T H
E
A R T S
I S
S U
E
2016/2017 SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW! Choose 3 or More Events to Save Money + Get Great Seats and Other Benefits
GREASE // October 17–23, 2016
BILLY ELLIOT
Feb. 14–19, 2017
KRISTIN CHENOWETH
Feb. 3 & 4, 2017
JOHN CLEESE
March 16, 2017
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
April 25–30, 2017
Choose From These or 26 Other Great Shows! SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 272-1471 // anchorageconcerts.org
Capture Your Adventures with a Nikon!
16
83X
MEGAPIXELS
ZOOM
3"HI-RES
VARI-ANGLE LCD
1080p
HD VIDEO
Get closer than you ever imagined with a staggering 83x optical zoom, a 2000mm equivalent. ±
599
$
95
††
Alaska’s Most Complete Line of Cameras & Photo Supplies. Serving Alaska since 1942 531 West 4th Ave • Anchorage, AK 99501 907-272-8581 www.stewartsphoto.com ± ††
All prices are suggested retail price. Actual selling offer is determined by each dealer at the time of sale. All prices and specifications are subject to change without notice. Quantities limited to in-stock merchandise only. Nikon is not responsible for printing or typographical errors. Nikon cameras having built-in NFC capability can only be used with a compatible smart device running on the Android™ operating system version 4.0 or higher. The Nikon Wireless Mobile Utility application must be installed on the device before it can be used with this camera. The N Mark is a trademark or registered trademark of NFC Forum, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. § WI-FI COMPATIBILITY: Nikon Cameras having Wi-Fi capability, built-in or connected to a WU-1a or WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter, can only be used with a compatible iPhone®, iPad®, and/or iPod touch® or smart devices running on the Android™ operating system. The Wireless Mobile Utility application must be installed on the device before it can be used with cameras having built-in Wi-Fi capability or connected to a WU-1a or WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter. Compatibility information can be found, and the application can be downloaded, at: Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Android and Google Play are trademarks of Google Inc. Wi-Fi® and the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo are registered trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance. All Nikon trademarks are trademarks of Nikon Corporation. All Nikon products include Nikon Inc. USA limited warranty. ©2016 Nikon Inc.
• Denise Thanepohn, O.D. • Patrick Reber, O.D. • Jim Falconer, Jr., O.D. • Ladd Nolin, O.D. • Ian Ford, O.D. • Joshua Cook, O.D. • Jessica Giesey, O.D.
Anchorage 1345 W. 9th Ave 272-2557 or 800-478-2557 Mon-Fri 8:30-6:00, Sat 8:30-4:00 Alaska Dispatch News Best Optometrists 2007-2015
Wasilla 1700 E. Parks Hwy 376-5266 or 800-478-5266 Tues-Fri: 8:30-5:30; Sat: 8:30-4:30
www.alaskaeyecare.com
Like us on
and
Alice Rogoff / Publisher Maia Nolan-Partnow / Editorial Director Aaron Jansen / Creative Director Jamie Gonzales / Editor Viki Spiroska / Production Coordinator Joshua Genuino / Art Director Rejoy Armamento / Graphic Designer Kelly Day-Lewis / Layout STAFF WRITERS Bailey Berg, Kirsten Swann, Nina Wladkowski PHOTOGRAPHY Rejoy Armamento, Bailey Berg, Joshua Genuino, Kirsten Swann, Kerry Tasker SALES Stephen Acher, Tia Conley, Meghan Mackey, Brandi Nelson, Kelsey Newman, Emily Rohrabaugh, Clare Tilley, Erika Watsjold
ALASKANA 6 Fire in the Belly by Jody Ellis
10 The Safest Theatre on 4th Ave. by Jamie Gonzales
PUDDLE JUMPER 14 Marvelous Marv
by Kirsten Swann
To advertise, call (907) 257-4242 Copyright © 2016 Alaska Dispatch News P.O. Box 149001 Anchorage, Alaska 99514 Please send letters to the editor to jgonzales@alaskadispatch.com, and include your name, city of residence and phone number. We cannot guarantee publication of letters, and we reserve the right to edit letters for length.
LOOK 16 Splashing Love 'n' Color on Walls by Rejoy Armamento
CENTER SPREAD:
When the Circus Comes to Town by Bailey Berg
19 Shades of Gray by Kirsten Swann
BODY, MIND & SPIRIT 26 Move to the Rhythm of Your Culture by Rejoy Armamento
SAVOR 28 The Art of Homebrewing by Bailey Berg
30 The Da Vinci of Ice Cream by Bailey Berg
WHAT WE LOVE 35 Keepin' it Analog compiled by Rejoy Armamento & Joshua Genuino
ON THE FRONT COVER:
Anchorage artist Dave Diaz created this issue's exclusive art.
EXCITING SHOWS THIS FALL AT Anchorage’s Premiere Professional Theatre Perennial Best of Alaska winner!
Nov. 25 - Dec. 18, 2016
BUY TICKETS OR A 10-PLAY PUNCHCARD TODAY! Centertix.net • 263-ARTS • www.cyranos.org • Like us on D Street & 4th Avenue in Downtown.
A I R L I N E S
PHOTO BY KERRY TASKER
Bryan Fierro
7
FIRE IN THE BELLY
Three Anchorage firefighters who are pursuing their creative passions by Jody Ellis
HILE LIFE OFTEN MAKES US CHOOSE between following our dreams and finding a stable job, some of our own Anchorage firefighters have managed to carve out the best of both worlds, investing in their artistic endeavors while also enjoying a rewarding career. Firefighters respond to the worst moments in people’s lives, dealing with situations many of us could never imagine and seeing images impossible to erase. Finding an outlet to quiet those images can be crucial. To be able to express themselves creatively, while continuing to serve their community, is truly inspiring. THE WRITING LIFE California born and bred, Bryan Fierro never thought he would end up in Alaska, much less as a firefighter. He started writing in high school, pursued a bachelor’s degree in English in college, and was later accepted into the University of Alaska Anchorage’s creative writing master’s degree program, prompting a move to Alaska. “I always thought I would be a teacher,” he said, “but the gravitational pull toward firefighting was too strong. I grew up in a family where public service was a big part of our lives. My grandmother instilled in me a desire to help others, and we often made trips to Los Angeles’ skid row district to deliver clothing and food.” With a father in law enforcement and other family members who were firefighters, Fierro eventually decided to pursue paramedic school in Anchorage, getting hired on with the Anchorage Fire Department after working in Las Vegas for a few years. He’s been with the department for eight years, currently at Station Seven in Jewel Lake.
fall in love with
second run
720 D Street | Anchorage | 907.277.6119 | secondrunalaska.com
8 MUSIC AND MUSES Matt Herman knew from an early age that a desk job wouldn’t cut it, and wanted a career that would keep him moving. “I wanted something that would be of service to the community, as well as something that would make it fun to go to work every day,” he said. “I was hired by AFD in 1999 and I am currently a captain at Station One, downtown. I love the camaraderie of my job, the fact that no day is ever the same, and that we can be there to help people.” Herman’s busy pace is punctuated by his love of music, which began when he was 15 years old. “A friend was selling a cheap guitar and I bought it. I got some old songbooks and started teaching myself chords,” he said. “From there it was a natural progression to songwriting and singing.” His band, The Jack River Kings, formed in 2008, right after Herman had completed a solo album. They have performed around Alaska at various venues, as well as recording an album of their own. “I really fell in love with the songwriting process, the musical process and the friendships you make with your bandmates,” said Herman. Trying to keep job, band and family together has proven to be a big task, and the band has been on hiatus for some time.
