State of Art

On this episode of State of Art we're learning about this year's Alaska Book Week. The series of events celebrating writing and writers in Alaska runs from Sunday October 1 to 8. There will be live events and virtual presentations featuring everything from poetry and romance to nonfiction and children's books. Professor of English and Book Week coordinator, Trish Jenkins, joins us to tell us all a...

The 1923 film "Scaramouche" is a story of love and revenge during the French Revolution. Director Rex Ingram' 100-year-old masterpiece is filled with historic details, massive sets and action that holds up today. Anchorage Festival of Music will host a screening of the film and will be scoring the film live with period correct instruments. The event takes place at Bear Tooth Theater on Sunday, Oct...

This week on State of Art we're joined by the founders of Wild Shore New Music. The group performs modern chamber music that explores place and environment while collaborating with a variety of other artists. Founders Andie Tanning, Katie Cox, and Conrad Winslow might live elsewhere, but they all still consider Alaska home. The group will be performing in Anchorage on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in the UA...

On this episode of State of Art we're discussing the Alaska Writers Guild and their upcoming conference. The guild connects Alaska writers and provides educational opportunities for things like business and marketing. Their annual conference for writers and illustrators will be held on Friday and Saturday the last weekend of September at UAA's Rasmuson Hall. We're joined by Alaska Writers Guild bo...

This week on State of Art we're joined by "Arsenic and Old Lace" director MaryAlice Larmi to discuss the fast-paced farce. It centers on Mortimer Brewster and his maniacal family including spinster aunts who have a habit of murdering lonely old men, a brother on the run from the law and one who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. She tells us about what to expect, casting the right performers, and acting...

This week on State of Art we're hearing from filmmakers Kendrick Whiteman and Logan Smith. They're both products of Alaska Teen Media Institute and are peer mentors with the youth media training organization. Whiteman was featured at the Anchorage International Film Festival in 2022 and leans toward a surreal atmosphere with his work while Smith likes to blend the weird with comedy. We discuss wha...

This week on State of Art we're discussing an upcoming benefit concert helping out the Qargi Academy Tribal School in Wainwright. We're joined by longtime musician and Marketing Manager for the Arctic Slope Community Foundation, James Dommek Jr. who is organizing the show. He tells us about what makes the Qargi Academy unique, including indigenous performers as the opening act and more.

This week on State of Art we meet an Anchorage winner of the "Hamilton" creative competition organized by the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and BroadwayBoundAK. Students from across Alaska going into grades 7 through 12 were invited to make and submit an original creative piece that was inspired by the hit musical. Winners were chosen from across the state and get to see "Hamilton" for fre...

This week on State of Art we're hearing all about Galway Days Irish Festival. It takes place on Saturday, August 12 at Town Square Park. There will be vendors, food, music and more. Irish Club of Alaska President Dawn Berg joins us to tell us about the festival, the club and she even sings us a song.

Ketch Secor first visited Alaska when he was 14 and it made a lasting impression on him. He traveled the Alaska Railroad, bought chewing tobacco in Sitka and kissed a girl in Fairbanks. The singer and fiddle player for the long-running, high-energy folk band Old Crow Medicine Show joins us this week ahead of the group's Salmonfest appearance. He tells us about their upcoming album "Jubilee" that c...

This week on State of Art we're joined by Corky Parker. She was an original staff member of KSKA nearly 45 years ago, but she's added many chapters to her life since then. Her memoir “La Finca: Love, Loss, and Laundry on a Tiny Puerto Rican Island” tells her story of running a rustic eco-lodge and what she learned along the way. The book is filled with sketches, images and other artwork that won h...

This week on State of Art we're hearing from Salmonfest director David Stearns. The festival runs from August 4 through the 6 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik. Headliners include Old Crow Medicine Show, Sierra Farell, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Leftover Salmon. Stearns tells us about what to expect from the festival, this year's groovy artwork, zero waste efforts and more.

