Leadership Anchorage Group Releases McLaughlin Video

One of three Community Service Group Project teams in the recently graduated Leadership Anchorage Class of 2012 has just released the final product of their group effort. It's a short documentary video promoting the volunteer mentor program at McLaughlin Youth Center.

The state's primary facility for youthful offenders is always in need of volunteer mentors to guide its clients as they finish their time at the center and re-enter day-to-day life. The LA 15 group produced this video with clients and McLaughlin staff explaining the depth of need for the volunteer mentor program. The LA cohort then visited civic groups across the municipality to present the video and encourage members to get involved.

To view the video, click here.

LA 15 cohort members Katherine Jernstrom, Olympia Lewis, Greg Schmidt, and Brit Szymoniak were on the project team.

FORUM SEEKS OFFICE MANAGER

The Alaska Humanities Forum is seeking a new Office Manager. Interested parties are encouraged to submit a resume, cover letter and three references to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . For information call 907-272-5313.

NATURE OF WORK:

The Alaska Humanities Forum, Alaska's state humanities council, is a federal-state partnership and part of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Our mission is "to use the wisdom and methods of the humanities to enrich the civic, intellectual and cultural life of all Alaskans." We accomplish this mission through our various programs, partnerships and initiatives, including: NEH Regrants, the Rose Urban Rural Exchange, Take Wing Alaska, Educator Cross Cultural Immersion, the Alaska History and Culture Online Curriculum, Leadership Anchorage and many more.

EXAMPLES OF WORK:

• Reports to the President/CEO while performing office management and other duties;

• Responsible for opening the office no later than 8:30 a.m. and closing by 5 p.m. on weekdays;

• Ensures office tidiness, including kitchen, reception and meeting areas;

• Manages mail, including distribution and oversight of mailing lists and donor database;

• Oversees maintenance of office equipment and procurement of office supplies;

• Helps facilitate and participate in group office activities, including twice-monthly staff meetings;

• Organizes Board and Committee meetings, hospitality, facility rental, travel, etc.

• Maintains minutes of Board meetings, by-laws, and other organizational documents;

• Helps review and prepare letters and other official documents

• Assists in planning travel for president and non-program staff

• Aids the Finance Director by performing audit prep, data entry, reconciliation of accounts (including corporate credit cards), check runs and deposits, filing, and other associated duties;

• Assists other programs and staff during seasonal and busy periods in administrative tasks;

• Operates as primary contact with building facilities maintenance; and

• Performs other duties as assigned

KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES AND SKILLS:

• Demonstrated competence providing customer service, excellent writing skills, and knowledge of office procedures, computer skills and orientation to detail.

• Flexibility, initiative, teamwork, discretion and commitment to quality are required.

• Knowledge of Alaska history preferred.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

• Must possess or be seeking a post-secondary degree.

• The candidate will have 3-5 years of progressive administrative experience in a professional setting.

• Preference will be given to applications with experiencing using QuickBooks Enterprise (or similar accounting software), MS Office and general office software.

• Must have a passion for the rich humanities and cultures of Alaska.

2012 General Grants

This year the Alaska Humanities Forum awarded 23 general grants totaling $155,344. Below are summaries of AKHF-supported projects for 2012, organized by project title, sponsoring organization, project location and grant amount.

Hoonah’s Heroes

Women Make Movies

New York/Hoonah

$10,000

Hoonah’s Heroes is a feature-length documentary profiling the extraordinary stories of Vietnam War veterans from the village of Hoonah, a Tlingit community on Chichagof Island in southeast Alaska, about 30 miles west of Juneau. Thirty-nine Tlingit men from Hoonah experienced combat in the Vietnam War, adapting their outdoor survival and hunting skills to become expert snipers and infiltrators. All but one of the 38 men survived, making Hoonah not only the American town with the highest per capita enlistment rate in the war but also the town with the highest survival rate of combat soldiers.