PHOTOS BY KERRY TASKER
“If I had to pin down what I like most about my job, it’s the gratitude shown by the community,” he said. “Everything slows down for me when a family stops by the station to thank us for helping them in their most emergent time of need. It is a reminder that what we do has effects that are long-lasting and life altering.” But even with a fulfilling career, the writing was always there. After dropping out of UAA’s program due to the logistics of work and school, he completed his master of fine arts degree at Pacific University in Portland through a low-residency program. He went on to win the Poets and Writers Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award for fiction, had a screenplay selected for the Workers Unite Film Festival and was recently a recipient of a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award. His debut collection of short stories, Dodger Blue Will Fill Your Soul, will be released this fall through University of Arizona Press. Fierro said that while his firefighting and writing don’t directly intersect, his job is what keeps him paying attention to the world around him. “Story is everywhere,” he said. “I don’t specifically write about my job, but that is not to say that the desire to tell specific narratives isn’t generated daily by being out in the world in this way. The most challenging part of trying to do both well? Time.”
Matt Herman
Kevin Morris
PERSONALIZED CARE FOR A LIFETIME
“I got married in 2012 to my amazing wife and we now have two beautiful children,” he said. “Between 24 hour shifts at the fire department and family life, it’s been hard to make time for band practices or gigs.” Herman remains hopeful that the band will pick up again. “I know I miss it,” he said. “I still have that creative side of me that I’m not getting to express right now, and I do want to work on writing more songs and improving as a musician. But right now, any free time I have these days seems to result in a nap!” A FILMMAKER'S FOCUS “I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I decided to become a firefighter,” said Kevin Morris, who has been with AFD for 18 years and works at Southport, Station 15. “My friend Aaron Robinson and I were pretty wild kids, and we used to talk about being firefighters because we thought it would be a way to be wild and get paid at the same time,” he said. “I didn’t understand what a privilege the job is, from the level of professionalism displayed by the people I work with to giving back to the community that raised me.” Born and raised in Anchorage, Morris said he and his brother Sean grew up making movies. “Star Wars came out and we were off,” he said. “We would film outrageous stuff, things that would be YouTube worthy today, but we didn’t have the venue back then.” As adults, Morris and his brother went on to make a documentary called Cast Alaska, an adventure film about fishing Alaska’s backwaters for rainbow trout, which won the best documentary film award at the Mammoth Mountain Film Festival, as well as being picked up for distribution in both the U.S. and Canada. The Morris brothers also made a short film called Native Time, which won a Snow Dance Golden Oosik award at the 2010 Anchorage International Film Festival. “I love how a movie starts as an idea and grows into something that stands alone, yet is also a conglomerate of so much and so many. The opportunity to create is pretty special,” Morris said. Their newest documentary, Cast Alaska II, is currently in post-production. Morris credits his job as a firefighter with his success in filmmaking. “The concept of Cast Alaska was actually hatched by a friend and co-worker of mine, Dave Holsman, who I worked with at Station Five. Dave and his wife Bobbi are the stars of the film, and if it weren’t for my job as a firefighter, I’d never have met him,” he said. “It’s interesting how my creative life and work life intersect. I need the creativity to shut off the type A side of my brain and provide an outlet. It helps me cope.”
(907) 222-9930 ◆ DenaliOBGYN.com 4001 Dale St., Ste. 105, Anchorage, Alaska 99508 preferred provider with premera blue cross , cign a a n d a e t n a
FOR WOMEN WHO LOVE SHOES BEYOND REASON!
JOIN SHUZYQ FOR SATURDAYS AT SOUTH! ShuzyQ South hosts a fun pop-up shop every Saturday from 12-3 p.m.! Go to www.ShuzyQ.com for a schedule of events.
South: 11124 Old Seward Highway, next door to South Restaurant + Coffeehouse. (907) 929-0555 Downtown: 737 W. 5th Ave, in the same building as Glacier Brewhouse. (907) 743-2953 www.ShuzyQ.com // www.Facebook.com/ShuzyQ
10
THE SA ON 4TH
Cyrano's is Anc by Jamie Gonzales
ANDY HARPER, CO-FOUNDER OF Cyrano’s Theatre Company and OffCenter Playhouse, can find her way through the 86-seat theatre in inkblack darkness. She’s had 24 years to memorize each floorboard and uneven threshold that could trip up a
newcomer. “Are you OK?” Harper calls back over her shoulder as we follow the sound of her footsteps. And then lights flicker and warm to reveal the stage. “This side is ancient Rome and this side is ancient Egypt,” she says. A summer production of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra is about to open. “It really is an intimate theatre,” she says, pausing for a moment to take it in. “You can enjoy the show no matter where you sit.” Keeping the seats filled is always on her mind. “In the summer, we hope it rains from 5-7 every evening,” she says. Too much sunshine is bad for
theatre attendance. This is Harper’s last year running the show at Cyrano’s Theatre Company—her legacy season. After two dozen years of Harper-run theatre, Harper announced that they’d brought a new artistic director on board at Cyrano’s: Teresa Pond. Pond grew up on the theatrical stages of Alaska; her father started Anchorage Community Theatre in the 1950s and put her in her first show when she was an infant. She ran ACT when she was in her 20s before chasing opportunities out of state. In January, she relocated from New York to take the helm at Cyrano’s. “We talked for 8 months, 9 months about doing this or not,” says Pond, laughing and recalling her conversations with Harper. “It fell into place. Sandy gets to start traveling and writing her history of the theatre and spend time with the grandchildren, and I get to come in and build on the shoulders of such a beautiful base,” she adds. “People have such a wonderful place in their heart for Cyrano's. It combines all
AFEST THEATRE H AVE.
chorage's only 'bulletproof' theatre
PHOTO BY JOSHUA GENUINO
OPENS OCT. 28
that I like: it's community, it's professional theatre, it's high artistic standards for what we're trying to do and it's an intimate space.” THE EARLY YEARS Before Cyrano’s (a time that’s not yet referred to as B.C., for whatever reason), there was a downtown Anchorage that had seen better days and a mayor who was keen to rejuvenate the heart of the city. Harper and her husband, Jerry, inherited the building on the corner of 4th Avenue and D Street—the Loussac Building—in the 1980s from Jerry’s mother, Ada Harper Loussac. “At that time, Tony Knowles was the mayor and he was doing urban renewal. He courted us to rehab the building, so we did. We borrowed a whole bunch of money to do it.” They created a “cultural mini mall,” complete with bookstore, cinema, cafe, art gallery and performance space. Longtime Alaskans—and those who pay attention to Alaska history—will remember the late 1980s as the last big recession in Alaska. The
Anchorage Museum
We specialize in new and unusual artwork as well as hard to find older Alaskan pieces. You can find Alaskan Native Art, contemporary art, wearable art and jewelry, as well as a fun, and friendly staff. 2 Friends Gallery donates a percentage of all sales to local non profits. Open Tuesday - Friday 11-6 • Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 12-5
12 “THERE'S A HISTORY THERE, THE FABRIC OF THE THEATRE,” SAYS POND. “YOU FIND IT ALL OVER THE PLACE, AT ANY THEATRE THAT GETS TO STICK AROUND FOR AWHILE... THAT'S MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT BACKSTAGE.”
