Tlingit artist to demonstrate Raven’s Tail weaving

Submitted by Kerynn Fisher
Phone: (907) 474-6941
03/08/05

FAIRBANKS, AK - Fairbanks residents and visitors will have a chance to see a traditional Raven’s Tail robe taking shape when Tlingit artist Teri Rofkar brings her work to town this week. Raven’s Tail weaving originated in Southeast Alaska and predates the more familiar Chilkat weaving. Few examples of the technique remained after the 19th century, but with a new generation of weavers using the technique, the art form has enjoyed a revival in recent years.

Rofkar will discuss the Raven’s Tail technique and its history at a free public lecture "Raven’s Tails and Polar Bears" on Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m. in the Pioneer Park Blue Room (adjacent to the Bear Gallery). She will also demonstrate the weaving technique on Ice Walkers, a robe commissioned for the future Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery in the University of Alaska Museum of the North’s new wing. The robe, which features modern motifs including polar bears, will be her first piece in the museum’s collection.

During her Fairbanks visit, Rofkar will also conduct a demonstration in the Brooks Building’s Gathering Room for UAF’s Rural Student Services and meet with high school students from the Howard Luke Academy, students in Nancy Furlow’s Alaska Native Studies class and members of the Fairbanks Weavers and Spinners Guild.

A Sitka resident and a member of the Raven clan, Rofkar has been weaving since 1986 and began weaving Raven’s Tail robes in 1989. Her work is featured in museums across the country, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. She is a 2004 recipient of the Governor’s Award for the Arts.

Note: More information on Teri Rofkar and her work is available online at www.terirofkar.com.