Before they went to war, the Hoonah men made their living as commercial fisherman. While they served their country in Vietnam, a law was passed that prohibited fishermen from catching more fish than they had the year before – so when the men returned home, they were robbed of their livelihoods as their old jobs were taken over by white men.

Hoonah’s Heroes traces the tension between the soldiers' tremendous pride in service abroad and the racism they encountered at home. It’s being directed and produced by New York City independent filmmaker Samantha Farinella.

ICEBOUND

API Arts and Outreach Inc.

New York

$10,000

This 90-minute documentary tells the story of the 1925 “Serum Run,” in which at least 34 mushers and 150 sled dogs relayed antitoxin across the Alaska wilderness to save the people of Nome from a deadly outbreak of diphtheria. ICEBOUND will be broadcast nationally on PBS as well as on German and French television. The filmmakers interviewed more than 30 elders, scholars, mushers, journalists and descendants of those who participated in the Serum Run.

Kodiak’s Filipino Community Stories

Kodiak Historical Society/Baranov Museum

Kodiak

$8,500

Although Filipino-Americans have lived on Kodiak Island for more than 150 years and now constitute 35 percent of Kodiak’s population, until this project there have been no museum exhibits or published research on the island celebrating and exploring their culture and stories.

The Baranov Museum, in collaboration with the Filipino American Association of Kodiak, is engaging high-school students in ethnography and digital storytelling about the history of Filipino-Americans on Kodiak, culminating in a museum exhibit during National Filipino American History in October 2012. A digital story kiosk will permanently display the stories at the museum after the temporary exhibit is completed.

The Alutiiq Word of the Week Book

Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological Repository

Kodiak

$8,483

This project will result in the publication of a 276-page paperback volume compiling the complete set of 458 cultural lessons from the Alutiiq Museum’s award-winning education program, Alutiiq Word of the Week. The book will also include an introduction to the Alutiiq language plus about 50 previously unpublished historic photographs from the museum’s archives.

THE DEFENDERS OF ALASKA NATIVE COUNTRY

Perseverance Theatre

Juneau

$8,000

Supports the development of “THE DEFENDERS OF ALASKA NATIVE COUNTRY,” a new play by Tlingit/Inupiaq playwright Ishmael Hope that focuses on the story William Paul, an Alaska Native leader who for more than five decades was instrumental in the Native civil rights and land claims social justice movements in Alaska.

Dena’ianq’ Huch’ulyeshi: The Denai’ina Way of Living Catalog

Anchorage Museum Association

Anchorage

$8,000

Dena’ianq’ Huch’ulyeshi: The Denai’ina Way of Living will be a catalog to accompany the first-ever comprehensive exhibition on Dena’ina history and culture, organized by the Anchorage Museum in partnership with the Alaska Native Heritage Center and scheduled to open in May 2013. One thousand hardcover and 3,000 softcover copies of the catalog will be printed.

Documenting Art Technologies

Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum

Sitka

$8,000

Through interviews and photography this project will document three Alaska Native artistic technologies – fish skin processing, gut processing, and bentwood hat processing – during public workshops held in Sitka by master artists. This will form the basis for three new technical papers in the “Concepts” series published by the Alaska State Museum.

Traveling By Story Through Copper River Country

Copper River Watershed Project

Cordova

$8,000

This grant funds the recording of oral history interviews of individuals living in the Copper River basin, including original homesteaders and the last generation of Ahtna language speakers. Interviews will be posted to the Copper River Watershed Project’s Tour Our Watershed website.

Alaska Statehood Pioneers: In Their Own Words

KTOO – Capitol Community Broadcasting

Juneau

$7,500

In 2004 noted Alaska historian Dr. Terrence Cole conducted extensive on-camera interviews with living delegates of the Alaska Constitutional Convention (November 8, 1955 – February 6, 1956) as well as individuals who worked at the convention. Alaska Statehood Pioneers: In Their Own Words will digitize and archive these interviews as an oral history collection at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Film Archives. Additionally, Juneau-based public broadcasting network KTOO will use the interviews to create a ten-part television series that will be broadcast statewide, added to the Alaska Film Archives collection, and housed on the web as free video-on-demand programs along with the full interview transcripts. DVD copies of the interviews will be made available for libraries, schools and state agencies.

