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Arts Contributed by Carmen Summerfield Wearable Art & Runway Fashion Show Special Display 2/19/21 @ 2PM & 2/20/21 @ 10AM Valley Arts Alliance Palmer Train Depot 610 S Valley Way, Palmer FREE Event $5 Donation Per Adult Suggested The Valley Arts Alliance is proud to host our 15th Annual VAA Wearable Art & Runway Fashion Show at the Palmer Depot on Friday, February 19th, from 2pm until 8pm and Saturday, February 20th, from 10am until 8pm, 2021. Wearable Art refers to hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork designed to be worn by the human body as an artistic expression. Using their knowledge of color, fabric and non-traditional materials, artists create unique, wearable garments. This year, and ONLY this year due to the current COVID problems, we’ll have more than 30 Wearable Art creations on static display (no live models) representing a 15-year retrospective of Wearable Art and Runway Fashion Shows.
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Also, for this year ONLY, we must comply with the current guidelines for group gatherings at the Palmer Depot. This means that only a limited number of people will be permitted inside the Palmer Depot at one time, face masks are required while inside, as well as maintaining safe 6-foot distancing from others. To achieve these requirements, the front doors of the Palmer Depot will be opened when there is space for viewers (when the doors are closed, just remain in your car for the Depot to clear some).
The viewing path inside is well-marked, one-way and single file, and viewers must exit through the back door (this is designed to allow everyone to maintain their safe 6-foot distancing from others). Admission for this retrospective is free, but we ask for a $5 donation per adult to help us defray our costs. The 15th Annual Valley Arts Alliance Wearable
Art & Runway Fashion Show has always been an exquisite evening of art and entertainment, which has become a well-loved winter tradition in our Valley. We hope to keep this tradition alive in these dark days of COVID, so please stop by and admire these creations up close. Don’t miss this opportunity to support the arts in the Valley!
Events SENIOR EDUCATION BOOK CLUB Third Tuesday of Every Month 1301 E. Century Circle, Wasilla (907) 376-3104 senioreducationwasilla@gmail.com VALLEY ARTISTS’ DISPLAY February 2021 – March 2021 Valley Arts Alliance Sunrise Café & Vagabond Blues 918 S Colony Way & 642 S Alaska St. Palmer FREE Admission www.valleyartsalliance.com WEARABLE ART SHOW SPECIAL 2/19/2021 – 2PM, 2/20/2021 – 10AM Valley Arts Alliance Palmer Train Depot 610 S Valley Way, Palmer FREE Event $5 Donation Per Adult Suggested 1ST ANNUAL AK WILD PIKE DERBY March 12-13, 2021 – 7AM AK Wild River Adventures & Willow Area Community Organization Newman’s Memorial Park, North Willow Creek Pkwy. Willow FREE Admission – (907) 521-7595
Creative Writing Contributed by Charles Dean Walker An ocean of orange sparkling sand, filled Marilyn’s pale blue eyes. Her small body buried partially in the coarse sand. Her feet painted, peaked out. Part of her stained white dress covered, the creases made a wavy pattern. Her jet-black hair was a rat nest. Her chapped lips bled ruby divots. Her skin was tanned slightly brown. She coughed a puff of dust. It made a majestic cloud like a wizard spell. Marilyn roughly got up from the ground. Her head ached, eyes stung like stings from wasps. Her bare feet again buried. The sand was lukewarm. The sky was clear, the sun submerged in pink cotton clouds. “Where am I?”, she said aloud to herself. She searched about herself. A figment in the distance mire miles it seemed, peaked from the horizon.
