Huna Totem Canoe Jacket

CanoeJacket

With hecklers from the side line, Ozzie Sheakley sports a “sporty” jacket with the 40-year anniversary design of a canoe with images of the 4 main clans from Hoonah, Alaska. Designed by Clarissa Rizal — photo by Deanna Lampe

I rarely wear these type of sporty jackets made of synthetic materials.  I am spoiled with the wool jackets made by Woolrich or Pendleton.  Remember the halibut jackets that were worn by all the cannery workers here in Alaska?  And later on the Pendleton company started coming out with their fancy, lined Pendleton jackets and coats.  That’s more my style.  However, a jacket that has this cool image on it make me want to spend $250!

Past Public Art Projects

 

The photos in this blog entry represent a few public art created since 1987 to present day.  (No, they’re not in chronological order according to date completed).  Some of these art installations are carved, painted, inlaid; some are beaded sculptures using 4mm and 6mm Czech fire-polished and Austrian crystal beads; and some are hand-sewn wool fabrics with buttons and seed beads.

“Dancing Northern Lights” – Anchorage Senior Living apartment complex atrium, Anchorage, Alaska Czech and Austrian Crystal beads, 4 to 5-foot lengths by 35 feet of beadwork

“Going to the Potlatch” – MV Kennicott cafeteria, Bellingham, Washington – carved, painted, airbrushed, beaded & button work – 4.5 feet high x 15 feet wide

“Salmon Return” – Mt. Roberts Tramway stairwell, Juneau, Alaska – Czech and Austrian crystal beads – 4.5 feet wide x 28 feet long

“Salmon Return” detail

“Shaman With Spirit Guides” – SEARHC (Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corporation) foyer, Sitka, Alaska – carved and painted central panel, hand-sewn applique and mother-of-pearl buttons on wool – 4.5 feet high x 15 feet wide

 

“Following Our Ancestors’ Trail” – Alaska Native Medical Center hospital 2nd floor entry, Anchorage, Alaska – carved, painted, airbrushed, copper in-lay, mother-of-pearl buttons, brass brads – 9 feet high x 11.5 feet wide

 

Huna Totem 40th Anniversary Button Robe

Clarissa finalizes her button blanket design for the Huna Totem’s celebration of their 40th anniversary

Back in February, I was given a week deadline in a competition to draft up a design that reflected one of Southeast Alaska’s Native Corporation’s 40th anniversary vision statement:  “…sailing the canoe of our ancestor’s into the future…”  I don’t know if I have ever been successful at drafting up a winning design in that short amount of time, but somehow the image came very easily to me and within a day I had the proposal and design done – that’s unheard of in my experiences.

“Stitch witchery” iron-on interfacing assists in applying the cut applique to the robe body – however, this stitch witchery must have been old because the fusion to the wool fabric did not work – alas, I had to hand-baste the design down before sewing it.

The robe was presented during the Huna 40th celebration at the Cannery Point in Hoonah, Alaska on Saturday, July 27th.  Click here for the blog entry.

The unfinished robe; still needs the face in the Copper T’naa, the teeth on the shark and the “mountains”

The name of this robe is based on Huna Totem’s request:  “…sailing the canoe of our Grandfathers into the future…”  The Design explanation is as follows:

…there are four clans in Hoonah whose crests are depicted on the canoe L to R:   The Chookaneidi clan’s octopus crest, the WooshkeeTaan clan’s Shark crest, the Kaagwaantaan clan’s wolf crest and the T’akDeinTaan clan’s black-legged kitty-wake crest.  In the canoe are the Raven and the Eagle moieties each holding the Copper T’naa which represents the history, culture, wealth and arts.  The Eagle and Raven moeities each share in the responsibility of carrying our culture in the canoe of our Grandfathers’ into the future…”

What the robe looks like when it is on a body! – by the way, my  model’s name is Dan Shanks

The cool thing about this commemorative 40th-year robe is that it can be worn in ceremony by any one from the four main clans from Hoonah, AND it can be hung on the corporate walls of Huna Totem…I really like the idea of its versatility.

After laying out the buttons under my direction, Lis begins to glue down the “Mt. Fairweather range”… which completes the robe

I never got a professional shot of the completed robe, not even a snap shot of the robe – so I cannot show you the entire robe until somebody sends me a photograph!  Quick! – If you happened to be at the 40th anniversary celebration event in Hoonah and you have got a photograph of me doing the presentation, go for it and email me an image – and of course, I may want to use it in this blog entry and of course, I will give you photo credit!  Thank you!

Whale of a Tale

While her son Louis is on her back, Lily Hope washes down the whale's tail in the parking lot of the Juneau Arts and Culture Center - Juneau, Alaska

The Juneau Arts and Humanities is sponsoring a project to help bring awareness to the support of a large bronze whale’s tail to be created by local artist Skip Wallen.  10 polyuerothane foam resin whale tails are being embellished by 10 selected local artists.  Lily Hope submitted a proposal; we were selected as one of the 10.  We were going to create a modern Tlingit-influenced stylized form line design painting, however, that would require at least three days of sunshine, and by this Summer’s lousy weather pattern we’ve been experiencing in Juneau, we decided to create something a bit simpler yet elegant.

Lily begins spraying the toxic, smelly black spray paint

Each whale tail is being sponsored by a local business – Thank you to Huna Totem Corporation for sponsoring ours!

Lily completes the black; Clarissa begins to spray touches of red

All 10 whale tails must be completed by July 1st; 3 will be in Juneau’s Fourth of July parade.  In September, the whale tails will be auctioned.

Modeling for a pretend magazine article - haha!

We had to wait for a couple of hours for the paint to be completely dry before attempting to move it and begin gluing buttons.

Lily begins gluing smokey-gray mother-of-pearl buttons

Lily finishes gluing the buttons, then each is nailed down to survive any weather

Louis helps nail down the buttons too!

Please tell your friends, neighbors and co-workers about the big auction on Saturday, September 15th at the JACC (Juneau Arts & Culture Center, i.e. the Old Armory), where all the wonderful creations will be auctioned off to the highest bidder!

Do we look proud of ourselves or what?

Thanks to all who are volunteering and participating in the Animal Parade and supporting this Whale Project, which will place a spectacular life-scale bronze humpback whale and fountain on Juneau’s waterfront, in recognition of Alaska’s 50th anniversary of  Statehood.  This will be an icon for Juneau, and the third sculpture of Skip Wallen in Juneau.

Many thanks to Kathy Ruddy for coordinating this event;  thanks again to Huna Totem Corporation for sponsoring our particular whale tail!