People, Place & Parkland: Oral Histories of Pre- and Post-Park Wrangell St. Elias National Park

Wrangell Mountains Center

$7,550

McCarthy

This project will help complete the oral history record of Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the largest national park in the United States, by focusing on perspectives that are underrepresented in the existing record. The homesteading lifestyle has persisted longer in the park area than in most other regions of Alaska, and early white settlers did not entirely displace native inhabitants whose ancestors had lived continuously in the region for thousands of years. This project will focus on living individuals whose familiarity with the area predates the establishment of the park in 1980.

Moose Jaw’s Cabin

Alaska Children’s Institute for the Performing Arts

Kenai

$7,305

“Moose Jaw’s Cabin” will be a four-episode children’s television series with each episode exploring a different time period in Alaska’s history and highlighting important events and individuals. The episodes will cover, in order: Russian America (The Baranov era); the Alaska Gold Rush; the history of Alaska aviation; and the contributions of Alaska Natives to the state’s development. The episodes will be hosted by Moose Jaw, an old sourdough who lives in a cabin that has a magic door leading back in the time. “Moose Jaw’s Cabin” will air on KTUU-TV on Saturday mornings during NBC’s children’s programming.

Formline Interpretation Project

Sealaska Heritage Institute

Juneau

$7,000

Sealaska Heritage Institute is creating a 30-page booklet titled An Interpretive Guide to Northwest Coast Formline. Using a combination of new illustrations and archived photos, the booklet will teach basic interpretation of traditional Northwest Coast art produced by Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian and other indigenous people of the Northwest Coast of North America, from pre-European contact to present. It will cover the history of formline as well as characteristic shapes and colors, and clan crests as proprietary intellectual property. The booklet will be distributed free to regional schools and libraries. A PDF version will be available for free download on the Sealaska Heritage Institute website.

Kachemak Bay Writer’s Conference

Kenai Peninsula College

Homer

$7,000

The annual Kachemak Bay Writer’s Conference provides writers, students and literary enthusiasts with an opportunity to explore the art and process of creative writing and contemporary literature while fostering connections among writers, editors, agents and the reading public. The 2012 conference will be held June 8-12 in Homer and will feature 18 nationally recognized authors of nonfiction, poetry and fiction from Alaska and the Lower 48. Barry Lopez, arguably the nation’s premiere nature writer, will be the keynote presenter. Lopez won a National Book Award for his non-fiction work Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape.

Koyukuk River Traditional Place Names: Hughes to Koyukuk

Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association

Anchorage/Husila

$7,000

This project will map traditional Koyukon Athabascan place names and document their meaning and history of use. Place names and their significance were gleaned from numerous oral history interviews conducted in the Athabascan villages of Husila and Koyukok last September. These interviews will be transcribed, summarized and then archived by individual and community. Follow-up interviews for needed clarification will be conducted in Huslia. Final products will include a coffee table atlas to be distributed to communities, schools and organizations in the region.

The Peratrovich Legacy

League of Women’s Voters Alaska Educational Fund

Juneau

$7,000

This project will purchase DVDs of For the Rights of All: Ending Jim Crow in Alaska for distribution to middle and high schools, University of Alaska Southeast facilities, and libraries in Juneau and throughout Southeast Alaska. This 2009 PBS documentary film, which was funded in part by the Alaska Humanities Forum, brings to life the remarkable story of Alaska’s civil rights movement – the inspiring story of Alaska Natives who, through non-violent social change, overcame prejudice and bigotry to win justice for all Alaskans. The Peratrovich Legacy (named after civil rights activists Elizabeth and Roy Peratrovich) will also provide a discussion guide for teachers and moderators to be collaborative with the film.

