On view starting March 29, 2024, Anchorage Museum Atrium Mezzanine Cases

ANCHORAGE, AK – Walrus ivory has been a medium for Alaska Native artistic expression for generations. Anchorage Museum visitors can appreciate the rich tradition, intricacy and skill reflected in contemporary Alaska Native ivory carvings in “Arctic Sculpture: Ivory Carvings from the Anchorage Museum Collection,” opening March 29, 2024.

Presented in a small-scale setting of the museum’s atrium mezzanine display cases, “Arctic Sculpture” presents an intimate viewing experience that delves into the deep connection between walrus and Alaska Native people, who have been carving and sculpting ivory for millennia. Since 1972, with the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, walrus can only be hunted by coast-dwelling Alaska Native people, and ivory can only be carved by Alaska Native artists. The works on display here for close viewing are created by Iñupiaq, Yup’ik, and St. Lawrence Island Yupik artists.

“Walrus have always been integral to subsistence and survival in the Arctic,” says John Hagen, Curator of Indigenous Arts and Initiatives at the Anchorage Museum. “While walrus meat feeds communities, the animal’s tusks are used for tools, weapons, and adornments. Walrus ivory has a consistency like hard wood but is more durable than wood, which is scarce in Arctic environments.”

Today’s artists are innovating and experimenting with ivory. From utilitarian objects and items made for leisure and entertainment to intricately carved and scrimshawed works of art, Arctic Sculpture showcases a diversity of ivory carving in Alaska over the past 120 years. Included are pieces from the museum’s collection, like finely carved figurines depicting Arctic birds, marine mammals, humans, and the spirit realm.

Says Hagen, “This exhibition offers a unique opportunity for patrons to appreciate these carvings up close and to learn more about the traditions and stories behind each piece.”

“Arctic Sculpture” is presented in the museum’s second-floor atrium display cases through 2026.

The Anchorage Museum shares the art, history, culture, and stories of Alaska and the North from diverse perspectives through exhibitions, public programs, and community projects focused on people, place, planet and potential. Located in Anchorage, Alaska, the museum sits on the traditional homeland of the Eklutna Dena’ina. Learn more at www.anchoragemuseum.org. 

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