Alaska Native Art: Tradition, Innovation, Continuity - Paperback

by Susan W. Fair (Author), Jean Blodgett (Editor)

The rich artistic traditions of Alaska Natives are the subject of this landmark volume, which examines the work of the premier Alaska artists of the twentieth century. Ranging across the state from the islands of the Bering Sea to the interior forests, Alaska Native Art provides a living context for beadwork, ivory carving, basketry, and skin sewing. Examples of work from Tlingit, Aleutian Islanders, Pacific Eskimo, Athabaskan, Yupik, and Inupiaq artists make this volume the most comprehensive study of Alaskan art ever published.

Beautifully illustrated with full-color photographs of artists and their works, Alaska Native Art examines the concept of tradition in the modern world. Fair demonstrates that tradition is alive and well in Alaska through the words of Native artists and a multitude of examples, reproduced in color and accompanied by historic photographs.

Alaska Native Art is a volume to treasure, a tribute to the incredible vision of Alaska's artists and to the enduring traditions of all of Alaska's Native peoples.

Front Jacket

The rich artistic traditions of Alaska Natives are the subject of this landmark volume, which examines the work of the premier Alaska artists of teh twentieth century. Ranging across the state from the islands of the Bering Sea to teh interior forests, Alaska Native Art provides a living context for beadwork and ivory carving, basketry and skin sewing. Examples of work from Tlingit, Aleutian Islanders, Pacific Eskimo, Athabaskan, Yup'ik, and Inupiaq artists make this volume the most comprehensive study of Alaskan art ever published. Beautifully illustrated with full-color photographs of artists and their works, Alaska Native Art examines the concept of tradition in the modern world. Fair demonstrates that tradition is alive and well in Alaksa through the words of Native artists and a multitude of examples, reproduced in color and accompanied by historic photographs. Alaska Native Art is a volume to treasure, a tribute to the incredible vision of Alaska's artists and to the enduring traditions of all of Alaska's Native peoples

Author Biography

Susan W. Fair (1948-2003) was a folklorist, curator, and advocate for Native peoples. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1994 and published extensively on Alaska Native art, including two chapters in the catalog Eskimo Drawings (2003). She curated major art exhibits across Alaska and worked throughout her life to increase respect for and appreciation of Alaska Native artists and their work.