PHOTOS BY JOSHUA GENUINO
Harpers felt the pinch, but it didn’t stop them from furthering their investment in Anchorage culture. As Harper tells it, Jerry—the Mickey Rooney to her Judy Garland—said, “Let’s start a theatre!” And they did. With tight city budgets, the cultural mini mall’s anchor tenant (and the resident squares among the artists)—Anchorage’s downtown police department—was eager to move into less expensive office space when their lease ended. So, in 1991, the police station was remade into the Playhouse. But they left behind a little something to remember them by. “This is all bulletproof glass,” says Harper, moving a 7-foot feathered fan and peeling back a drapery to reveal the wall of windows in the actors’ lounge. “So, we're the safest theater on 4th Avenue.” Next stop on the impromptu tour: the stairs that lead to the basement. The walls along the stairwell are plastered with posters from past Cyrano’s productions. The cast and crew have all signed the posters—and, in some cases, the walls around the poster—and written notes to each other and to Cyrano’s. “There's a history there, the fabric of the theatre,” says Pond. “You find it all over the place, at any theatre that gets to stick around for awhile. Cyrano's has such a rich fabric. That's my favorite thing about backstage.” THROWING A PARTY Before Pond came on board as producing artistic director, she directed four shows at Cyrano’s. Although she’s not a newbie to the theatre, nor unfamiliar in the Alaska theatre scene, she still feels like she’s learning critical information from Harper. “I've always thought of the job of the producer as it’s my job to have everyone's back, to be there for what the artist needs. I think Sandy's way to say it is
13 much more glamorous,� she says. “I've adopted this from her, because I think it's lovely. She said, ‘My definition of being the producer is I'm the host of the party. My job is to make a good party—bring in the right guests and the right food and music and entertainment and put it all together so that the party can be fantastic.’� Back upstairs in the theatre, beside ancient Rome, Harper traces a finger on the gold nameplates affixed to the seat arms, stopping at the seat that’s front and center. “This is Jerry's. When he was directing, he often sat there.� She brings the lights back down to inky darkness and we re-emerge into the cafe (once a dress shop, she points out). In the lobby is a wall dedicated to the Harpers. “There's a whole generation now who never saw Jerry direct or perform,� she says. She’d like to see Cyrano’s continue to maintain high artistic standards to honor Jerry’s memory. She’s sure she’s
picked the right successor. “I think it's important that once you put your trust in somebody it's carte blanche and they do it. You choose them carefully,� she says. “I have a box of plays that I'm not going to be able to put on the table because now it's Teresa's turn.� Harper completes her legacy year in December. “I love being busy. That's the hard part. This was my identity 24-7 for 24 years.� But the party isn’t over quite yet. Before we say goodbye, she reaches into her bag and sifts through her papers, talking opening night menus: What would the Romans have served? Or the Egyptians? “I thought I had the ‘Shakes-beer’ labels to show you, but I can’t find them,� she says, and then laughs and sets her bag aside with a shrug. Looking around the lobby, she says, “I have no regrets. I mean, we all make mistakes, but generally speaking, I'm never sorry I ate half a gallon of ice cream!�
Anchorage & Valley Radiation Therapy Centers are proud to offer cutting edge cancer treatment, allowing our patients to remain in Alaska for treatment. ANCHORAGE & VALLEY
RADIATION THERAPY CENTERS
1. "(&"# &/ 0%" "/0 * ". 0%". ,5 0." 0)"*0 +) &*"/ %&$%(5 0. &*"! ,%5/& & */ *! /0 < 3&0% !2 * "! 0" %*+(+$&"/ &* * "*2&.+*)"*0 +# %+," *! +), //&+* " % 2" %&"2"! 0%" !& 0&+* * +(+$5 "*0". +# 4 "(("* " ."!&0 0&+* 6 .";" 0&*$ 0%" &),+.0 * " 3" ,( " +* ,.+2&!&*$ 0%" %&$%"/0 -1 (&05 ("2"( +# ." 0+ +1. , 0&"*0/ " ." (/+ 0%" +*(5 "*0"./ &* ( /' +<".&*$ 0%" *+* &*2 /&2" )) *&#"9 ".#"4&+*8 *! ("'0 *:*&058 +,0&+*/ +# 0." 0)"*0
Richard T. Chung, M.D. I Stephen H. Settle, M.D., Ph.D. John S. Yordy, M.D., Ph.D. I Aaron S. Kusano, M.D., S.M. ALASKA CENTER at Anchorage Radiation Therapy Center
ANCHORAGE: " .. + ! 1&0" 7 PALMER: ++!3+.0% ++, 1&0" 7
Committed to Excellence in Cancer Treatment for over 20 years in Anchorage and 10 years in the Mat-Su Valley
14
MARVELOUS MARV
The barroom artist who captured 1980s Nome by Kirsten Swann
graduated from Nome Beltz High School. By ’85, barely old enough to drink, Merrill was working the night shift at the Polaris Hotel. Like so many others in Nome, Marv came from out of town, Merrill recalls. It was right around Iditarod; the time of year when the city floods with race fans and revelers.
PHOTOS BY KIRSTEN SWANN
HE YEAR WAS 1985: LIBBY RIDDLES was about to make history as the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Alaska was coming to the end of that one big oil boom and a man named Marv was sitting down to sketch at a dive bar up in Nome. Marv was an artist of people. From his perch in the Polaris Bar, he drew miners and trappers and cooks and clerks, beauty queens and overgrown fishermen. Hundreds of them. On wood shingles, he captured the outlines of their faces and the quirky bits of their personalities: feisty, flirty, matronly, cantankerous. He recorded their names and their hometowns, then signed his work with a date and a flourish. Usually, he just wrote “Marv.” Occasionally, he signed his work as “Marvelous Marv,” and at least once—on a caricature of Ruth Simon of White Mountain—he signed his full name: Marvin Elving. More than three decades have passed since then. Nome changed. Alaska did, too. People came and went. Memories faded. But on the walls of a bar at the north end of Front Street, a part of Alaska history stays frozen in time. If you’ve lived here long enough, you might recognize a few names. There’s Dick Mackey, 1978 Iditarod champion, right next to Cathy Mackey and 1983 champion Rick Mackey, Dick's son. There’s the late “Jack” Fuller, World War II veteran, state legislator and former commanding officer of the Alaska National Guard’s First Eskimo Scout Battalion, once awarded a Silver Star for gallantry on the Isle of Iwo Jima. Leo Rasmussen, Nome’s frequent former mayor and longtime Iditarod volunteer and race organizer. Tina, the only real belly dancer in town. Grandpa Duke from St. Lawrence Island. Nome Ramona. Stebbins Pete. Raymond Merrill still recognizes many of the faces on the wall. This is his hometown. Born in Nome, he said, he played ball for the Nome Nanooks and
The Polaris, home of the infamous Iditarod wet t-shirt contest, always filled with people. That was the year the Last Great Race came to a halt—twice—because of too-heavy snowfall, and Libby Riddles secured her unforgettable win in the face of
a blinding storm blowing across Norton Sound. It was a historic decade, in more ways than one. Alaska’s state coffers were flush with revenue from the recently completed Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. People flocked north. Between 1980-85, Alaska’s population blossomed by 30 percent. In Nome, the population grew from 2,300 in 1980 to about 3,500 a decade later. New housing sprung up around the city. In those days, the Polaris had plenty of customers, Merrill said, and Marv had plenty of subjects. He sketched quickly; quotes and clues tucked throughout his work like scenes from some old soap opera. The cast kept growing. Locals, travelers—everyone found a place on the wall. Unalakleet Jack. Montana Karlene. Anchorage Patches. Costa Rica Gus. Nome Charlie. “Most of them still do what they do,” Merrill said. “A few people have retired.” In 1985, the Polaris was owned by Nome businessman Norm Stiles. These days, Stiles lives in Southeast Asia, his family says. The hotel and bar are now owned by Tina and Kwan Yi. They don’t know much about Marvelous Marv Elving, or the people in the paintings on the walls.