“Thank God, at least I hope,” Marilyn thought. She motioned her arms to her dress. Furrowed. She made her way for the figment. The closer she got the more it defined its presence. A hot pink castle. “I must be dreaming!”, she said assuredly. Soon it was in full view. A pink castle with gemstones encrusted in each brick of the curtain wall all in a foray of colors. Strawberry red battlements. She found a note nailed in the curtain. It read “Here from child dreams, brought to reality, a castle unlike any other! Left in pieces.” Marilyn felt frustration. She crumpled the aged paper, threw it to the sea of sand. The ground ate the paper in seconds. Marilyn walked back from the moving area. “What the hell?”, she yelled. The ground made an anthill sized hump, a sand waterfall drew a tubular vein. It was only a seconds-long event. But it felt like an eternity for Marilyn. She ran from this place into the empty horizon. Soon after running for what felt like miles, she breathed as hard as a smoker. Coughing dry dust-filled
coughs, she took in her surroundings. Emptiness again. Saved only by the occasional grey-horned lizard and a cucumber-green cactus. The air was humid. Marylin was full of sweat beads. It had finally dawned on her. She hasn’t had a single drop of water. But she still didn’t feel thirsty. Yet another question among others she’s got piled on her. “Why don’t I feel thirsty, I’m sweating like a pig!”, She thought. All she felt was that it was time to lie down. Her dry tanned knees softly landed to the ground. Her torso quickly joined. Soon she fell asleep. When she came to an old, bearded man sat a foot away in a crisscrossing form, a light brown walk stick laid on his legs. He wore no shirt, his pants were made of rags. His hair was big and silvertoned. Deep emerald-green eyes. SHORT STORY CONTINUES ON OUR WEBSITE: www.makeasceneak.com/marilyn
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Come one, come all to this earlyspring first Friday art event On March 5, 2021! This special art event will be happening at Bigfoot Art Gallery in Palmer, Alaska. Bigfoot Art Gallery is located at 1088 S. Colony Way 1088 S. Colony Way, Palmer. www.bigfootartgallery.com
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Big Foot Art Gallery is in the previous location of Mad Matters. Reception
that afternoon will be held between 5PM and 7PM. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Please come and enjoy the art, artists, and perhaps treat yourself with something amazing for your own walls at home! Of course masks will be recommended as well as prudent, physical distancing from other art patrons.
Contributed by Lauri B I would like to spread some information to our local Valley residents and eventually state residents… There is an activity in our community where groups of people paint on rocks. We are a large group of individuals, ranging from artists to novices. We paint pictures or uplifting phrases on our rocks. Then we go into community and hide or place these messengers of positivity for others to find. Our only goal is to spread love of self and community by sharing our cheerful, sometimes playful, yet sincere messages. We ask that the finders simply take a picture of the rock, go to Facebook, put in the name of group written on the back, and simply say, maybe where you found rock and whether
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you are going to keep it or leave it where it was, or take it and rehide it somewhere else. Our group is AK Valley Rocks, but there are many. We make these little gems, kind of like children. We make them with love and send them out into the world. We just like to know where their journeys lead them. There are groups like this all over the world. So, tourists and visitors, as well as locals, find and move our gifts of love and friendship. Some have traveled to other states and some to other countries. So next time, or when you see a colorful rock, we encourage you to pick it up and share in the love. Some may even find themselves doodling on rocks and setting them out to be refound. Share the love and... rock on! Lauri B
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Photography Contributed by Charice Chambers, Matsu Senior Services For Carol Vance, it started with buttons. She needed small and unusual closures for the many doll clothes her grandchildren had come to expect. So, she became a collector of buttons, findings and fabric. For her, annual vacations became adventures in finding new fabric outlets ripe for uncovering exciting and unusual sewing treasures. Eventually, her lifetime collection outgrew her grandchildren’s desires. With multiple rooms of raw materials, she decided to go in new directions. Vance is a seamstress who began her sewing career at age 10, using her mother’s old singer sewing machine. For many years, she crafted her own clothing. In 1996, she discovered quilting and she “went nuts”. Wall hangings and small lap quilts became her specialty. Each one was unique, as all were festooned with unusual buttons, trim and stitchery. Vance’s work exhibits both her love of whimsy and sense of humor.
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For a time, she and a friend operated a small shop in Anchorage where they sold their wares. It was a life of sewing
all evening and on weekends to meet the demand for their products. They even set up machines in the store, both to allow customers to see the process of creation, and give the time to keep the shop stocked. Eventually, it became too much. The ladies closed their doors and chose to sell by order only. Fortunately, Vance joined the collection of fine artists and crafters at Matsu Senior Center Gift Shop. Though the shop is currently closed due to the pandemic, we hope to reopen soon in our current location within the Palmer Senior Center. Because the health and safety of both our volunteer staff and customers is of upmost concern to us, we may initially operate a bit differently than in the past. Be assured that our high quality unique goods with prices to please will remain the same as in the past. Check our website at matsuseniors.com and our Facebook page for updates on the status of the shop. As the pandemic created havoc around us, fabric artist, Bobbi Lewis, prepared to hunker down by adding to her stock of notions. It was the perfect time to sew - uninterrupted! The moment was ripe for new ideas. Over time, Lewis
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Arts had developed a variety of generic kuspuks: pull-over-the-head, lined, unlined, skirted and unskirted, in a wide variety of knockout color combinations. Well-known throughout Alaska for her designs, she has introduced both casual and sophisticated parkas for women. Two years ago, she premiered the front zip kuspuk vest at a local fashion show. It was an immediate sellout and has remained extremely popular since! Now it was time for something different, something that spoke to the new normal. With more time spent at home, a more casual design was required, and so Lewis’ kuspuk shirt was born. This creation features a hoodless, skirtless, pull-over-the-head kuspuk body. It makes a perfect relaxed at-home top with its shorter sleeves and body length. It, along with all of her other styles, will be available through the Matsu Senior Services Gift Shop when we reopen. Lewis also makes men’s, children’s, and doll kuspuks as well as producing made-to-order garments in all sizes including plus.