20^th Annual Last Frontier Theatre Conference

Prince William Sound Community College

Valdez

$6,000

Every summer the Last Frontier Theater Conference gathers around 300 playwrights, actors, directors and theater enthusiasts from near and far to spend a week immersed in classes, readings of new plays, panel discussions, and performances. Featured artists at this year’s conference will include internationally produced Australian playwright Timothy Daly; Artist Director of the William Inge Center for the Arts Peter Ellenstein; University of Alaska Fairbanks Assistant Professor of Directing Stephan Golux; Founding Artistic Director of the Circle Repertory Company Marshall Mason; and Alaska playwright Dawson Moore;

Homer Communities of Memory Project Jukebox

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks/Homer

$5,000

In 1996 the Alaska Humanities Forum sponsored the Communities of Memory Project that held meetings in towns across the state where residents shared their remembrances about the history of their community and the qualities that made life there special. This 2012 grant will support the production of an on-line interactive program using ten oral history testimonies form the 1996 Homer Community of Memory project. These stories will be added to the existing Communities of Memories Jukebox website and available in digital form in the Oral History Collection at Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Prince William Sound Museum Exhibit Model Construction

Prince William Sound Economic Development District

Whittier

$5,000

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Funds the construction of 15 new state-of-the-art scale models of aircraft, warships and submarines pertaining to the history of World War II and the Cold War in Alaska, 1941 - 1991. Models will include a 1/72^nd scale Soviet Tupelov TU-95 Bear long-range strategic bomber and a 1/48^th scale model of a U.S. F4E Phantom fighter jet for the “Cold War Over Alaska” exhibit, and a 1/350^th scale model of the WWII-era U.S.S. Hornet aircraft carrier made of 433 highly detailed parts.

Sharing Our Knowledge: A Conference of Tlingit Tribes and Clans

Tlingit Readers, Inc.

Sitka/Juneau

$5,000

Bringing together Native and non-Native cultural experts, students and scholars in a multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural atmosphere, the “Clan Conference” concept was pioneered by the late writer and educator Andy Hope III in 1993 in Haines/Klukwan. The 2012 conference will feature presenters speaking on linguistics, archaeology, cultural anthropology, ethnohistory, indigenous law and other topics.

Sitka Lutheran Church Oral History Project

Sitka Lutheran Church

Sitka

$4,536

In the 1970s and 1980s, project director Harvey Brandt interviewed Sitka Lutheran Church congregants to record an oral history of Sitka. This project will preserve this oral history by digitizing 30 VHS tapes and 40 audiocassette tapes of edited interviews onto archival quality DVD/CDs. Mr. Brandt will also conduct follow-up interviews to clarify selected issues concerned the 1966 fire that destroyed most of downtown Sitka, including the Sitka Lutheran Church archives. Copies of the DVD/CDs will be sent to the Alaska Historical Society, Sitka Historical Society, Kettleson Library, Sitka Lutheran Church Archives and the Library of Congress.

Alaska History Ledgers Digitizing and Transcribing: Lost Aleutian Logbooks 1875-1907

J. Pennelope Goforth

Anchorage

$4,470

Alaska Commercial Company (ACC) agents in the Aleutian Islands kept detailed logbooks chronicling their maritime fur trading with the Aleutian people. As part of this project about 700 fragile pages contained in six tattered ACC ledgers will be scanned, digitized, transcribed and archived in keyword searchable PDF format. Each page will also be scanned and saved as a high-resolution tagged information file (.tiff).

Traveling Exhibition of “When Crab Was King: Faces of the Kodiak King Crab Fishery 1950 – 1982.”

Kodiak Maritime Museum

Kodiak

$4,000

The photography exhibit “When Crab Was King: Faces of the Kodiak King Crab Fishery” had a highly successful run at the Kodiak Maritime Museum last year. This grant supports the creation of a traveling version of the exhibit, including a cell phone audio tour, which will be shown at museums and cultural centers throughout Alaska.