Last Tuesday, Antiques Roadshow came to film in Alaska for the first time ever in the show’s nearly 30-year history. The popular program travels around the country hosting events where people can bring items to be appraised and get more information about the object’s history. Shooting took place at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. Attendees were bussed from the Bartlett High School...

Former city mayor and the library’s namesake, Zachariah Joshua Loussac, left his collection of paintings by the famous landscape artist to the city of Anchorage. Now, the library is giving away prints for free.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival's co-founders and artistic directors Christine Harada Li and Nathaniel Pierce. The two started the festival right out of college to share a style of classical music they love with the city and are now in their 11th season. They tell us about what makes chamber music unique, what to expect from this year's festival an...

A short walk up the narrow, winding path through the lush forest reveals miniature structures made from natural materials. Some look like fancy animal burrows and others look like mouse-sized houses adorned with moss and bark, but these homes are intended for fairy-folk.

Seward-based folk band Blackwater Railroad Co. has seen its share of lineup changes over the years, but they've maintained their mission of good vibes and good times. The band is playing dates across the state and will be performing in Anchorage at Williwaw on Saturday, July 1. We're joined by lead singer and guitarist Tyson Davis, keyboardist Kyle Comeau, and bassist Ben Sayers as they reflect on...

This week on State of Art we're checking out some of the free concerts and events that Anchorage Downtown Partnership is putting on this summer. We're joined by ADP Executive Director Radhika Krishna who breaks down what's happening every Wednesday through Sunday. We also visit downtown to sample ADP's Music in the Park and Live After Five.

This week on State of Art we're talking about the Sundown Solstice Festival. The three-day concert features a mix of well-known, up-and-coming and local artists whose music ranges from hip-hop, electronic and rock. The festival starts Friday, June 16 and runs through Sunday the 18 at Cuddy Park. We're joined by Hellen Fleming, co-owner of Showdown Productions, the organizers of the festival. She t...

This week on State of Art we're take a trip downtown to the Anchorage Museum to learn about their new exhibit "All Aboard: The Alaska Railroad Centennial." It covers the history, impact and people that made the railroad what it is today. We're joined by The Anchorage Museum's Aaron Leggett, senior curator and of Alaska history and indigenous cultures, who gives us a tour of some of the exhibits hi...

This week on State of Art we talk about a creative competition for students to see the hit musical "Hamilton" and speak with John Damberg, founder of the Alaska Jazz workshop and a recent winner of a Governor's Arts and Humanities Award. The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts created an engagement program meant to connect the community to the Broadways shows that come to town. They are hosting...

Indra Arriaga Delgado’s talents can be difficult to describe. Among other things, she’s an artist, writer, filmmaker and researcher. Originally from Veracruz, Mexico her new book “Opaque Etymologies: Fifteen Moons” examines decolonization, identity, and language through art, poetry and other media. She says the project required five years of work, three languages across two countries and the colla...

This week on State of Art we're talking about the stage thriller "Wait Until Dark." The Anchorage Community Theater production tells the story of a blind woman who gets caught up in a tension-building game of cat and mouse with dangerous criminals. We're joined by show director Krista Schwarting and lead actor Kaichen McRae to talk about the technical challenges, character choices and the unique l...

This week on State of Art we're discussing a play about the reality of friendship and an indigenous artist who looks to the resources that fed her ancestors. First, we hear from Erin Gingrich and Alaska Pacific University Gallery Manager James Temte. Gingrich's show "Kaviqsaaq Qivliaq-taaq Siññaktut (Red Silver Dreams)" includes photography and carving representing her experiences during the 2022...

This week on State of Art we're discussing two shows happening the weekend of May 5. First off, we're joined by the leads of Anchorage Opera's upcoming production of "Carmen." Audrey Babcock (Carmen) and Ben Werley (Don José) talk about what makes the beloved opera stand the test of time and how they connect with their characters through movement or song. We also hear about Momentum Dance Collecti...