Artist Statement

Oxford Dictionary:

“Mending” (noun) things to be repaired by sewing or darning.

“Mend” (verb) return to health, heal

With every stitch and suture placed to build my sculptures I foster and create a mental space that allows for spiritual healing.   Animal forms show what I worship, and I aim to exhibit how their spirits are captured in my memory.  Seams of stitching across each figure tell a story of their lives, how they came to exist as they do today.  Beads alongside threads beneath the skin of each figure and the use of the whip stitch I learned growing up, are ties to my cultural heritage.  The beads and threads also trace life-providing veins and arteries lying beneath the skin, a source of vulnerability but also essential vitality.

About the Artist

Sky Roehl was born and raised in Fairbanks Alaska.  She and her family spent a large amount of time fishing, hunting, foraging, and growing their own foods, creating a strong bond of respect and appreciation for the environment and land around them. Sky earned her Bachelors of Art at Dartmouth College in 2018, and worked as a Studio Intern at Dartmouth for a year before applying for the MFA Program at UAF, where she is currently pursuing her Masters in Native Arts. Working with a mixture of recycled and raw materials, while utilizing traditional and modern artistic practices and skills, she draws on her connection with the land and wildlife.  Her works focus on the importance of spirituality and culture in showing respect for all living beings while reclaiming spiritual imagery and narratives.