September 7, 2012
Issue  61

Greetings!
Last weekend wrapped up the inaugural Sitka Fellows Program, the last of the eight new programs we launched this summer on the Sheldon Jackson Campus. This seven week program drew a diverse pool of talent that included a sociologist, novelist, cartoonist, startup entrepreneur and others all under the age of 30 from across the country to share in a multidisciplinary residency. Read on to learn more about the ideas behind the program through an interview with program creator Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and a guest piece from Sitka Fellow Lizzy Star. Also, don't forget to sign up for our Afterschool Fine Arts Classes!

 Bringing Ideas to One Place: A Look at the    Inspiration Behind the Sitka Fellows Program

Sitka resident Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins was once a camper himself. Now, he is giving back to SFAC through the initiation of new programs, including the Bulldogs on Baranof student internship program and the Sitka Fellows Program. When asked how the Fellows Program relates to the greater mission at work on the Sheldon Jackson Campus, Jonathan said, "the idea behind the Sitka Fellows Program is that if you bring together really exciting people and have them work and eat and live together, really exciting things will happen."  

 

The Fellows Program was intended to provide promising young talent with a space to develop their individual projects away from the commotion of their everyday life. Jonathan feels that Sitka is an ideal space for that. He said, "Sitka has a tradition of arts, science, culture, and curiosity. We thought the setting of Sheldon Jackson and of Sitka was appropriate for a program that played on those same themes."  Not only is Sitka home to an abundance of institutions in the arts, sciences, and humanities, with great community support, it is also a site of great natural resources. When not at work in their studios or out in the community, Fellows were also drawing inspiration from the beauty of the outdoors, often citing the summer salmon runs as an unexpected highlight of their residency.    

 

Traditional residency programs are geared towards participants of a single discipline. This program made a notable departure from this model. According to Jonathan, "the concept behind the Sitka Fellows Program is unique. We drew on three distinct concepts: the tried-and-true residency model; incubating exclusively young and emerging talent; and creating an interdisciplinary environment for both of the above." In this sense, Jonathan compared the ideas behind the program to TED and the Santa Fe Institute, popular programs which draw thinkers together from diverse fields. An advantage of this model is that the Sitka Fellows found their work challenged by new perspectives, motivating them to evaluate their own understanding of their field and to consider how their work is best articulated to the public, whether it is an industrial-inspired sculpture or a new startup. In turn, others benefited from the diversity of new ideas and projects residing in their community.         

 

     

Or checks to Alaska Arts SE

PO Box 3086, Sitka, AK 99835

 

Upcoming Events
9/14-9/16: First Fall Work Party
Fall restoration efforts will soon kick off with a crew mobilized from Juneau! We will be working in historic Allen Hall. Volunteers should plan to take the 8:30am ferry from Juneau on Friday 9/14 and to return to Juneau by 5pm on Sunday 9/16. Campus housing will be provided. Sitkans feel free to join us!

Interested in participating? 
Please contact: Stephanie Allison at slacpa@acsalaska.net or 723-3092.  
 Afterschool Fine Arts Classes   - Sign Up Now!
Registration is open for Art! at the Sitka Fine Arts Campus, our new afterschool fine arts program! Last year, we offered a pilot version of this program. It was a success, and now we are excited to offer an even greater range of classes, including Sculpting, Drawing, Ceramics, Guitar Lessons, and even Celtic Dance! A special thanks to our Director of Afterschool Programs Sandra Fontaine for her work in developing and coordinating this program.

 

The first session of afterschool classes will begin the week of September 17th and run for six weeks. Please click here for more information regarding class schedule and registration.   

 











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ArtPlace Announces New Grants
ArtPlace has launched its third round of grant applications to support creative placemaking in communities across America. Sitka Fine Arts Camp was a recent grant recipient and we would like to help spread the word to other communities and exciting organizations. Go to ArtPlace's website for more details.
 End of Program Thank You from Sitka Fellow 2012 Lizzy Star

When the Sitka Fellows Program began, the salmon hadn't even started running yet.

 

In mid-July, the 2012 Fellows-Sam Alden, Adam Horowitz, Andrew Lee, Pete Moran, Amanda Murphyao, Ross Perlin, Lizzy Star (that's me!) and Camila Thorndike-arrived by plane, ferry, and sailboat and were spirited away in a skiff to a cabin in the Tongass. Within minutes, we were wowed by real-life bald eagles, fat purple starfish, and unbelievably large sea lions. Within three days, we knew we were part of something totally unusual, magical and new.

 

 The Fellows Program, a brainchild of Sitka resident Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, was designed to bring young, talented, "frame-busting visionaries of all stripes" together in residency on the Sheldon Jackson campus. I was plugging away at a work of fiction while across the hall, Sam's graphic novel unfolded page after beautiful page and Amanda continued her scholarly inquiry into maps, borders, Canada, and where the dragons are. In other words: I was really lucky. We all were.

 

In between writing, drawing, brainstorming, making art, and conducting research, we also saw something of the world. We hiked Gavan, Verstovia, and Mt. Bassie. We pulled black cod collars and got really good at cooking salmon. And our excitement about being in Sitka was more than matched by the welcome we received from the community: invitations to coffee, barbecues, potlucks, Shabbat dinners and island parties made us feel more at home than I could have ever imagined.

 

So to the town of Sitka, to Roger and the Fine Arts Camp, to Jonathan and to Julie Zhu, our trusted captain, and to the few live salmon who remain in Indian River: we thank you for an incredible seven weeks. Sitka, I'll see you soon.

- Lizzy Star 

Thanks for the ongoing support,
Chelsea Andreozzi, Program Administrator
Laura Schmidt and Wendy Alderson, Volunteer Coordinators