many people become bored and undisciplined. He remembers an old adage: only boring people get bored. It is his goal to be among those who do not get bored. Each day, he tries to be both active and creative, to take chances with new and different approaches to his art - and it shows. Gould’s work must be seen to be appreciated.
sheeting creates a visual with intense color saturation and great pop. Most of his images are large, and in this format require no framing. Rear-mounted hanging boxes help to maintain an even visual bordering that renders each print stunning. Fortunately many of his new creations will be on display at the Gift Shop when it reopens.
In spite of providing him almost too much time, Gould believes that the pandemic has helped to sharpen his photographic skills. With limitless time,
Believing that spectacular scenery requires spectacular presentation, he uses aluminum sheeting rather than paper or canvas to display his work. The
For nearly all, the pandemic has been difficult, but it is good to know that much artistry and creativity has come out of this difficult time as well.
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Moving to Alaska in 2014 profoundly affected John Gould’s photographic journey. From portraiture and wedding photography, the beauty for the state compelled him to focus on the breathtaking scenery around him. Great landscape photography requires patience, stamina and a willingness to stretch the imagination. From the very beginning, Gould could often be found in the middle of the night out in the wilderness getting the perfect moonlit shot. During the pandemic, he believes
that he has been given a special opportunity to explore the state’s spectacular beauty and record it in those few moments when the perfect light reveals it’s splendor. He never knows exactly what he is going to do, but he does know that it is all in the timing. Weather aside, he knows that when the lighting is perfect, its time to shoot.
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Poetry & Prose Contributed by Barbara Banks Raven the trickster is always watching, always stealing Raven is his name stealth is his game Sometimes he is still and just watching Other times he plays tricks like sneaking up on someone or something quickly snatching a tasty morsel then quickly perching somewhere to look innocent or uninvolved. He often seizes a piece of this or that without regret like it is his right to do so Sometimes he just chatters away while his fellow Ravens get the blame for his mischief When a Raven wants something, they usually get it one way or another Sometimes Raven will be the lookout for the other Ravens or change places with one He will look you in the eye or distract you while the other Ravens do the mischief Then quickly perch where he can watch the fun and feel pride For his riotous actions and the chaos, he has created He caws as if to laugh Suddenly the all the Ravens are gone They will be back again tomorrow to start again, and so will I I place my heavy radio in the charger and turn in a large set of keys. I push a button that releases a heavy sliding door with a large clank I walk out into the fresh air and freedom these Ravens do not have.
Contributed by Dave Glenn Not a shed tear to be seen. No mourning family on hand. All his old friends have gone before him. Only a cloudy sky overhead to mark this day. A winter chill in the air. His beloved flag covers his coffin. The only tribute he requested. The hole is dug to receive this old soldier. A bugle will announce his departure. A granite stone will mark the spot. There is no more for him to do on earth. Let the angles welcome him to eternity And God to say well done.
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Dave Glenn 101st Airborne Vietnam 1965-66
Contributed by Caitlin M.S. Buxbaum chaos likeness in disarray destination: clear path unknown The measured progress, the satisfying thhp with each placement, the big picture rapidly coming together… Before you know it, the puzzle is complete, and there’s nothing more to say.
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Photography lying exposed on the slippery gray, boot-sucking mud of the beach.
Contributed by Richard Estelle, Palmer Museum of History & Art This month’s photo presents a group of men just returned from a successful fishing trip with salmon to share among families of the Matanuska Colony. Colonist Chris Anderson stands at left displaying two trophies of the trip. Reverend Bert Bingle leans on the pickup next to Chris and young, “Colony kid”, Gene Bailey stands front and center. The other men are not yet identified. Boxes containing other salmon can be seen in the back of the truck.
The Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Corporation, the agency managing the Colony, acquired several gill nets to be available for use by the Colonists. Bert Bingle was in charge of scheduling their use by those wishing to fish by this method and tried to ensure nets were properly maintained and stored after use. Gill netting was most often done at the end of the single lane,
rutted road leading to the tide waters of Goose Bay in Cook Inlet. The nets were anchored to the shore at one end and strung out into the water where the other end was anchored. A float, usually an empty 55-gallon gas barrel, would be attached there to hold the top of the net at the surface. Smaller wooden floats on the top “cork line” stayed on the surface while small lead weights attached to the bottom “lead line” assured that the net would hang like a certain in the water to intercept the fish. Users who had a small boat could “pick” the fish from the net while the tide was still in. Most folks didn’t have a boat and would have to wait until the tide receded, allowing them access to the net with its captured fish
Other photos in our collection show residents using homemade dipnets to scoop fish from local streams. This month’s photo doesn’t hint at how the men in this case caught the salmon they display, but whatever methods were used in most cases involved group outings, often including several families, cooperating to harvest what nature provided for their subsistence as they sought to establish their new lives in their new home.
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The new Colony families quickly learned to take advantage of the wild
game, berries and fish to reduce their government subsistence debt while they got their farms established and productive. Salmon were abundant, readily available in many Valley streams and nearby Cook Inlet. They were fairly easily harvested and limits were generous.
Those not wishing to use the gill nets had other means of catching large quantities of salmon. In those days it was legal to snag fish rather than wait for them to bite a lure. A large treble hook, weighted with lead, would be attached by a suitable length of stout twine to a hefty birch pole. The weighted hook would be hurled far into the salmon stream and then retrieved by strongly jerking it several times through the schooled fish, with the intent of hooking a fish. Since this was often an enterprise of several families working together, a division of labor was usually established to efficiently process the bounty. The “catchers” would hook the fish and drag them ashore. The youngsters were responsible for subduing the fish before they could flop themselves back into the water and then drag them to the cleaning station. The “cleaners” would gut the fish and load them into tubs, barrels or boxes for transport. At home, the participating families would gather the next day to process the bounty-some to be canned for later consumption, some to be brined and smoked, some to be cooked and consumed on the spot.
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Contributed by Marilyn Bennett Valley Arts Alliance painters have been hard at work this past year. To see some of their work you only need to go to either the Sunrise Cafe at 918 S Colony Way or Vagabond Blues at 642 S Alaska St. in Palmer, Alaska. Several artists have hung a varied display of art that can suit any person’s taste.
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There are several types of paintings and painters in the Valley Arts Alliance. There are some who paint in the style of “Realism” in which the artist uses perspective to create an illusion of space and depth so that the subject
appears realistic. Then there are those who choose to paint in the style of “Impressionism” in which objects retain some of their realistic appearance yet are often a study of light and shadow. Finally, there are the “Abstraction” paintings which are about painting the essence of a subject, which differs from the purely “Abstract” painting where the subject might just be the color or texture of the paintings. Whether you prefer landscapes, whimsy or a dreamscape you can find something to suit your particular fancy. Please take time when you are visiting either Vagabond Blues or the
Sunrise Cafe to walk around and look at how much talent is right here in the valley. Then if you are interested in joining the Valley Arts Alliance painters, we meet most Thursdays from 1pm – 3pm at the Valley Community for Recycling Solutions. If you love to paint, sculpt and create, and want to get together with other artistic people, this is the place for you. For more information, come to our weekly Thursday morning meeting at 11am at Sophia’s Café or go to www.valleyartsalliance.com
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Contributed by Doulas Girard The shadows stretched across the undulating hills bringing a growing sense of mystery to the landscape. Suddenly, a deer bounded across the green field. It paused, looked at me momentarily, then jumped with its back legs high in the air. With joyous abandon, it bounded to and fro and then disappeared into the embrace of the shadows. I stood between the columns and felt the cool evening breeze on my face. Looking across the ever-climbing hills, I watched the last light of the day creep slowly up the distant peak as thin clouds lazily danced and twisted across their rocky face. I felt a great peace...all was perfect in this beautiful place. “The Vale of the White Stag”, now available as a fine art print in my Middle Earth Gallery on my website studiogirard.com. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook www.studiogirard.com