As for Marv himself? He’s traveled the state and carved a living off the grid; sketched bartenders in Juneau and tourists in Talkeetna. In December 2015, he appeared in an episode of the Destination America show “Railroad Alaska,” building a steam bath at his Matanuska-Susitna Borough homestead, hale and hearty and wearing a red beret. The television show introduced him like this: Carvin’ Marvin Elving, 74 Offgridder Back in Nome, life goes on. Most patrons at the Polaris Bar these days don’t know much about the artwork that covers the walls. When you ask about it, most people point to Merrill. “History—that’s all it is,” he said. “It’s good to be part of it.” Standing outside the bar, you can sometimes spot barges moving just offshore. Inside the doorway, Marv’s artwork lines the walls, the same unchanged faces, day after day. Everyone’s smiling. Some pictures come with speech bubbles. “Where’s Norm?” says a woman named Mary Lou. “What hard times?” asks a man called Buzzard.
16
Splashing Some Color 'n' Love on Walls Artists Vanessa Sweet and Ted Kincaid led the mural project on 5th Ave. and D St. in collaboration with the Anchorage community by Rejoy Armamento
HAT WAS ONCE A STARK PLYWOOD wall covering up a defunct business on the corner of 5th Avenue and D Street turned into the grounds for civic engagement and artistic growth. George Martinez Jr. saw an opportunity and teamed up with the Downtown Anchorage Partnership Ltd. for support and funding to jumpstart the mural project. Vanessa Sweet and Ted Kincaid, active members of the Anchorage Artists Co-op, created the mural design with spaces that allowed folks from the community to add their own paint strokes. They opened the wall on a First Friday in July. At least 30 kids along with their families painted. Passerbys were surprised to be invited to join. "Seeing these young folks and imagining to themselves what they can do is powerful," said Martinez. "Art is the obvious tool for engagement. This wall represents the paradigm shift in community art in that it moves the city forward positively and inclusively."
PHOTOS BY JOSHUA GENUINO & REJOY ARMAMENTO
17
VANESSA SWEET: Having people walk by and viewing my art didn’t necessarily change how I looked at it. Some would stare and some wouldn't notice at all. When they did engage, it was great. I’ve met a lot people in these five days. People from out of town and in-town. I met this guy named John; he was Inupiat. He sat next to me and told me some pxqersonal stories. He talked about the people who've died in his family. We connected. It was human. I gave him a pen and he put down the name of his family members. Initially, we didn’t know we were going to intrigue the community in this way.
TED KINCAID: I like the thrill of live performance art. When people are in the background, it helps me see the problems in my art pieces. Originally the mural was supposed to be an art-deco style with a lot of line work. Then there was a lot of feedback from people walking along the sidewalks and it started evolving into what it is
now. This project was a great way to show the public what the Anchorage Artists Co-op is about. We want people to know that we are an Anchorage beautification force and that we're accessible. We want to create a viable vocation for artists in the community.
18
TED "This is what I love about Alaska: There are so many opportunities. Alaskans are dreamers. They see opportunities in people. They don’t let weaknesses get in the way of achieving goals."
PHOTOS BY JOSHUA GENUINO & REJOY ARMAMENTO
VANESSA "Anchorage is wonderful—big, but small. Artists know each other and a lot of them are open. It's all about how you feel you can connect and make a difference. I live by this mantra: 'Art is a verb.' You have to do it. Whether it's good or not, it doesn’t matter. Somebody somewhere believes that it's good. It's the best outlook you have."
Our family loves the outdoor life that comes with living in Alaska! We can help guide your family through the home buying and selling process so that you can enjoy all that our beautiful state has to offer!”
907.223.0005
907.223.1632
V ISIT US ONLINE AT
www.Mehner.com
20
he paid special attention to the shapes, the contrasts and the way the light seemed to reflect deep inside
hen he first began to draw, Dave Diaz focused on eyes. Enthralled by their structure and intensity, he paid special attention to the shapes, the contrasts and the way the light seemed to reflect deep inside. He tried various types of paper, playing with erasers and subtle layers of graphite. Occasionally, he said, he would experiment with watercolor: He watched how other artists reacted to the paints he chose, and the way they mixed together on the page. But he always prefered shades of gray. To Diaz, that seemed to come naturally. Some artists begin to draw as soon as they can hold a pencil. Diaz, 28, followed a different route. Born in South Dakota to military parents, he grew up in Germany, New Mexico, Southern California and Japan before moving to Alaska at the age of 16. If variety is the spice of life, Diaz lives in a chili pepper world. Since coming to Alaska, he’s worked at a shooting range in Wasilla, a fat-bike retailer and a cafe at an Anchorage strip mall. He’s made truffles by hand for a local chocolatier, and worked for Anchorage’s local alt-weekly newspaper. In college at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Diaz studied computer network
technology. It wasn’t until the death of one friend and the encouragement of another—both artists—that Diaz turned his attention to pencil and paper. That was about three years ago, he said. What common thread connects all those things? Start with adaptability. In computer networking, in art and in life, Diaz says, flexibility is key. “There’s no exact answer; you have to take a lot of avenues to get there, eventually, and sometimes you kind of have to make up a solution,” he says, sipping a drink in a midtown cafe one overcast weekday afternoon. You may recognize him—from Cafe Felix and the Metro Mall, from the local chocolate shop, from the Anchorage Press or around campus at UAA. But you’d be hard pressed to identify his artwork. That’s because, for now, Diaz chooses to keep it under wraps. At least for the most part. He has no exhibits and no gallery space. He barely even shows his work to his friends. After three years of practice, the commissions are just starting to trickle in: He’s been approached about a mural for a sandwich shop and branding for a few local cannabis operations. But ask about his own personal work—the pencil sketches he’s been perfecting for years—and he’ll tell you he still has a ways to go.
21
“I don’t want it to be just technically good,” he says. “I want it to be something you can look into— something you can look at and notice little details that give it a surrealist twist, make it interesting.” For inspiration, he turns to Tumblr and other social media. Sitting in front of his computer, armed with his favorite paper and about a dozen pencils and maybe a beer, he practices recreating the things he sees in portraits and other photographs. Look closely: With eyes, there’s a special way the light and dark seem to play within the fibrous strands of the iris, forming shadowy lines and mysterious distances. There are muted contrasts and tiny details that make every eye unique. Over the past three years, Diaz estimates he’s studied and drawn about 120 of them. To Diaz, they’re deep pools of black and white and shades of gray—no color. Because Diaz is color blind. According to the National Eye Institute, the condition is surprisingly common, affecting less than one percent of women but about eight percent of all men of Northern European ancestry. Caused by abnormal color-detecting molecules located within the retina, color blindness can take several forms. The most common is red-green blindness. Next comes blue-yellow color blindness, followed by total color blindness. That’s Diaz. The condition is often
inherited, according to NEI. It’s also incurable. But when you’ve been color blind since birth, how do you know what you’re missing? Diaz has always seen the world in gray. As a child, he never suspected a thing. He already had poor eyesight, he said, and during the ’90s, it seemed like everyone was wearing black anyway. Then, in high school, things came to a head during a particularly colorful home improvement project. A plan to refinish his parents’ deck required stripping the existing layer of paint. Before that could be done, Diaz was responsible for administering a paper strip test to check for lead in the old paint, he said. If the paper turned yellow, the resulting chemical reaction would be toxic. If the paper stayed white, proceed. To his eyes, the test came back clean. His parents saw something else entirely. There are several ways to diagnose color blindness, according to the NEI. The Ishihara Color Test involves identifying shapes formed by colored dots within a sea of differently colored dots. The Cambridge Color Test is similar. Then there’s the HRR Pseudoisochromatic Color Test, and the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test, which challenges test-takers to arrange colors in order of hue. A quick trip to the optometrist and a failed test
22
confirmed the suspicions: Diaz was living in a colorless world. He was 17 when he heard the news. The most difficult part of his diagnosis was adjusting to the knowledge that something was missing, he said. He’s never seen colors; he had no frame of reference. Now he knew. So he stopped doing electrical work, for safety’s sake. He felt a newfound self-consciousness when getting dressed in the morning, opting for darker clothes and paying extra attention to other people’s reactions to different pieces and combinations. Looking back, he sees the effect the diagnosis had on the course of his life. He learned to associate colors with scenes, concepts and situations. Red is heat, energy, anger, aggression. Green is nature, springtime and the outdoors. “I kind of remember things in weird ways,” he says.
