USA Alaska artist-in-residence to display work at museum

Submitted by Kerynn Fisher
Phone: 907-474-6941
10/31/07

Artist and furniture designer Tanya Aguiñiga recently completed a month-long residency at the UAF Native Art Center. Several of the furniture pieces she created during the residency are being featured at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

"As a furniture designer, I am often inspired by my surroundings. The first things that caught my eye when I got into town were the birch trees," says Aguiñiga, who was raised in Tijuana, Mexico and now lives in Los Angeles. "Little did I know that these trees and examples of Alaska Native art using their bark would become my obsession for the month."

Museum visitors can see her zippered birch bark ottomans, a spirit mask chair, a birch bench and other works though Dec. 2 in the museum’s upper level Living Room, which was designed to show how different art forms can be incorporated into everyday life.

"Tanya’s furnishings show how local materials can be used in contemporary design for everyday life. They’re sleek and straightforward, yet playful and resonate with Interior Alaska’s sense of place," says museum exhibition design director Wanda Chin.

Aguiñiga spent much of October working alongside students at UAF’s Native Art Center and giving community lectures and presentations. She also participated in Native art gatherings at the university during the Alaska Federation of Natives convention. Aguiñiga is one of 54 inaugural recipients of United States Artists’ fellowships. Her Fairbanks artist residency is supported by a collaboration between United States Artists and the Rasmuson Foundation. The program will bring artists-in-residence, selected from the USA fellows, to cultural institutions throughout the state.

Admission to the museum’s Living Room is included in the museum’s general admission price: $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for youth 7-17 and free for children 6 and under. Museum members and UAF students (with valid ID) also receive free admission. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week and from noon to 5 p.m. on weekends. Information on the museum’s programs and exhibits is available at 907-474-7505 and online at www.uaf.edu/museum.

CONTACT: Kerynn Fisher, University of Alaska Museum of the North communications coordinator, at 907-474-6941 or 907-378-2559.

ON THE WEB:
Tanya Aguiñiga
United States Artists