Hundreds crowded the main exhibition hall at the Dena’ina Center in downtown Anchorage Thursday for the first day of the Alaska Federation of Natives arts market.
Each year, Indigenous artisans converge for three days during the convention to sell carvings, kuspuks, fur-lined hats and all manner of jewelry. Festival organizers said this year’s market is bigger than ever.
This year’s convention featured more than 200 artists from around Alaska and the Lower 48. Sitting in the middle of it all was George J. Bennett Sr., a Lingít artist from Sitka. His bentwood boxes, decorated in formline designs, were already halfway sold out by the end of the morning.
“I had about six, eight people converge on my table before I was even ready to price them,” Bennett said. “They wanted boxes … so about eight or nine boxes went out within a half hour after I got here!”
Bennett has been making boxes for 25 years. This is his fifth market. His wife is from the Interior, so they enjoy catching up with all of the friends they run into.
“This is kind of like the melting pot,” he said. “It’s like you’re sat on a corner and you’re watching all your friends go by and as you see them and you wave.”
Jack Bonney from Visit Anchorage worked as a volunteer at this year’s convention. He said every region of the state is represented.
“It’s a microcosm of all of Alaska in Anchorage, in one or two rooms for a couple of days,” he said.
Bonney said the market draws thousands of people to AFN every year. Upstairs, prominent leaders speak and important discussions about Alaska Native issues take place. But the market can be an entry point for the general public.
“The Arts Market is one of the big draws for folks who may not otherwise know what AFN is about, or it might be their first visit that leads to a broader conversation about what AFN does in the community,” he said.
Trinity Villalobos came to the convention from Fairbanks for work. But like everyone else who attends AFN, she and friend Tiara Davis took some time to browse for things that wouldn’t break the bank.
“I was looking for something cool, something unique, something that I can afford,” Villalobos said.
She was eying some Halloween-themed bracelets — while Davis had her eye on a hummingbird hair clip.
“We realized that like the beadwork, it takes a lot of time and so you want to be able to pay people what they are worth or what they’re quoting,” Davis said. “But, you know, the price just might not be what your pockets can handle.”
For the first time, this year’s market spilled over into an additional room upstairs. Vina Brown set up her table there. She’s Haíłzaqv and Nuučaan̓uɫ, originally from British Columbia. She traveled from Lummi, Washington to the market for the first time. She’s been to the Santa Fe Indian Market and others.
“I really didn’t know what to expect. But it’s quite impressive so far. I mean, there’s so many people,” she said.
Her business is called Copper Canoe Woman, based on her Indigenous name ƛ̓áqvas gḷ́w̓aqs, and features traditional designs like formline with a high-fashion flare.
“Just like our rights aren’t frozen in time, our art isn’t frozen in time. So we’re allowed to adapt and pivot and elevate that,” Brown said.
Many artists sell out before the final day, and Brown said she was manifesting that as well — to help offset her travel costs.
Back in the main hall, Bennett said that whether he sold all his boxes or not, seeing people enjoy his work was enough.
“It’s a good way to connect and share each other’s culture through this kind of work,” he said. “So it’s beautiful.”
Correction: Jack Bonney from Visit Anchorage was a volunteer at this year’s convention and does not represent AFN.
