Programs

Beneath a sky of stars and hazy aurora, the heat of an October day shimmers upward. The next morning, leaves, moss and tundra plants are woven into a carpet of white frost; a skin of ice creeps over the surface of lakes. Alaska is freezing once again, responding to the planet’s nod away from the sun and signaling one of the biggest changes of the year. Northern plants in these parts are standing at the ready, prepared for a long season of doing nothing. Read more.

Bradford Jackson, 23, seems born to the stage. For one thing, he’s deftly tuned to his acting passion. Like a sponge greedily soaking up water, or a wild animal listening keenly for the sounds of danger, Jackson’s antennae are constantly up, constantly extracting the essence of some detail he can apply toward shaping himself as an actor. Read more.

On August 5, 2011 Stories at the Cemetery provided a self-guided walk through Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, featuring presentations by costumed actors at ten pre-selected grave sites. Here's the fourth installment, featuring local actor Micah Williams as Woodard Vining - another man who is not in-fact buried in the cemetery (at least no ALL of him.) Click for larger view.

How busy are KSKA volunteers on the phone bank? Thanks to the 500+ KSKA members who have already called in with their pledges, the answer is very busy! Here's an entire fall drive afternoon in 30 seconds, put together by APTI Intern Erik Judson.

On Saturday, October 8 there was a painting project at Blaine's Art in Anchorage which used artist Don Kolstad's truck for a canvas. Blaine's owner, Rene Haag, explained the idea behind the project and shared additional details on the supplies used. The instructor was Catherine Thoele. Click for a larger view.

A group of dedicated teenagers and young adults in the rural community of Nikolai, Alaska gathered together for a week in June 2011 to craft short ethnographic films about their lives and community. Now two youth filmmakers, Dante Esai and Joricha Thomas, have been chosen to present their films "The Medicine of Nikolai" and "My Motherhood" at the Alaska Native Film Festival this Sunday the 16th from 1 – 6 pm at the Anchorage Museum. Click for video

Suicide, particularly youth suicide is one of those ugly sides to our state’s statistics. Of course we know that suicide is far more than a statistic. It impacts our families, it impacts our communities, and in certain parts of Alaska, youth suicide has been devastating.
On October 22nd, at the AFN Convention, I will be conducting a field hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to really delve into more of the issues surrounding youth suicide, some of the connections that we know to be at play, whether it’s depression, whether it’s witnessing acts of violence within the home, whether it is lack of support.
Read more.