Native Heritage Month lectures in Juneau will focus on art

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor its annual noon lecture series to celebrate Native American Heritage Month and Walter Soboleff Day in November.

This year's lineup includes some of the world's most distinguished Northwest Coast and Alutiiq artists and will conclude in early December with a panel discussion by young Native artists on the future of Northwest Coast art.

SHI also will host a panel discussion,"Retrospective View of Dr. Walter Soboleff," to commemorate the state's annual Walter Soboleff Day.

The lectures will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Living History Center at the Walter Soboleff Building in Juneau. Attendees are invited to bring their own lunches. The talks also will be videotaped and posted online. The event was co-sponsored by the University of Alaska Southeast.

Here is the schedule:

Nov. 3, "The Revival of Tsimshian Art," with David A. Boxley, Tsimshian Master Artist

Nov. 10, "The Antiquity and Evolution of Northwest Coast Art," with Northwest art scholar Steve Brown

Nov. 13, "Retrospective Views of Dr. Walter Soboleff," with a panel of speakers TBA

Nov. 17, "Discovering Haida Arts: A Personal Journey," with Haida Master Artist Robert Davidson

Nov. 24, "Art of Our Ancestors: Kodiak Island,"with Perry Eaton, Alutiiq Master Artist and founding president of the Alaska Native Heritage Center

Dec. 3, "Northwest Coast Art Into the Future,"with Alison Bremner, David R. Boxley, Rico Worl, Nick Galanin. This panel of young Native artists will discuss the future of Northwest Coast art.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private, nonprofit founded in 1980 to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding.The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska.

For more information, contact Chuck Smythe, History and Culture Director, 907-586-9282.

Visit http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/institute/culture-and-history/programs/lecture-series