Alaska Native Hybrid (working title)

Rob Kinneen

Anchorage

$2,000

Directed by Tlingit chef Rob Kinneen, a proponent of using local, indigenous foods in groundbreaking Alaska cuisine, Alaska Native Hybrid will be a documentary based on a series of webisodes (short online documentaries) designed to inspire young Alaskans around the issue of cultural identity, using modern takes on traditional food as a means of opening dialogue.

First Friday at the Forum Continues With “Habits of Mind”

The Alaska Humanities Forum will continue its series of First Friday art openings from 6-8:30 p.m. Friday, May 4 with “Habits of Mind,” a collection of masks and hand sculptures created by students in the IGNITE gifted program at Denali Montessori School.

“Habits of Mind” features 75 vibrantly colored and embellished pieces reflecting upon 16 essential characteristics for success in problem solving and facing challenges.

The Habits of Mind concept was developed by Arthur Costa, the former Director of Educational Programs for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and by education consultant Bena Kallick, a specialist in group dynamics, creative and critical thinking and alternative assessment strategies for the classroom.

“Habits of Mind” will be on display at the Alaska Humanities Forum offices until May 29.

The 16 Habits of Mind are:

Persisting

Managing impulsivity

Listening with understanding and empathy

Thinking flexibly

Thinking about thinking (Metacognition)

Striving for accuracy

Questioning and posing problems

Applying past knowledge to new situations

Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision

Gathering data through all senses

Creating, Imagining, and Innovating

Responding with wonderment and awe

Taking responsible risks

Finding humor

Thinking interdependently

Remaining opening to continuous learning

Responding with wonderment and awe

Leadership Anchorage All-Alumni Reunion Set For May 17

The Alaska Humanities Forum will host a 15-year Leadership Anchorage all-alumni reunion and celebration with food and fellowship at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 17 at the Kincaid Park Outdoor Center (9401 Raspberry Road). Childcare will be available.

All 300-plus members of the first 15 Leadership Anchorage cohorts are invited as well as members of their families, mentors and other supporters of the Leadership Anchorage program. Alums are encouraged to invite anyone they feel made their LA experience special.

There will be a short (we promise) all-alumni meeting at 6:30 p.m. to discuss plans for a possible and long-awaited LA alumni association.

Here’s a statement from current Leadership Anchorage director Larry Campbell to all LA alums:

A handful of LA alums got together at the invitation of the Forum a few weeks ago to discuss the idea of commemorating the 15th anniversary with some kind of celebration. That idea has quickly morphed into talk of making it something more.

I think the time's come. Since assuming the directorship last fall I've discovered that Leadership Anchorage has a small but powerful emerging group of alumni serving in a variety of roles in our community – government and private sector, non-profit organizations, the law, education and on and on.

As I was preparing for LA15 last year I kept running into alumni as I planned meeting spaces, arranged for speakers or organized activities. When folks learned I was the new LA director they introduced themselves: "I'm LA 13," or "I'm LA 2." I began to think, "These people are everywhere." I began to feel I was getting involved with a cult – a good cult, mind you.

You may still remain in touch with your direct cohort, and you may know a few folks in years immediately surrounding your participation. But when you take the broader view, do you people realize how powerful you are, and how much more of a force you could be were you simply organized?Maybe there are opportunities for continued community service or continuing education opportunities. Maybe an organized group could assist in recruitment. After all, you're the ones who know good LA candidates.

We’ll count on seeing you at Kincaid Park. Bring your spouse or significant other, your kids, let the dog run the park. We'll be inviting other LA regulars, too, including past directors, presenters, mentors and everyone who's helped to make Leadership Anchorage the singular program it is.

Leadership Anchorage really is as special as you believe in your heart and mind it is. Come see the proof Thursday, May 17.