“I get an idea of what colors mean to other people.” Art is a way to explore and express the myriad shades of gray that have tinted his life for so long. After practicing with the eyes, Diaz worked his way outward, teaching himself to draw whole faces and playing with the negative space on the page. He draws in layers, building things up one detail at a time, until eyes become faces and faces become portraits. Eventually, he’d like to show his work to a wider audience—for now, he does it for himself. Since he started drawing eyes, he’s begun to notice more about the real things: how outside light hits them, the way eyelids fold around them. Those details become central to his work. With graphite, he captures contrast, shape, depth, shade, intensity, structure, light and dark. Color, he says, rarely crosses his mind.
NORTH SLOPE KIDS PUSH THEIR PHYSICAL LIMITS TO ENJOY HIGH-FLYING FUN AT CIRCUS CAMP
This story was sponsored by Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, a nonprofit Tribal health organization designed to meet the unique health needs of more than 150,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people living in Alaska.
-YEAR-OLD JOHN stood barefoot on a cushy black mat, staring up the length of the coral-colored aerial silk attached to the ceiling of the two-story gym. He gave his shoulders a little shake, took hold of the two lengths of silk a foot above the knot tied at the bottom and reclined back into them, like putting on the straps of a backpack. Taking a deep breath and furrowing his brow, he kicked backward off the floor. In one fluid motion he was hanging upside down, arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish. After another deep breath, he looped his ankles through the middle and hoisted himself into a sitting position, supported by the fabric wrapped around his thighs and torso, six feet off the ground. Beaming, he asked his instructor to spin him around. His mom was sitting in the bleachers and he wanted to make sure she could snap a good picture. This was his first time performing this feat. For John and 50 other Point Lay students, the circus had officially come to town that day in mid-July.
Instructor (and veteran circus performer) Matthew Duncan greeted them at the door of the Kali K-12 School in Point Lay. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the North Slope circus extravaganza,” Matthew said, his voice echoing off the walls of a room that sees far more basketball and volleyball games than big top spectacles. But during that same two-hour session in the gymnasium kids of all sizes acquired new circus skills. Like all good traveling circuses, the camp had three rings where the performers-in-training honed their techniques. To the left of the central aerials station, the troupers tested out a medley of juggling gear. Some tossed airy, slow-moving scarves and squishy, bead-filled balls in primary colors. “Most excellent,” cried their instructor, after they had mastered a few rounds without their circus accessories falling to the floor. Others, like Teri, who had a fresh foot cast from a basketballrelated injury prohibiting her from participating in the aerial arts, experimented with flower sticks. “I don’t mind just juggling,” she said, never taking her eyes off the sticks she was twirling. “I just get to try more kinds. And I’m already getting good at this.” To prove it, she performed a trick that had the baton whirling around one of the handsticks like helicopter blades. Then there was Jeremy, standing stationary in the middle of the frenzied dance of practicing pupils all fixated on keeping their tools in the air. Casually, he spun a green plastic plate on
the end of a long wooden stick. With the greatest of ease, he hoisted the plate into the air mid-spin, rotated the stick 180 degrees and caught the plate on the other end in one flowing movement. Around the outer edges of the rings, some of the kids learned to walk on a pair of yellow stilts, donated by woodshop students in Barrow. Strapped in with rainbowstriped velcro, the now two-foot-taller youngsters moved robotically around the gym. In the rightmost ring, a gaggle of younger students crowded around a cafeteria table. They were looking at pictures of other young faces painted with green tiger masks, pirate accoutrements and wild, unruly faux moustaches. The Point Lay kids tried to sleuth out which of their North Slope friends were under the makeup. You see, this wasn’t the only circus camp to hit the North Slope this season. Barrow saw a two-week version of the camp in early June and the two weeks following Point Lay were divided between Point Hope and Wainwright. The North Slope camp has actually been around for eight years
in Barrow and has alternated between the three villages and four other communities (Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Kaktovik, Nuiqsut) each summer for the last six. The program is made possible by a joint partnership between the Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital diabetes prevention program, Ilisagvik College and the City of Barrow. Diana Solenberger, the Cooperative Extension Coordinator for Ilisagvik College, frequently organizes programs for the communities she serves—from financial literacy seminars and crafting workshops to tai chi classes and walkathons. But in the summer it’s all about engaging with kids and getting them moving. Just this summer there were camps for gymnastics, filmmaking, machine engineering, drama, cooking and circus. “My main hope is that the kids can get active and learn there are fun ways to do so,” Diana said. “These are new things to them and they all find something that they are successful at that they might not have otherwise found.” Matthew said the variety of components offered are what make the camp so unique. Unlike standard sports camps, where the attendees vie to be on the best teams, circus camp is non-competitive. “It’s all very collaborative,” he said. “We get the kids to work together and everybody finds their niche. Nobody has to do one thing. They can be any variety of performer.” Over the course of each day, four different age groups descend on the gym. First the 4-year-old and under crowd share an hour of silly stories, dancing like animals, tumbling and face-painting. Then come the 5-7-year-olds, for an hour of simplified circus activities—a rare privilege, as most U.S. circus camps start at age eight. Then kids ages 8 to 11 go, followed by 12 and up for two hours each of more
it’s all about engaging with kids and getting them moving
peppers and carrots as they wished (both to eat and to do their best, “What’s up, Doc?” Bugs Bunny impressions). Picking at the bowl of produce, one little girl told Diana that she thought you only ate vegetables if you wanted to start a diet. “No, vegetables are always good for you,” Diana reassured her. “They make it so you don’t need to diet.” Sandy Solenberger, another instructor and Diana’s mother, said that because fruits and vegetables can be so astonishingly expensive on the North Slope—a five-pound bag of apples can run as much as $35—many kids don’t have the chance to experiment. Pushing boundaries has always been a major theme throughout the week. While some students contend with overcoming shyness or self consciousness, others best physical limitations. On the first day, Diana asked the kids who wanted to do the “coffin move” on the trapeze: crickets. “That looks hard,” Anna finally said. “A lot of things at circus camp are hard the first time,” Diana said. “That’s why we try so many new things, so we
can find one that’s just right for you.” “One of the things we tell our counselors is that you’re never allowed to say something is easy to a child,” Sandy explained. “Because if they succeed, it doesn’t mean anything, because it was supposed to be easy. If they fail, they feel badly because it was supposed to be easy. ‘Yes, these things take practice’ is what we’re trying to say.” Diana recalled one camper at a prior camp who sobbed when it was her turn to do the stationary trapeze. “She hugged me and begged me not to go,” Diana said. “We said, ‘OK, let’s get your toes up on the bar’ and that was fine, so she wrapped her knees around the bar. Soon she was swinging upside down no problem and having so much fun using the trapeze.” But on day two, when Diana asked who wanted to do the aerial “diaper move” (the move that John quickly mastered), the students jumped at the chance to be first. After class, Diana excitedly told the other instructors that she thought her aerial students will be up for doing drop moves in the silk the next day. It’s an uncommon accomplishment— the moves are inherently scary and require a high pain
tolerance—especially in so few days. In the last four years, only a few students from two other communities were able to do those tricks. In Barrow, because the camp is twice as long, the group is able to put on a show at the end of the second week where the students are the main attraction. Wearing shirts they tie-dyed together the previous week, the students showcase their juggling, clowning, aerial acrobatics, tight rope walking and gymnastics. “I always have parents come up after and say I never knew my kids could possibly do that,” Diana said. “One mom heard we were doing a show and was like, ‘Hmm, a kids show, OK.’ She was skeptical. But then she saw it and was blown away. She told me, ‘I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t just a kids show, it was an actual, real show.’” In Point Lay, even from an outsider’s perspective, improvements were obvious from one day to the next. Kids were more confident. Both in themselves and their abilities. That, Sandy said, is what she’s hoping the kids take away from the week: a sense of possibility.
