Art of the Pacific Northwest - The Art of Juneau, Alaska

This is the third in the series. I have traveled to several Alaskan port cities just after my initial retirement. Unfortunately, our time there was so brief that we mostly gave our attention to the scenery and souvenir shops. Next time I promise to be more artfully observant.

Missed Opportunities

The Aquileans (2017), Photo by David Purdy

We missed these ten nearly-identical LED-illuminated sculptures (by Cliff Garten) while docked in Juneau, Alaska on our cruise in August of 2016. That's because they were installed over a year later in September of 2017 along with the fendering and mooring dolphins. A dolphin is a man-made marine structure that extends above the water level and is not connected to the shore.

We also missed much of the splendor of the Alaskan glaciers. The weather for our cruise must have been warmer than usual, as there was ice floating in chunks that kept our Captain from visiting certain areas. I was able to get some shots, though not as spectacular as those of a work colleague who inspired our cruise.

Paintings

I did find this watercolor by artist, Mark Vinsel that captures Tracy Arm - South Sawyer Glacier as it looked in 2003. It looks quite similar to my photo as if it could be the same glacier. The painting reminds me of the landscapes of Arthur Wesley Dow, mentor to Georgia O'Keeffe.

Here's another painting of a glacier by artist, Dianne Anderson. Note the rainbow-colored lighting on the mountains in the background. I don't understand what's going on in the bottom quarter of the picture, although it balances the mountain range. I'm guessing it's iced over water with an iceberg in the foreground.

My favorite of these paintings is entitled, Water and Mountains, Juneau, Alaska by artist, Gil Smith. It is watercolor and pencil on paper and was painted in 1959, the year Alaska became a state. The colors are quite vivid and saturated for a watercolor showing high contrast between the snow-covered mountain and the delicate reflection of the city in a wash of blue. This painting was hung in the Smithsonian American Art Museum at one time.

Besides paintings, Alaskan art often includes taxidermy and Native American artifacts such as beadwork, basket weaving, whalebone and woodcarving (masks & totems), canoes, paddles, etc. For now, let's move away from gallery art and focus on public art such as sculpture, including totem carvings.

Since we didn't have much time to explore art on our brief stop in Juneau, I am relying upon online research into the public art published by the city. To that end, I choose to highlight three bronze sculptures, some metalwork and murals, an absolutely beautiful stained glass window, and three bronze house posts and their corresponding carved and painted posts (totems) commissioned to three (Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian) carvers.

Bronze Sculpture

Alaskan sculptors love to capture native animals in their work. R.T. Wallen's Tahku, the Alaska Whale Sculpture is a 25-foot tall humpback whale breaching out from a circular infinity pool and fountain. Tahku was installed in 2018 (after our trip) for the 50th anniversary of Alaskan statehood. It weighs in at 6 tons!

Wallen also captured this brown bear in his bronze work, Windfall Fisherman. He captured the texture of the bear's coat very well and it almost glistens as if its fur is still wet.

Our final bronze sculpture is of Patsy Ann, the bull terrier who, from 1929-1942, faithfully greeted the people and ships coming into Juneau Harbor. In 2011, author Tricia Brown wrote the children's book, "Patsy Ann of Alaska: The True Story of a Dog", illustrated by Jim Fowler. Apparently, the dog was deaf but could still sense the surrounding activity.

Metalwork & Murals

I've discovered that Murals don't necessarily have to be painted or even pieced together with mosaic tiles. Some murals are actually 3D, like Ray Peck's 1988 metal wall sculpture entitled, Traditional and Modern Ways of Fishing.

I do, however, enjoy classic murals, especially when they tell a story or capture something historic or of cultural significance. Bill Ray Jr.'s Raven Discovering Mankind in a Clam Shell, painted in 1988, is such a mural.

Stained Glass

Transfiguration is a stained glass window created by Bruce Elliot depicting salmon spawning upstream. Notice how the small river flows upward leaving a few empty clear glass panes. Typically, you would see the entire window space covered in colored glass. This is an excellent use of positive-negative space!

Totems

The exterior of the Sealaska Heritage building in Juneau is decorated with 40-foot metal panels created by Haida artist Robert Davidson to symbolize the supernatural being he calls, "the Greatest Echo". In August 2018, three local Alaskan totem artists installed three house posts (totems) in front of the building. Each artist (Stephen Paul Jackson, TJ Young, and David Robert Boxley) carved his post out of cedar then used them to create bronze sculptures. The wooden posts were later painted and displayed as totems. Boxley's carvings of the actual house inside the building are equally impressive.

Another three totems that were either restored or recurved by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a U.S. Forest Service program, between 1938 and 1942. The CCC employed over 200 Tlingit and Haida men to preserve the stories captured on these magnificent totems. In 1940, Haida artist John Wallace carved the Four Story Totem (35-ft tall telling 4 stories) that sits outside Juneau-Douglas City Museum.

       

The Governor’s Totem was carved by artists, Charlie Tagcook and William Brown, and stands outside the Governor’s Mansion. In 1941, Tlingit carver Frank St. Clair, aided by two CCC-employed carvers, carved Auke Village Recreation Area’s Yax-te (Big Dipper) Totem. In 2010, the rotting pole was taken down and later recarved by master carver Wayne Price.