For more information contact Larry Campbell at 272-5324 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Alaska Humanities Forum seeks new President/CEO

The Alaska Humanities Forum is seeking a President/CEO responsible for overseeing the day-to-day functions of the Forum, while guiding and directing the planning and development, working in concert with the board of directors, administrators, program leadership and staff, constituents, government and funding agencies to grow the organization’s operational capacity and maintain production of meaningful programs that support the mission statement.

Education, Experience, Abilities: Applicants for the position must have earned a four-year degree from an accredited college or university. A Master’s degree is preferred. The applicant must possess strong communication skills, including cross-cultural capabilities, be well organized and be able to manage all aspects of a federal grant.

Please review the complete job description and requirements here.

Email cover letter and resume to:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by May 15, 2012.

Feb. 3, 2012

The Alaska Humanities Forum

To enrich the civic, intellectual, and cultural life of all Alaskans

For immediate release

Leadership transition at the Alaska Humanities Forum

The Board of Directors of Alaska Humanities Forum announces a change in leadership at the Forum. Current president and chief executive officer, Greg Kimura, Ph.D., has recently been selected as the new president and chief executive officer of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. The Board extends its best wishes and congratulations to Dr. Kimura on his new appointment.

The board is also pleased to announce the selection of Jerry Covey as interim forum President/CEO as the board undergoes the process to select a permanent replacement. Mr. Covey has a distinguished career in public education, leadership development, planning and organizational quality improvement and community service.

Mr. Covey previously served Alaska as commissioner of education under Gov. Walter Hickel from 1990 to 1994. He has also served on several boards, including two terms on the board of directors of the Alaska Humanities Forum, Alaska Permanent Fund, and D.A.R.E. Alaska. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Alaska Performance Excellence Foundation.

Board chair Talis Colberg said, “The board is very pleased to have such a highly regarded Alaskan serving as the interim director until the search for a permanent director is completed. Mr. Covey’s familiarity with the board, the staff and the supporters of the forum will ensure a smooth transition process. We are grateful for his help.”

For information, contact:

Talis Colberg, Chair

Alaska Humanities Forum Board of Directors

907-982-1672

The C3 Mission:

To positively impact student achievement by recruiting the right educators then instilling cross-cultural competence for the right fit within school districts.

The C3 Project, or “Creating Cultural Competence of Rural Early Career Teachers Using the Educator Cross-Cultural Immersion Model” is a three-year pilot project funded by Federal Alaska Native Education Program funds.

The goals of the project are to increase teacher retention in partner districts by better preparing new to Alaska, new to the profession Early Career Teachers Participants for teaching in rural Alaska and to increase student achievement in persistently low-achieving school districts in rural Alaska over the three year project period.
We will do this by orienting and immersing these educators into Alaskan life and its people.

The C3 project is focused within two school districts: Lower Kuskukwim School District (LKSD) and Northwest Arctic Borough School District (NWABSD).

For each year, C3 will accept 30 teachers, new to Alaska, who have been recruited to begin teaching in our partner school districts in the academic year. These teachers will take part in a 12 day Alaskan immersion experience that will move them from our largest city to culture camps where they will learn the values and ways of life of rural Alaskans.

What Will You Do As Part of C3?

• When you are accepted into C3, you are automatically enrolled in a 3 credit 500-level course required for all Alaska Teachers - Multicultural Studies for Alaska’s Teachers.
• Prior to travel, you will do a little research about the village you will live in.
• You will travel by jet to a 2-day orientation in the School District’s hub community (Bethel or Kotzebue).
• You will stay in a hotel room, probably with another new teacher.
• You will fly by a small plane to a village that serves as the staging area for the camp.
• You will learn to ride a four-wheeler.
  
• You will travel by boat to a culture camp.
  
• You will attend seven days in the culture camp.
  
• You will return to the hub community for a 1 day debrief.
  
• You will fly to Anchorage by jet, for a one day tour and debrief.
  
• You will stay in a hotel room, probably with another new teacher.
  
• You will return to your home community,
  
• Back home, you will engage in follow-up activities prior to moving
  to Alaska to work.
  