refined three-ring skills, like stationary trapeze, aerial silk performance, juggling, walking on stilts and clowning. Though the camp only visits Point Lay every other year, the kids were eager to show their instructors that they hadn’t forgotten what they’d learned in 2014—showcasing the cartwheels they’d mastered and the acrobatic stunts made possible by newfound muscle mass. “Did you bring the natural disaster game?” John asked during stretches. “That was two years ago, you still remember that game?” Matthew said. John and the other kids nodded eagerly. Later Matthew asked if anyone remembered anything about juggling. Three hands shot skyward and one girl blurted out that the proper juggling pattern is in the shape of an “X.” For many Point Lay youth, the camp is one of the few ways they can get active in the summer—the school gym usually isn’t open. Sabrina said sometimes she and some friends will jump on a trampoline in a friend’s yard, but more often the equipment is abandoned to the thick clouds of ubiquitous mosquitoes. “In the summer there’s not much going on here,” Diana said. “They’re a captive audience. Sometimes they’ll go camping upriver, but that’s more on the weekends, so they spend a lot of time watching TV. These camps are interesting ways to get them active and moving.” But the camps have also pushed kids to be more active in the off-season. One Barrow attendee a few years back desperately wanted to do aerial and tumbling routines, but was a little heavier and didn’t yet have the strength to support herself during complicated maneuvers. But she kept working at it. Every time she saw Diana (who also lives in Barrow) around town, she’d be quick to show her how her cartwheels were progressing. By the time the next camp rolled around, she was ready for the high-flying aerial fun. “I’ve also had parents in Barrow tell me they could tell their children have gotten stronger after just the camps,” she said. “They could see it in their shoulders and arms after a week.” Camp leaders also hope to instill the importance of healthy diets. During snack time on the first day, the campers were allowed one graham cracker and as many
One diverse workforce, a world of opportunity.
a world of opportunity. Did you know ANTHC is one of Alaskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top employers? Be part of the dynamic team supporting the health and wellness of Alaska Native people, through specialty medical care, innovative technology, wellness and prevention services and clean water and sanitation systems.
Your next move can make a difference! anthc.org/careers To speak directly with an ANTHC recruiter, call (907) 729-1301 or email careers@anthc.org.
to the
MOVE
RHYTHM
of your
CULTURE Two local dance groups celebrate tradition through dance
by Rejoy Armamento
Photography Crew PHOTOGRAPHER Rejoy Armamento PHOTO ASSISTANT Joshua Genuino
24
"I LOVE BEING EXPOSED TO ALL TYPES OF DANCES. I WANTED TO LEARN ALL CULTURES BECAUSE MY FAMILY IS INTEGRATED WITH DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES AND I WANTED TO GET THE MOST EXPERIENCE FROM EACH ETHNICITY." - Anaiah, co-teacher at Pacific Bloom
Cristiana, MAORI Dancer Anaiah, HAWAIIAN Dancer
PACIFIC BLOOM POLYNESIAN PRODUCTIONS Embracing the swaying wind through the island trees and the powerful cadences of unyielding tides, Polynesian dancing is art and action. Here along the shores of Alaska the Pacific Bloom dance group delivers more than just Hawaiian and Tahitian dance and culture. They pride themselves on inclusivity, teaching and performing dances practiced in Polynesia: Maori, Tongan, Samoan and Fijian. They even add a little bit of modern hip-hop to their traditional Polynesian ensemble.
CJ and Anaiah, TAHITIAN Dancers
Nisilia, FIJIAN Dancer
KARILAGAN FOLKLORIC GROUP Traditional Filipino dancing mirrors the rich history and culture from the many islands of the Philippines. The Karilagan Folkloric Group practices this diversity. Their dances are influenced by a mix of cultures: Native, Spanish and Muslim. The group is careful to maintain authenticity in form and attire. Started by Leticia Tadina, they've been dancing together for 11 years, performing at events all over Anchorage.
Fran, THE HOTA Dancer
Leticia and Hennie, KAPA MALONG MALONG Dancers
Marlon Jr. and Andrea PASIGUIN Dancers
Elvira and Carmen, RAGRAGSAKAN KALINGA Dancers
26 "WE DON'T WANT TO JUST TELL OUR CHILDREN OUR CULTURE. WE WANT TO SHOW THEM BY TEACHING THEM THE TRADITIONAL DANCE OF OUR PEOPLE." - Hennie Aquino, Choreographer at Karilagan Folkloric Group
CJ, SAMOAN Dancer
SAVO R
ILLUSTRATIONS BY REJOY ARMAMENTO PHOTOS BY JOSHUA GENUINO & REJOY ARMAMENTO
28
Alaska’s homebrewing boom is fueled by creativity and a desire to share something handcrafted by Bailey Berg
Ted Rosenzweig
T
ED ROSENZWEIG SIDLES UP TO THE COUNTER with two bottles in hand. With a flourish, he pops the caps off and lets them fall, clink across the countertop and roll to the floor. He reaches for a short-stemmed snifter glass. Tilting the glass just so, he pours in a bubbly chartreuse liquid. He then repeats the process with the second bottle, the only difference is color—this one is rouge. As the head of the frothy brews settle, he talks about the artistic process that makes craft beers like this possible. These two beers in particular came from Rosenzweig’s underground cellar—a true beer zealot’s nirvana. The low-ceilinged space is home to more than 150 batches of beer—in kegs, casks and bottles—that are brimming with everything from lagers to lambics, stouts to sours. “They go down quick,” he says, smacking his lips after a sudsy sip of the sour-styled beer. “They take all year to make and only a few minutes to enjoy.” He should know. All those beers hibernating in his cellar he made himself. And those are only about half of the beers he’s made in his lifetime. Over the past 30 years, Rosenzweig has carefully developed his formulas, skills and style in his home brew operation to craft his own signature suds.
