COMMISSIONER THOMPSON: We
do have four people signed up. The next person who has signed
up is Audrey Armstrong.
I’d like to welcome Audrey.
(Pause whispering.)
MS. ARMSTRONG: I'm nervous, hut I'm Audrey Armstrong, Koyukon and Athabascan, born in Galena, raised in Nulato, live in Huslia; and, as our people know, it's very hard to say that you're just from one area.
I’ve been working at the Alaska Native
Medical Center now for 19 years; I've been involved in the
World Eskimo Indian Olympics for 28 years at the hospital.
My title is Chief of Auxiliary Patients and Director of the
Volunteer Program. We have a fantastic gift shop there as
everybody probably know; and I want to elaborate a little
more on what Miranda said about arts and economic development.
As you already know, we do have a statewide
organization; and I think, you know, when we’re saying we
need to combine and network together in all these different
organizations we have throughout the state.
What I wanted to bring up here is IANA is a statewide organization. It deals with visual, literary, contemporary art, performing an; and it is statewide. And I think my real frustration being part of this is every year we have to use part of that money to go back to Juneau to get money again to keep us going, to keep us alive. And I remember 17 years ago, when Mary Jane sat at her table and did all the volunteering of getting out all these surveys to everyone to let them know that:
"Hey, there's the Institute of American Indian
Arts that promote American Native Arts."
Why
can’t we have something like that in Alaska that’s run by our own people;
that's proud of our -- all our cultural heritage, dealing anywhere from
our traditional songs, dances, potlatches, you name it? And this is what
we cover.
I think my frustration here is, like I said, the funding part; that when IANA first started, we started off with 100 percent total state-supported organization. Now, we have been able to raise over 50 percent of that income through NEA Advancement, and the state has to match what NEA puts into us; private donations, from corporations, and pr -- from the private sector.
We're always working on fund raising. We feel bad in a
r -- in a sense that, as IANA, when we say we’re the Institute of Alaska
Native Arts, we're not able to go statewide and hit every area. It's real
sad that we don't have the funds for the traveling to have our staff or board
to go for technical assistance to these areas.
One big area that’s really lacking is, like Miranda said,
is the marketing aspect, helping an artist develop a portfolio of their work
that they're proud of, that they want the public to see.
Through IANA -- and then I'll stop -- through IANA --
we also have -- we also have -- and talk about going international, we are
sponsoring this year, Arts from the Arctic. We are just pulling teeth to
get these 80 objects from Alaska that's going to be on an international exhibit.
It's going to five different countries. We’re going to have an exhibition
in Alaska; we'll start in May; then it's going to go to Canada; then
it's going to go to the Soviet Union; so we're all exchanging art with each
other; and this is our big market right now. But
it’s so sad to see that we couldn’t even get funded to do this; that we're
having to go back into IANA’s
budget to help us fund this program.
And just the pride of, I think, working with our artists
all these years and all our people at the hospital, it's like -- this is
my volunteers at the hospital. The tourist season is fantastic. We're able
to help people here get groceries. We’re able to get their round-trip ticket
back to the villages; we're able -- at Christmas timer we're going to do
that -- it's going to be our ninth bazaar at Christmas; and two years ago?
I did -- I think in four hours we collected $118,000, and we were able to
send checks back to the villagers. And the villagers came back and wrote
us fantastic letters and said:
"You have made my Christmas; you have helped my
family get things that I didn't have the money to get for them."
So,
I think, when it comes to long term, you know, it's just -- some of us
that are trying to get this really going, and I think we need more state
support, we need more support from the federal government. We have a
fantastic program; it’s already in place, but help us to keep it alive.
And don't make us look like beggars that we have to go back every year
and sit on the doorsteps, you know, of Juneau to lobby.
I’m getting to the point where I’m getting used to it. I mean, I’ve been lobbying for things ever since I started with the World Eskimo Indian Olympics; after awhile, you kind of, you know (laughing) it gets tired trying to pull teeth, so that’s
what I have.
COMMISSIONER THOMPSON: Okay. My questions? Father?
COMMISSIONER SEBESTA: No, I do think it’s a good idea
to develop this in a way that can not only bring economic value to the people,
but also to spread the real value with the people around he world. I see
this as, you know, as real contribution to, let's say, appreciation of Alaska
Native people. It sounds exciting to me.
COMMISSIONER THOMPSON: Other comments or questions? Just
a brief one, I know that this particular area is difficult, and you’ve hit
probably one of the key issues, because funding for the arts or funding for
the humanities in down times is one of the first things that gets cut; and
one of the most important things, but one of the hardest things to defend
before public bodies and funding agencies. So, it really does require a lot
of time, and a lot of dedication, and a lot of hard work to get the few dollars
that you do get from the public entities; and we thank you and compliment
you for it.
From time to time, we'll try to help; but it's kind of part of keeping the arts alive in Alaska; and we do appreciate what you've done, Audrey. You've done an outstanding job.
MS. ARMSTRONG: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER THOMPSON: Thank you.
MS. ARMSTRONG: I think the -- one more que -- one more thing. When I was talking about that, I think another help that we would need is like some people know of funding agencies or where else to seek; but I think that's where w -- a lot of our people are -- there's a lot of foundations, apparently, out there; but where do you go for these? How do you approach those? So I think the educational aspect is very important. So if there was a way that we could see that -- you know, that someone could help us on this part, you know, the people that already have programs in place, I think that would be very important.
We do have an artist bank. We have an excellent artist
bank of Alaska at IANA, and it's on the computer; so we're in contact with
artists all the time. The new hospital, for example, I mean, the gift shop
has already bought over a hundred traditional Native art pieces, and a Jot
of it is from our elders that we are losing, that we have their document
of what they’ve made in their art work. And the new facility will be a fantastic
expression of Native art; and that's where a pretty
good portion of funding is going to go to the cultural
aspect there.
COMMISSIONER THOMPSON: Thank you.
MS. ARMSTRONG: Okay.
COMMISSIONER THOMPSON: (Indiscernible.)
MS. ARMSTRONG: Thank you.
CO-CHAIR FATE: Just one more point that
Audrey brought to me earlier is the service than
IANA, the Institute of Alaska Native Artist --
Art provides to the artists; and one thing is putting
portfolios together for arts in public places,
which has given millions to our Alaska Native artists; and
they help. So they do a great service that is really not published;
and I just want to thank on behalf of the Commission,
thank Audrey as President of Institute of Alaska
Native Arts; and also with other Arts in Motion that she's
been working on for the last years; and also, Miranda,
thank
you very much on behalf of the Commission.
MS. ARMSTRONG: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER THOMPSON: Thank you.
This document was ocr scanned. We have made every
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