Programs

This week on State of Art, we're hearing from Nicholas Galanin Yeil Ya-Tseen, a Tlingit-Unangax̂ artist from Sitka. We also check out some of the Anchorage Downtown Partnership's virtual concert series.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from Anchorage musician James Glaves. He's been involved with a huge amount of projects from playing in bands to recording and producing them.

On the heels of winning a Pulitzer Prize for their series "Lawless," the ADN and Propublica began publishing stories from sexual assault survivors along with their photos. The project is now an outdoor exhibit at the Anchorage Museum featuring large portraits, quotes and audio clips of the survivors themselves.

This week on State of Art we're featuring Anchorage musicians Emma Hill, The Forest that Never Sleeps and the Jephries. We also preview a new youth podcast from Story Works Alaska.

On a recent episode of Talk of Alaska, host Lori Townsend interviewed people involved with the origins of public radio in the state. For this week's State of Art we'll hear a condensed version of that show.

This week on State of Art we're hearing the music of Anchorage's Juicy Harps, Ed Washington and the Modern Savage. We also check out a poem by author Don Rearden.

This week on State of Art we're learning about the Spenard Food Truck Carnival. A couple time a week, 10 food trucks converge on the Chilkoot Charlie's parking lot to serve up dishes ranging from classic BBQ and hot dogs to traditional Russian and Laotian food.

This week on State of Art we're learning about RKP Production's upcoming play "Tanker on the Rocks or the Great Alaskan Bad Friday Fish Spill of '89."

This week on State of Art we're learning about Anchorage Festival of Music's upcoming performance "Baroque Reflections." While not your traditional classical music experience, AFN worked to recreate the next best thing. Combining video, dance and food for their first virtual concert, "Baroque Reflections" is a testament to artistic ingenuity and commitment.

This week on State of Art we're hearing about Anchorage Community Theater's production of "Karloff." The play tells the story of William Henry Pratt, better known as the actor Boris Karloff, who played Frankenstein's monster in the 1931 film. "Karloff" is a biographical one-man play lead by Matt Fernandez and directed by Devin Merilatt. They join us to talk about the Karloff the man, his connection with Alaska, and not giving up.

This week on State of Art we have poetry from the Alaska Quarterly Review. In celebration of its 40 years, the literary journal and the Anchorage Museum teamed up to host 21 live online reading and discussion events featuring contributors to AQR.

This homegrown a cappella trio's mission is to sing, perform, and educate. From virtual performances and an active social media to workshops and singing telegrams, Pipeline Vocal Project has a lot going on, but they're just getting started.

On December 17th, Anchorage rockers Photonak released "Tempered."

This week on State of Art we're hearing about "Bush Poet," a play written and directed by Dick Reichman. The play features Mark Robokoff as a gruff and solitary Alaskan who meets a young boy, played by Mason Dolphin, whose parents work at a nearby lodge.

In his first published collection of poetry Rearden covers everything from tiny moments in time to Alaska memories to big picture reflections. He tells us about making poetry accessible, the lasting influence of growing up in rural Alaska, and what makes him a poet with a lowercase "p."

The 32nd annual Anchorage Folk Festival was held virtually this year. Despite the pandemic, they persevered and came through with as close an approximation of the festival that we've come to know and love.

Photonak is one of those bands that come across as totally genuine in their mission and respect for each other. With their debut album "Tempered," the band hunkered down in their home studio and turned out a highly produced piece of sprawling rock and roll.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced arts groups of all kinds to pivot and reevaluate how they can continue to create, but also reach audiences. The Alaska Virtual Symphony was organized to give musicians much needed opportunities to learn, connect and perform from anywhere in the state. Regardless of age and experience participants join in weekly via video conference for lessons and prepare for virtual concerts.

On this week's episode of State of Art, we hear from Anchorage Festival of Music artistic director Laura Koenig. We find out what it took to not only put this event together 100 years later, but also the research of the original concert and its performers.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from Eagle River High School art teacher Jacob Bera and Anchorage School District fine art coordinator Leah Maltbie. They tell us about an art project meant to show appreciation for everything healthcare workers have done during the COVID-19 pandemic.