The numbers of his batches follow the growth of his palate and his abilities. The lower numbers are pale ales, IPAs and lagers—beers he says are easy to brew and drink. The higher numbers are boozy belgians and sour ales (his specialty)—beers that take both prodigious skill and artistry to produce. As he grew more adept in his chosen art form, he experimented with the ingredients in his potent potables to push the creative boundaries. “You can constantly play with the parameter of a beer style,” Rosenzweig said. “When you’re home brewing you can take liberties that commercial breweries can’t or don’t want to take. It might not strictly speaking be an IPA anymore, but it’s still a good beer. That freedom to play with it or tweak it is where the art form really comes in.” Though all beers require the same four ingredients— water, hops, malt, yeast—the grain varietals used and the additional ingredients (like spices and fruit) are where the artistic aspect comes into play. Think of a painter mixing various pigments to develop different colors. That inclination to create is what spurs many home brewers into the DIY fray. The number of homebrewers has been bubbling up over the years—the American Homebrews Association estimates that 1.2 million people will make at least one batch this year.
CHELSEA RYERSON started homebrewing shortly after attending a party where she sampled someone’s homebrew beer. “It was my first time trying homebrew and I was blown away,” Ryerson said. “I spent the whole party asking him questions and getting tips on how to get started.” Now Ryerson is an award-winning homebrewer—one of her beers took first in the fruit beer category at the Anchor Town Homebrew competition last fall—even though she can only make three gallons at a time in her pint-sized Anchorage apartment. Ryerson said the beers she’s been most impressed with are the ones that demanded imagination. While not everyone can paint with the prowess of Picasso, most can doodle stick figures to convey ideas. Likewise, Ryerson argues that if you can make a cup of tea, you can make a batch of beer. Most entry-level beers require no more than properly sanitizing equipment and adding a bag of ingredients to hot water. Recently Ryerson married tamarind with a wit beer she’d crafted—the citrusy and sour notes of the spice suited the fruitiness of the brew—and coupled a porter with pumpkin puree to create a beer with more dimension. “The beauty of home brew is you can literally do whatever you want,” Ryerson said. She says while she’s intrigued by wacky flavor combos in beers, she generally tries to stick to beers she’d be able to share with friends. “I’ve heard of some crazy beers with ingredients like bacon or carrot or gummy bears,” Ryerson said. “I could brew those, but I think I’d have a hard time getting rid of them.”
“THE BEAUTY OF HOME BREW IS YOU CAN LITERALLY DO WHATEVER YOU WANT..."
Chelsea Ryerson
Autumn Classics
Kurt Nikkanen Violin
September 9-18, 2016 Anchorage, Alaska UAA Recital Hall
Tickets available at CenterTix | 907.263.ARTS www.centertix.net Alaska’s Premier Chamber Music Presenter | www.AlaskaClassics.org
Zuill Bailey Cello
September 9-11 featuring the complete Beethoven string trios & Goldberg variations for string trio
Piers Lane Piano September 16-18 featuring the Alaskan premiere of “Three Dancers” by Elena Kats-Chernin
30
SAVO R
"...I CAN MAKE A GOOD BEER AND CAN SHARE IT WITH PEOPLE. I THINK THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE ART ARE LOOKING TO SHARE SOMETHING, TOO.”
ILLUSTRATIONS BY REJOY ARMAMENTO PHOTOS BY JOSHUA GENUINO & REJOY ARMAMENTO
PETER HALL, another Anchorage-based homebrewer, added that homebrewing often attracts people who are driven to share their spoils with others. “I think what makes homebrew an art form is the ownership of it,” Hall said. “20 years ago people got into it because they were disenfranchised with what was at the store. They said they could do better. I can’t necessarily do it better now, but I can make a good beer and can share it with people. I think the people who make art are looking to share something, too.” For now, Hall and Ryerson are content with brewing sporadically in their homes. Rosenzweig, however, said his love affair with the craft has grown so much in the last three decades that he’s planning on leaving his fulltime gig as a surgeon to parlay his hobby into a business. As soon as he can secure a location, he’ll open Turnagain Brewery. Turnagain Brewery will join the ranks of other professional breweries in Alaska that started in a brewer's garage—from newbies like Odd Man Rush Brewing and Resolution Brewing Company, to mainstays like Anchorage Brewing Company and Baranof Island Brewing Company.
Peter Hall
find
Get fit for your next Alaskan adventure!
inner peace & outer beauty
a full service salon and spa
Call today to set up your FREE fitness physical!
415 west fifth avenue anchorage, ak 99501 907.276.0070 escapeAK.com
Bonnie Murphy personal trainer | transformer | owner
And get a free copy of my new book!
907.229.7652 bonnie@bfitandwell.com www.bfitandwell.com
Certified Functional Aging Specialist • Best Personal Trainer in America 2009
SAVO R
31
GOING PRO
Shane Kingry and Dana Walukiewicz of King Street Brewery on the homebrewers they hand-picked to produce signature beers HOMEBREWER: Lee and John Boyd BEER: Belgian Witbier ATTRACTION: A unique take on the style with a tart lemon/orange component we found wonderful.
Left to Right: Dana Walukiewicz, Shane Kingry
SHANE KINGRY AND DANA WALUKIEWICZ, co-owners of King Street Brewing Company, had both been brewing independently for over 10 years when they met at a 4th of July party where Kingry was serving his homebrew. They got to talking and then went fishing and eventually confided in each other that they’d always wanted to start a brewery. “We like to say we got kicked out of the kitchen by our wives, outgrew our garages and so we had to open up a brewery,” Kingry said. While the duo is known for their tendency to stick with more traditional European style brews, they echoed Hall’s ethos: it’s all about making it your own. One particularly crafty beer they dabbled with recently involved putting a classic Belgian wit in an oak chardonnay barrel to age. The end result gave them an interesting light-bodied beer with oaky, buttery tones. The brewery has experimented with
working with homebrewers that excite them, too. “We’ll sometimes go to beer judging contests and pick out a beer that might not have been best of show, but that we find inspiring and we’ll work with the homebrewer to brew it in our commercial system,” Walukiewicz said. Walukiewicz said there are things the commercial brewery is able to do with their equipment to really make the hops shine and malts sing. Homebrewers might need to use more ingredients to get the flavors they’re chasing. In the back of their facility on King Street, the duo have some more barrel aged beers—both their own or from their home brew compatriots—awaiting experimentation. “We’ve got this spicy saison I want to use some fruit purees with,” Walukiewicz said. “We’ll play around with it for a while until we figure out just what really hits the spot.”
HOMEBREWER: Kevin Sobolesky BEER: Belgian Double/Dark Strong ATTRACTION: A balanced representation of a stylistically big beer. We had been thinking of making a spiced beer, but we didn't want the spice to overpower the beer. When we tasted Kevin's version, we immediately realized that this beer would
HOMEBREWER: Tim Huddleson BEER: Belgian Rye Double IPA ATTRACTION: A smooth drinking double IPA that displays the Belgian character in an elegant way with a nice compliment of citrusy hop flavor.
BACKGROUND: Lee and John were new to homebrewing and this was the first beer that they entered into a homebrew competition. We worked with them to recreate that tartlemony flavor in the commercial version.
hold up well with a moderate amount of spice but still retain its roots as a Belgian dark beer. Since it was to be released in December, we sat down with Kevin and dosed some samples of his brew with various spices to find the perfect blend. BACKGROUND: Kevin is a long-time homebrewer, with an excellent palate, who is very involved with the Great Northern Brewer's club. BACKGROUND: Tim was very involved with the scaling process on this beer and we were able to incorporate a couple of new techniques in the commercial version that he wanted to try.
