At the Alaska Juneau Public Market

I remember when Peter Metcalfe, the producer/director of the Alaska-Juneau Public Market first started this venue for artists and craftspeople back in the early 80’s.  The Public Market replaced the Juneau Arts Council’s “Holiday Fair and Market” started back in 1978 where I used to sell hand-made hats, hand-made kid’s clothing and hand-made masks.  A few artists like John and Sharon Svenson (Haines), or Linda Fordham (Gustavus), came in from out of town.

Now, the Public Market has at least 250 local artists/crafts people from all over Southeast Alaska.  Held during Thanksgiving Day weekend at the Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska, it feels like a “family reunion” of sorts because many of the artists only see one another once a year at this time.

1989 was my first year at the Juneau Public Market.  I had a booth smack daeb in the middle of the lobby just outside the “great room” at Centennial Hall.  I sold about 100 “dream catchers” traditionally made of branches and “sinew.”  I think dream catchers made their debut in Juneau, Alaska (or maybe all of Southeast) that Thanksgiving Day weekend.  They were an unknown thing back then.  I learned how to make them in early ’89 from a Huron Native woman who was visiting the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.  I taught a couple of friends (one in Santa Fe and one in Juneau) how to make dream catchers of silver and crystal beads; I know the single mother supported herself and her two daughters for a number of years making the silver dream catcher earrings, pendants and hair barrettes.

2010 was my second year at the Juneau Public Market.  (My father had passed away a couple of years prior, so I moved in with Mom.   After about 6 months of living with Mom, she wondered why I was still around, like when was I going home? I paused before I answered her with this statement:  “I will go home whenever….uh,…you “go home.”)

For two months before the market, I painted one of my largest called “Frog Speaks” along with about 7 smaller paintings. I also printed my own fabric and made 10 dolls with “Chilkat warp” hair (leftover “thrums” trimmed from Chilkat robes I had made in the past).    The night before the opening of the market I got cold feet!    Like I have spent 2 months working away on these things and I have not a penny to my name and what makes me think that anyone is going to buy this stuff….!?!?!?!

I sold all the paintings, sold 7 of the 10 dolls (the remaining 3 I gave to each of my children’s first born), and I sold a few prints!  I made enough income to pay 5 months’ bills!

2014 was my third year at the Juneau Public Market.   I had on display, my “Chilkat Child” woven ensemble and my daughter Lily’s “Little Watchman” Ravenstail ensemble, along with my tall charcoal on canvas “Totemic Theories.”  I sold a few of my button blanket greeting cards, my hand-painted masks, limited edition prints, beaded hats, paper feathers, the children’s book I co-illustrated, but not one item of the Chilkat/Ravenstail spinning and weaving supplies sold.  I now know that the Public Market is NOT the right venue for selling those supplies!

My oldest grandchild, Elizabeth Hope (I affectionately call her “SikiKwaan”), helped me sew spinning pads for those weavers who don’t mind spinning their own warp.  She is shown here sewing on my 1974 “Genie” Singer sewing machine my mother bought me when I graduated from high school.  This machine has “seen it all…!”

The Shotridges and I shared this booth at the Juneau Public Market this year.  It was quite cozy and full…!  Between us, we had a variety of things for sale.  You would think that we looked like we were having fun!—Little do people know that I was a bitch while setting up the booth that first morning!  For three months prior, I had worked my fingers to the bone preparing a variety of items for sale and I was plum exhausted by the time we set up this cozy “gallery” that I didn’t FEEL like setting up, but who else is going to do it!?

So you folks out there who wear rosy-colored glasses thinking that artists “have a grand life” – go think again!  Sure we set our own hours, HOWEVER, most of us work around the clock; we never leave our work!  And do we really want to?  Do we really want to leave our work?   Hmmm…very good question!  I have to ponder that one.

Sue and I are like two peas in a pod.  I don’t know if I have ever met anyone else who reminds me of me when it comes to how we operate.  High energy, we are consistently on the go.  And somehow we don’t “bump into one another!”  Woe be to us if THAT ever happened!  We’d blow one another out of the water!