• You will pack up your things then start teaching in a rural Alaskan
  village.
  
• You will complete a final project: the story of your cultural immersion
  experience.
  
• You will receive mentoring from an experienced Alaskan teacher
  from the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (http://www.alaskamentorproject.
  org). Your mentor will have gone to the culture
  camp with you!

What Is A Culture Camp?

Culture camps are located throughout Alaska. They are usually designed to connect Alaska Native youth to their traditional culture and their environment. The camps usually center around fishing, hunting, and gathering
activities, and involve Native elders as teachers in a real-world classroom. Traditionally, extended families of Alaska Natives move each summer from their villages to remote camps to secure enough food for the long winter.
Many families still make summer camp an important part of their year. However, for many families, Western culture, and all that it brings with it, has caused an erosion of these traditions. Culture camps are a way to instill
these traditional values in Alaska’s young people. As an adult participant in a culture camp, you will in many ways be sharing the roles and responsibilities of the young people in the camp. You are there to immerse yourself in traditional ways. You will participate in the daily life of the camp, which includes, cooking, cleaning, and working together.

At Camp:

• You will be one of 15 new educators to the School District who will be part of C3 and
• part of the culture camp.
• You will be sharing the camp with youth and elder leaders.
• You will share a tent with other educators.
• You will clean fish, and maybe other game.
• You will eat local food, supplemented by
• store-bought food.
• You’ll use an outhouse.
• There will be mosquitoes.
• You will not use cell phones, iPods, etc.
• There will be no smoking or drinking.

Program Schedule

For Lower Kuskokwim                          For Northwest Arctic
School District Teachers:                      School District Teachers:

July 5 Arrive in Anchorage                        July 19 Arrive in Anchorage
July 6 Travel to Bethel                             July 20 Travel to Kotzebue
July 6-7 Hub orientation                           July 20-21 Hub orientation
July 8-13 Culture Camp                             July 22-27 Culture Camp
July 14 Return to Anchorage                     July 28 Return to Anchorage
July 15 Anchorage debrief                        July 29 Anchorage debrief
July 16 Anchorage debrief,return home     July 30 Anchorage debrief, return home

---

What Else?

Successfully completing trip and the follow-up activities will give you 3 hours continuing education credit from the
University of Alaska.
All expenses are paid by the Alaska Humanities Forum.
Questions? Reach us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (907) 272-5374.

Read more about C3 Project

2011 GOVERNOR’S AWARDS FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED

For immediate release: September 28, 2011
Contact: Dr. G. W. Kimura, President and CEO, (907) 272-5308.
It is with great pleasure that we announce the 10 outstanding individuals recently selected by Governor Parnell as the 2011 recipients of the Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities.
The awards will be presented during a dinner event at the Captain Cook Hotel on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, and are sponsored by the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Alaska Humanities Forum and the Office of the Governor.
With six awards going to outstanding contributions to the arts and one joint arts and humanities award, the three humanities award recipients demonstrate an unwavering commitment to the enrichment of the civic, intellectual and cultural lives of all Alaskans.
2011 RECIPIENTS OF THE GOVERNOR’S AWARDS FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

• Dr. Maryanne Allan, Fairbanks, Margaret Nick Cooke Award for Alaska Native Arts and Languages
• Dr. Ray Barnhardt, Fairbanks, Humanities Award
• Arthur William “Bill” Brody, Fairbanks, Individual Artist Award
• Jeff Brown, Juneau, Lifetime Achievement Award
• Carol Comeau, Anchorage, Arts and Humanities Award
• Tom Heywood, Haines, Arts Advocacy Award
• Dr. Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley, Fairbanks, Humanities Award
• Mike McCormick, Whistling Swan, Eagle River, Business Leadership Award,
• Mike Powers, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, Fairbanks, Business Leadership Award
• Jim Rearden, Homer, Humanities Award