LISSA BROWN’S COOKBOOK IS A MESS. Not because it’s blemished with ingredients, but because it’s really more a scientific logbook than stepby-step instructions. Her pages read more like mad scientist scribbles—many of the recipes have annotations, percentages for various trials, equations and notes about controlling the variables in her experiments. Though they don’t make much sense to the untrained eye, for Brown they are key to the success of her inventive ice cream company, Wild Scoops. Hidden in that tome are all the one-of-akind ice cream varieties. It’s where flavor names are hatched and where she keeps notes on the communities that sample her creations.
•
•T
M
H
A
E
C I OF IC E N I V CR A E D
Elissa Brown of Wild Scoops is all for tapping into Alaska pride with her inventive recipes by Bailey Berg
THE FLAVOR ARTIST When Brown and her partner Chris Pike said they were starting an ice cream business in Alaska, people asked if that was the punchline to a joke. Others were a little more encouraging and quick to tell them that Alaskans eat more ice cream per capita than any other state. While Brown said she isn’t sure if that statistic is accurate, she’s running with it.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY REJOY ARMAMENTO
SAVO R
33
"...A TANGERINE AND LAVENDER CANDLE SPARKED AN IDEA FOR A FLAVOR COMBINATION, IT'S ALL INSPIRATION." “The Alaskan pride is so, so strong and we wanted to tap into that,” Brown said. “At the heart, this business is about making a unique product that people in Alaska are proud of the fact that it’s made here and proud that it stars Alaskan ingredients.” To do so, the duo sought out flavors that evoke a sense of Alaska, even if they’re unconventional. Brown has added everything from spruce tips to birch syrup and made bases from local craft beers and coffee beans. And she’s given them names with special meaning to those with 907 area codes, like Sitka Swirl, featuring a salted caramel swirl and Redoubts Revenge, a concoction that mixes chocolate ice cream, cayenne, cinnamon and chocolate shards. “I like Redoubts Revenge because it’s so surprising and delightful,” Brown said. “Because of the ingredients you get these hot and cold sensations all at once.” Other unique flavors have included ingredients like potato chip toffee and chocolate; donuts and jam; thyme, honey, butterscotch and cashews; beets and oranges; and cranberry, merlot and white chocolate. Though the company is only a little over a year old, the brazen flavors have already garnered Wild Scoops a cult following. Brown said one of the most popular flavors last summer was a tribute to Alaska salmon, called Ship Creek Sriracha. The sweet cream treat swirled Sriracha, honey and lime and was topped with a red Swedish Fish candy. For Brown anything can be fodder for a potential future flavor. From tweaking recipes she’s found while browsing cookbooks—a strawberry, feta and balsamic vinegar salad became a strawberry
Great Food in Midtown! Olympic Center 36th & Arctic www.jensrestaurant.com
561-JENS
balsamic ice cream—to strolling through the candle aisle where a tangerine and lavender candle sparked an idea for a flavor combination, it’s all inspiration. Brown said she has a fairly good instinct for what will work, it’s just a matter of tinkering around with the recipe to get it right. “I think, ‘What if I put lavender in or what if I put in this berry? Or what if I try swirling this as opposed to pureeing this as opposed to chopping this? How would it make this different?’” Brown said. It all goes in her notes. Often, Brown will run controlled tests of the ice creams, focusing on certain variables to isolate the best possible outcome. THE SCIENTIST Before Brown was an ice cream flavorologist and entrepreneur, she made a living teaching middle school science in North Carolina. “I used to tell my students that being a scientist and understanding science is so much about questioning what’s around you and experimenting and taking risks,” Brown said. “I actually had a quote from Richard Buckminster Fuller that goes, ‘There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes,’ hanging in my classroom and that was our mantra for the year.” Now that sign hangs in the kitchen space she rents in the back of Mad Myrna’s to remind her that if something doesn’t come out the way she expects it to, she shouldn’t get discouraged. Instead, she’ll scribble some more in her log and try again. “A really good scientist experiments and takes
THE ART of GREAT WINE
in the
ANCHORAGE MUSEUM www.muse.anchoragemuseum.org
34
SAVO R
risks that they don’t know will work or not,” Brown said. “That’s the best chance of discovering something great and new.” Brown thinks a lot about how Wild Scoops fits into the grand ecosystem of Anchorage. “We ask ourselves, ‘In an ideal ecosystem, how would an ice cream company fit in?’” Brown said. “How would it interact with the growers and small businesses, with the schools and the non-profits, and with the people in the area?” THE COMMUNITY ADVOCATE Wild Scoops’ lengthy list of craft ice cream concoctions reads like an playbill, sharing the spotlight with others from the Alaska foodie scene. Bakeries, breweries, distilleries, coffee roasters, chocolatiers and farmers names are listed alongside the bold flavors Wild Scoops is known for dishing out. Midnight Sun Brewing Company’s “Barfly” stout has been blended with chipotle nuts. An Earl Grey tea from Summit Tea & Spice Co. was swirled with locally sourced black currants. A matcha powder, also from Summit Tea & Spice Co., met peanut brittle and wasabi. VanderWeele Farm pumpkins joined with homemade gingerbread chunks. Black Cup Coffee has been enhanced with decadent fudge and toffee bits. And a variety of flavors have been sandwiched
between Sweet Caribou macarons. Brown and Pike have made it a point to work with as many Alaska businesses as possible. “It’s become a game for us to stroll around the farmer’s market and buy from as many vendors as we could,” Brown said. Just last summer, their first at the market, they bought mint, thyme, sage, various berry varieties, sweet corn, rhubarb, pumpkins and other produce from neighboring stands (in addition to partnering with other businesses), so it produced a hefty list of flavors. That was just the start. “We’re always looking for ways to get involved with other creators and growers,” Brown said. For now the duo are selling pints at the La Bodega at the Metro Mall location and Summit Tea & Spice Co. in Anchorage, Flying Squirrel in Talkeetna and Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. They also scoop cups and cones at the South Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University farmer’s markets, as well as the Tuesday Lunch on the Lawn series at the Anchorage Museum. Eventually, the plan is to open a storefront for people to come and congregate. “I’ve found that ice cream really builds community,” Brown said. “It has this awesome power to draw people together.”
Skin smooth as marble,
thanks to Alaska Center for Dermatology. Everybody’s talking about Alaska’s most referred dermatologists. Call 646.8500 or visit dermalaska.com.
GHOST HANDS Psychedelic/Shoegaze Anchorage, AK ghosthands.bandcamp.com Mixed Media: Photography + Illustration
Keepin' it Analog With most music being streamed on subscription services, creative album covers are sadly becoming obsolete. ShareADN decided to highlight local musicians who are unyielding in keeping this dying art form alive. Here are our top four picks:
THE AVERY WOLVES Wreckin' with the Wolves! Psychobilly Fairbanks, AK reverbnation.com/theaverywolves Illustration
TERMINATION DUST Familiar Eyes Dream Pop Anchorage, AK soundcloud.com/termination-dust Photography + Digital Media
THE SUPER SATURATED SUGAR STRINGS Harmonic Toast Gypsy-Country/Folk Anchorage, AK supersaturatedsugarstrings.com Illustration
Email us with ideas for a future What We Love at special@alaskadispatch.com, subject: What We Love. Or connect with us on social media and share. @ShareADN
@ShareADN
Alaska Dispatch News
Travel off the beaten path with Alaskans who know the way.