Sealaska Heritage Institute will open its seventh, biennial Juried Art Show on Friday and announce the winners next week at the start of Celebration 2014. 

The show will open on June 6, during First Friday at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center (JACC) and run through June 28. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony scheduled 4pm, Wednesday, July 11 at the JACC. Winners will receive prizes in the following categories:

* Best of Show: $1,500;
* Northwest Coast Customary Art: $1,000–1st Place, $750–2nd Place. $500–3rd Place; and,
* Northwest Coast Customary-Inspired Art: $1,000–1st Place, $750–2nd Place. $500–3rd Place.
* Formline: $1,000–1st Place, $750–2nd Place. $500–3rd Place

The pieces were judged by juror David R. Boxley, a well-known Tsimshian artist. The program is informed by the institute’s Native Artist Committee, which gives guidance on SHI’s art programs, and includes Nathan Jackson, Steve Brown, Delores Churchill, and Nicholas Galanin.

SHI founded the competition in 2002 to promote the development of Southeast Alaska Native arts. The goals of the Juried Art Show are:

-To encourage and enhance the creation and production of Southeast Alaska Native objects of artistic value which have fallen into disuse and are becoming rare.
-To stimulate and enhance the quality of artistic work among our Native artisans.
-To encourage the development of new forms of art of purely Southeast Alaska Native form and design. 
To ensure an objective judging process, the names of the artists were not included with the photos of objects viewed during selection.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private, nonprofit founded in 1980 to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska.

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