Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has received a grant to establish a Native art academy in an effort to ensure younger artists are learning formline-the basis of Northwest Coast art.
The $517,500 grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation will help artists at all levels to learn and enhance their formline, a term that describes the complex designs which are the underlying components of the distinctive Northwest Coast art. It will also increase the number of Native artists and art instructors qualified to teach Northwest Coast art in public schools.
The three-year project, called the Jinéit (handmade) Art Academy, aims to incorporate Native art classes into public schools by collaborating with Native artists and K-12 teachers.
Under the grant, SHI will hold an instructor training workshop to teach accomplished artists how to teach formline design to other artists and K-12 teachers. Selected artists who participate in the workshop will conduct formline classes in 10 communities for artists of all levels, high school students and K-12 teachers. In the last phase, SHI will hold a workshop in Juneau for selected artists and K-12 teachers to develop, field-test and evaluate Northwest Coast art kits to be used as a curriculum for future formline instruction.