northwest Coast Native art and tradition. Classes are offered annually in weaving, basketry, design, carving, and regalia making.
The Totem Heritage Center’s Native Arts Studies Program is dedicated to perpetuating Northwest Coast Native art and tradition. Classes are offered annually in weaving, basketry, design, carving, and regalia making.
The Totem Heritage Center serves as a cultural center for the artistic traditions of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people. The Center offers annual classes in the Northwest Coast arts including carving, basketry, weaving, and regalia making. Visiting and local instructors accomplished in the Northwest Coast Native style of art teach these classes to perpetuate and strengthen the traditional arts through their students. Students may work independently, pursue a Certificate of Merit, and earn University of Alaska credit.
Whether your interest in Northwest Coast art is new or you’ve been weaving, carving, or making regalia for years, the Totem Heritage Center’s Native Arts Studies Program has a class to meet your needs. Classes usually run for one to two weeks October through April.
Students register for each class on a separate form. Registration will open a month prior to the first day of class and students will be admitted on a first-come first-serve basis.
Students can complete their registration online or stop by the Totem Heritage Center between 1–5:00 PM Tuesday–Saturday and staff can assist.
Payment for the class registration fee – whether via credit card, cash, or submitting an Esther Shea Cultural Studies Scholarship – is needed to confirm registration.
KIC STUDENTS: Click here for a downloadable Esther Shea Cultural Studies Program scholarship application.
Native Arts Studies Program Class Policies & Program Participation Agreement.
We look forward to seeing you in class!
CEDAR BARK MATERIAL PREP
Instructor: Holly Churchill
November 17 - 19, 2026
**Registration will open soon!
Did you take the cedar bark harvesting class this spring? Ready to prepare your bark for an upcoming weaving class? Join Master Weaver Holly Churchill for a hands-on workshop in preparing cedar bark for weaving. Students must supply their own cedar bark and have prior weaving experience.
Don't have your own cedar bark but would like to participate? Give us a call at 907-225-5900 to discuss options.
This workshop counts as a Certificate of Merit in Weaving elective and is highly recommended for weavers!
BEGINNING / INTERMEDIATE CEDAR BARK WEAVING
Instructor: Holly Churchill
December 1 - 12, 2026
**Registration will open soon!
Join Master Weaver Holly Churchill to learn and practice foundational cedar bark weaving techniques. Beginning weavers will create an open-face basket, while those with more experience will work on a rattle top basket with false embroidery. This class counts toward the Certificate of Merit in Weaving and is a required prerequisite for all upper-level weaving classes.
BEADED EARRINGS WORKSHOP
Instructor: Janice Jackson
December 15 - 17, 2026
**Registration will open soon!
Join instructor Janice Jackson for three evenings of creativity, color, and beading! Explore a variety of earring styles and create pieces of your choice, with options including fur-button earrings, Northwest Coast appliqué earrings, and dangly beaded designs. Whether you have a favorite style in mind or are excited to try something new, you'll have plenty of time to learn, experiment, and create earrings of your own.
BEGINNING CHILKAT WEAVING – LEVEL 2
Instructor: Dorica Jackson
January 5 - 16, 2027
**Registration will open soon!
Learn from Master Weaver Dorica Jackson, whose work is known for its exceptional skill, precision, and intricate detail. Designed for students who have completed a Beginning Chilkat Weaving class, this workshop builds on previously learned techniques as students create a Chilkat square and practice new design elements.
Fill out the Native Arts Studies Program Instructor Application and email it to MarniRickelmann@ketchikan.gov or stop by the Heritage Center and speak with staff.
Be part of a proud legacy that celebrates accomplished artists dedicated to upholding First Nations creative traditions. Native Arts Studies Program students can earn an award for excellence in Carving, Weaving, or Regalia that honors learning and sharing knowledge and the strength of their work.
The Certificate of Merit is also a record of achievement that is a helpful tool for further opportunities including scholarships, grants, teaching positions, additional education, representation, or exhibition in galleries and museums, and more.
Native Arts Studies Program students who have taken a class elsewhere and want that class to count toward their Certificate of Merit can complete the Credit Transfer Form and submit it to the Totem Heritage Center for review.
