30th Annual Festival of Native Arts at UAF

Submitted by Michael Wright
Phone: (907) 474-7581
02/26/03

The students and faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Native Studies department are sponsoring the 30th annual Festival of Native Arts at UAF on March 6 - 8, 2003, at the Charles W. Davis Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Building. This year’s festival has expanded to include additional Native craft tables, food booths and dance group performances at the Wood Center. The festival is free and open to the public. Performances begin each night at 6 p.m. and will continue until midnight.

The festival theme this year is "Where it All Began." Since 1973, the festival has provided a unique forum for Alaska Native groups to share their rich cultural heritage. Alaska Native dance groups and artisans from Hooper Bay, Atmautluak, Barrow, Juneau, Huslia, Stevens Village and Shishmaref will participate this year, providing a diverse presentation of Native cultures. In addition to presenting Alaskan Native dance, music and artistry, the festival invites participation of Native guests from the continental U.S. as well as indigenous groups from foreign countries such as Japan, Russia and Canada.

The 2003 Festival of Native Arts is dedicated to all past and present volunteers of UAF Student Orientation Services and Rural Student Services. These volunteers created the festival and have ensured its success and growth throughout the past 30 years. Festival organizers would also like to pay special tribute to Roland Smoke from the Stevens Village dance group. His involvement as a performer in past festivals will be remembered and missed.

"Students and community volunteers have put in countless hours preparing for the festival," said Carol Hollingsworth, festival organizer. "It is a culmination of months of effort and dedication that shows a great pride in cultural values and traditions."

CONTACT: Carol Hollingsworth, Festival of Native Arts, at (907) 474-7181 or e-mail fnch@uaf.edu. Information about the festival may be found here .