Individual Artist Awards

News October 2, 2020

Nominate now for 2021 Distinguished Artist Award

Rasmuson Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2021 Distinguished Artist Award. The nomination period opened Thursday, Oct. 1. The deadline for nominating artists is Tuesday, Dec. 15.

News July 1, 2020

Foundation announces 2020 Individual Artist Awards

Some of Alaska's most exceptional artists are being recognized with Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Awards.

News July 1, 2020

Meet the 2020 Individual Artist Award recipients

Every year Rasmuson Foundation recognizes some of Alaska's best artists with Individual Artist Awards. Learn who is receiving an award this year — and how they plan to use the money to grow as an artist.

News April 27, 2020

Tlingit master carver Price is 2020 Distinguished Artist

Wayne Price is renowned for the artistry and precision of his formline work. He has restored and duplicated historic totem poles and structures as well as created numerous original designs. He helped revive the knowledge and techniques required to carve traditional oceangoing canoes. Price also teaches traditional arts as a path to healing, sobriety and well-being.

49 Writers April 10, 2020

Mary Ida Henrikson

The Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska has long been home to painter Mary Ida Henrikson. Her nuanced artwork documents her connection to the temperate rainforest and her concern for the environment.

49 Writers April 7, 2020

Abigail Kokai

Fiber artist Abigail Kokai creates works that reflect her interest in illustration, graphic design and interaction with objects around her. Her quilts narrate lived experiences, preserve places and times, and communicate the significance of individuals and communities.

49 Writers March 30, 2020

Merry C. Ellefson

Playwright Merry Ellefson of Juneau has been haunted for 20 years by the story of three Iñupiaq hunters who drifted away on an ice floe. Only one survived. The fragility of ice has etched tragedy into her own life, too.

49 Writers March 30, 2020

Ana Gutierrez-Scholl

Ana Gutierrez-Scholl grew up in Mexico with a love for traditional dance. She helped form the Anchorage-based dance group Xochiquetzal-Tiqun in 2002 to share a passion for Mexican culture and Mexican folkloric dance. By showcasing the group’s artistic achievements, she hopes to inspire the next generations of instructors and dancers.

49 Writers March 27, 2020

Dolores Catherino

Composer Dolores Catherino explores audio soundscapes that reach beyond the familiar black and white keyboard of a piano. With innovative instruments, she plays notes between notes to open musical experience like a new palette of color.

49 Writers March 26, 2020

Susan Stark Christianson

Susan Stark Christianson began interviewing grandmothers in 2008 to better understand the source of their resilience — and herself. She now has traveled around the world capturing women’s voices, specifically indigenous voices, to document the wisdom that has been there all along.