HUMANITIES AWARD RECIPIENT BIOS

Dr. Ray Barnhardt
A professor of cross-cultural studies Dr. Ray Barnhardt is also co-director (and co-founder) of the Alaska Native Knowledge network at the University of Fairbanks. The network serves as an invaluable resource in compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing and serves as a model venue for highlighting the importance of indigenous knowledge throughout the world. His published collaborations with Dr. Oscar Kawagley on indigenous cultures and education have transformed the way these subjects are viewed. Barnhardt is the recipient of distinguished service awards from the Alaska Federation of Natives and the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals.
Carol Comeau
Anchorage School District (ASD) Superintendent Carol Comeau is the recipient of a joint award from the Alaska Humanities Forum and the Alaska State Council on the Arts honoring her nearly 50 years of service to education and the humanities. Comeau began her career at ASD in 1974 as a noon duty attendant and teacher’s aide. Twenty-six years of experience later she was named superintendent, a post she has held for the past 11 years. During Comeau’s tenure she’s worked tirelessly to incorporate and improve vital programs such as the district’s Culturally Responsive Education Plan, recognizing the importance of incorporating Alaska’s diversity into education.
Deeply rooted in her community, Comeau’s been involved in numerous boards and committees working toward bettering the community including the Best Beginnings initiative, the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, the United Way, the Boys and Girls Club, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, coaching Little League, and the revitalization of Mountain View. Both in her professional life and her active participation in her community, Comeau has been a champion for academic achievement and cultural education.
Dr. Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley
A pioneer in the field of Native knowledge, scholar and educator Dr. Oscar Kawagley spent his lifetime raising awareness of the values of Alaska Native languages and cultures. His unique perspective and ability to work across cultures has left a legacy that will have a positive impact for years to come. Kawagley, who passed away in April of 2011, worked in close consort with fellow Governor’s Award recipient Dr. Ray Barnhardt in the field of indigenous language and culture and the two were recipients of the University of Alaska, Anchorage’s William Demmert Leadership Award in 2011 for their groundbreaking work.
Jim Rearden
Journalist and scientist Jim Rearden has been chronicling the history of Alaska and lives of its residents throughout a prolific career spanning six decades. His first magazine articles were penned in the 1950s when he was a professor of wildlife management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. After a 10-year career as an area biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Rearden spent 20 years as outdoors editor for Alaska Magazine, Alaska field editor for Outdoor Life magazine, and wrote literally hundreds of Alaska-centric feature articles that appeared in more than 40 magazines around the world. Rearden served on the Alaska Board of Fish and Game for seven years in the 1970s, and was appointed by President Gerald Ford to the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere. The author of more than two dozen published books, Rearden was named Historian of the Year in 1999 by the Alaska Historical Society, and awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Fairbanks in 2005.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

The Alaska Humanities Forum Seeks New Board Member Applications.

The Alaska Humanities Forum (AKHF) is seeking candidates to serve on the AKHF Board of Directors. With the exception of six members appointed by the Governor of Alaska, the twenty-person volunteer board is self-perpetuating and fills vacancies through an open nominations process.

Each year six director-positions are vacated in the fall. New members are elected in September and begin their three-year term in January. Directors serve for a term of three years renewable for another three years.

Directors are selected for knowledge of or involvement in the humanities.

In electing individuals to serve, AKHF strives for the broadest representation and for balance between the academic and public spheres.

From the academic sector, the board elects teachers, scholars, and educational executives.

Public nominees represent a wide variety of professional backgrounds.

The AHF board sets policy, evaluates grant proposals, participates in fundraising activities when necessary, and promotes the activities of AKHF.

Each director is expected to make an annual financial contribution to support AKHF's operations and programs.

The AKHF board meets 5-6 times per year. Three of the meetings are in person and two or three are via teleconference. Directors serve without compensation but are reimbursed for travel expenses. Before submitting the application, the nominator should have an expression of the nominee's interest in serving.

Board of Directors Nomination Form