Today, the Alutiiq Museum released Coloring Alutiiq, a twenty-eight-page coloring book by Alutiiq artist Hanna Sholl. The publication features black and white line drawings of traditional Alutiiq clothing opposite the animals and tools used in their manufacture. A ground squirrel appears beside a squirrel skin parka. A caribou skin parka appears opposite a caribou and the spear heads used to harvest the animal. The drawings have ample space for coloring, Alutiiq language titles, and frames of cultural motifs—embroidery patterns and petroglyphs.

The book illustrates the ingenuity of Alutiiq ancestors and introduces young people to the diversity of Alutiiq clothing. Alutiiq Museum Executive Director April Counceller explains. “Our ancestors transformed many materials into many types of clothing, yet most people only recognize a couple traditional garments. Hanna’s drawings show a range of clothing and invite people to explore their details. They also illustrate the complexity of our parkas, coats, boots, and hats.”

To celebrate the release of the book, the museum will hold community events. On September 7th, from 5–7 pm, there will be a family coloring event with Sholl. Children will receive a free coloring book and work with Sholl to try different coloring techniques. On September 15, from Noon–3:00 pm, families are invited to color and dress paper dolls with clothing from Sholl’s book. Both events are free and open to the public courtesy project funders, The CIRI Foundation and the City of Kodiak.

The museum will also host an island-wide coloring contest in September. Students are invited to color an image selected from the coloring book and published in the Kodiak Daily Mirror. Entries will be judged by a panel of community volunteers and art supplies awarded to the contest winners in four categories—preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school. The contest will begin September 7th and entries are due by September 29th.

Copies of Coloring Alutiiq are available at the Alutiiq Museum Store for $10.50 and a page from the book will be posted for free download from the museum’s website on the first Friday of each month, starting in October.

Source: Alutiiq  Museum

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