2023 Featured Native Arts Studies Program Instructors and Students
New pathways connect instructors and students to perpetuate and strengthen the artistic traditions of their ancestors for future generations
This exhibit highlights the work of instructors and students in our Native Arts Studies Program. The Center's Native Arts Studies Program has offered classes, workshops, and seminars in Northwest Coast arts and culture including carving, basketry, weaving, and regalia making since 1976. Many of the students are continuing in a family tradition, reconnecting with their cultural heritage, or learning and appreciating the artistic styles of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian.
Cultural identity is embedded in the artwork and regalia of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. Regalia includes robes, hats, frontlets, vests, collars, dance aprons, tunics, leggings, moccasins, and masks among others.
Regalia visually communicates the house or clan identity of the wearer and is often worn at formal gatherings and cultural events. The process of making regalia is often very personal. Instructors and students expressed that making regalia connects them to their ancestors. Some students said that they make regalia to rebuild family connections severed by boarding schools, forced assimilation, and historical trauma. Often, the classroom is not only a place of learning, but also a place of healing and growing.
Click here to learn more about the Native Arts Studies Program and register for classes.
