Iñupiaq men in qayaqs, Noatak, Alaska, circa 1929. Edward S. Curtis Collection, Library of Congress Digital Collections.
Crossing the Chilkoot Pass, circa 1898. Courtesy Candy Waugaman and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.
The Gold Rush boomtown of Nome on the Seward Peninsula, 1900. Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library.
The art exhibition titled “Voices of Change: Perspectives on the Transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States”is jointly curated by Sitka National Historical Park and the University of Alaska Museum of the North. The pieces in the exhibit are the result of an open call for artists to express their feelings, thoughts, and responses to the Alaska Purchase, or “Treaty of Cession,” and the subsequent 150 years of American governance as it has impacted Alaska Native peoples. The Treaty of Cession explicitly excluded Alaska Natives from the rights and freedoms offered to white inhabitants of the same land under the new government. The perspectives offered through the artwork convey a sense of the broad effects this exclusion had on Alaska Natives.
Eight renowned artists, from diverse backgrounds, responded with provocative and original artworks. A variety of media including painting, sculpture, beadwork, and digital art are represented in this exhibit. Explore the Voices of Change exhibit webpage.
