Tlingit Master Carver Wayne Price Returns to UAS Northwest Coast Arts Faculty
Price is an accomplished Alaska Native artist and is a member of the Wooshkeetaan clan. He has carved over 30 traditional and non-traditional totems. He has been carving since 1971.
Juneau, Alaska
Date of Press Release: January 20, 2023
Wayne Price, Tlingit Master Carver from Haines, Alaska, returns to the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) as faculty for Northwest Coast Arts. He will be teaching courses in carving as well as Northwest Coast Indigenous Formline Design. UAS Chancellor Karen Carey remarked, “We are so excited to have Wayne join UAS again. His work is outstanding and the students learn so much from him. He is so kind and caring about his students that they not only learn about carving but also the culture and language.”
Price is an accomplished Alaska Native artist and is a member of the Wooshkeetaan clan. He has carved over 30 traditional and non-traditional totems. He has been carving since 1971, and has been an apprentice under other master carvers and artists, including Ed Kasko, Leo Jacobs, and John Hagen. His art is featured throughout the world.
In 2022 Price unveiled a 22-foot healing totem, Kaasei Satú, the purpose of which is to remember missing and murdered indigenous women, as well as survivors of sexual and domestic violence. The totem project was a collaboration with the Tlingit & Haida, the Wooshkeetaan, the L’eeneidi A’aakw Kwa’an, AWARE, and CBJ. Kaasei Satú is located at Twin Lakes in Juneau.
He owns the Silver Cloud Art Center in Haines, and is a featured artist in the Egan Library Northwest Coast Art Collection. In addition to totems, Price uses his Master Carver skills to create canoes and paddles, masks, boxes, drums, and regalia for dance and ceremonies.
UAS continues its expansion of the Northwest Coast Arts program, building on a vision articulated by Dr. Rosita Worl at Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) in which Juneau and Southeast Alaska become world-renowned centers for Northwest Coast Arts and indigenous artistic development. UAS and SHI are collaborating with the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe to help realize this vision.
Dean of Arts & Sciences, Carin Silkaitis notes, “I am so thrilled for our students and our community. We have so much to learn from Wayne Price, and I am thankful for his generosity with his time and energy. Wayne clearly loves teaching the next generation of artists, and itʼs so important to UAS continue growing our Northwest Coast Indigenous Arts programs. Personally, I am really looking forward to collaborating with Wayne on a number of Arts and Sciences initiatives, including our partnership with Princeton University. Wayne will be traveling with Arts and Sciences faculty and staff to Princeton University to continue their ongoing work surrounding at.oow—spiritual and sacred clan objects owned and used by Tlingít people. Our presentations and subsequent discussions will examine the history of the Tlingít collection at Princeton, how people experience and embody these “objects”, the complexity of relationships between Tribes and museums, and the importance of spiritual knowledge for the next generation of Tlingit knowledge keepers.”
UAS currently offers an Indigenous Studies Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in Northwest Coast Arts, as well as an occupational endorsement. This spring semester, students can take courses in Northwest Coast Design, Carving, Basketry, Indigenous Performing Arts, Northwest Coast Native Art History & Culture, and Northwest Coast Art Theory and Practice.
In addition to Alaska Native arts and language classes offered for academic credit, those same classes can be taken by community members at a reduced rate in a non-credit format. This is intended for community members not otherwise enrolled in a degree or certificate program at the university.
X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell says of the return of Wayne Price to UAS: “Having a master carver at UAS who has a vision of health, sobriety, safety, and ceremony as part of our teaching and studio makes our campus a stronger and safer place. We are so excited that students have a chance to learn from a master artist who lives our traditional values and is committed to making a difference in our community. We invite you to start or continue your artist journey in Northwest Coast Indigenous Arts on the Áakʼw Campus.”
For more information about Northwest Coast Arts educational offerings contact program coordinator Davina Cole at 907-796-6406 or [email protected]. Learn more about the University of Alaska Southeast