FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Six of Alaska’s collecting institutions, in five communities from Kodiak to Nome, have been awarded $33,350 in grants. The awards will support the acquisition of artwork through a fund created by Rasmuson Foundation and administered by Museums Alaska.

The Art Acquisition Fund invites museums and culture centers to submit proposals to purchase recent works by contemporary Alaskan artists. Now in its seventeenth year, this initiative has helped institutions across Alaska enhance their collections, interpret contemporary themes, and support hundreds of visual artists. This summer, six museums received a total of $33,350 to purchase 7 pieces of artwork from 7 Alaskan artists—including acrylic, mixed media, colored pencil, and silver pieces.

This round, a pair of dancing dolls and one commissioned mask were funded. The University of Alaska Museum of the North will purchase a pair of art dolls made by Mary Ellen Frank depicting a story of a man and woman participating in Eskimo Dancing (yuraq, lit. "to dance"), and Sealaska Heritage Institute will work with Tsimshian carver and art instructor John Hudson, III who will create a carved and painted wooden mask depicting the face of a shaman.

The fund will offer additional grants in 2019. For eligibility information, application deadlines, and submission directions, please visit the Museums Alaska website.

Museums Alaska is a statewide professional organization supporting Alaska’s collecting institutions and their staff members and volunteers. The non-profit organization supports the improvement of museum services and promotes public awareness of the value of the state’s museums and culture centers. A nine-member volunteer board governs Museums Alaska with funding from memberships, grants, gifts, and sales.