The flyer for the 2015 Southeast Alaska Artfest, being hosted in Wrangell from April 8 to 11. A total of 75 high school students from around the region will get to participate in 15 classes, learning a different artform in each from teachers and professional artists.
The high school is getting ready to sponsor a bit of culture, as it comes Wrangell's turn to host this year's Southeast Alaska Regional Artfest next week.
Sixty students and 15 teachers from schools around the region will be represented, coming from Klawock, Skagway, Petersburg, Craig, Sitka, Mount Edgecumbe and Juneau.
"We're honored to host the continuation of the Southeast Alaska Artfest," said Wrangell High School's art teacher, Anne Luetkemeyer.
Fifteen different classes will be offered to students next Wednesday afternoon through Saturday morning, taught by visiting teachers and participating artists. Locally, this will include Brenda Schwartz-Yeager and Nancy Delpero, Virginia and Richard Oliver, Kris and Sydney Reed, and Sophia Willard.
Classes will be held around town, hosted at the high school art room, Wrangell Cooperative Association's new carving facility, the SNO building, the multipurpose room at Boys and Girls Club, and the Catholic, Presbyterian and Episcopal churches.
"It's all walkable," said Luetkemeyer.
After a welcoming ceremony at Chief Shakes Island on April 8, students will begin their first afternoon and evening classes. For the duration of Artfest, classes will be offered in block schedules of three sessions each day beginning at 9 a.m.
In all, students will get 30 hours of class time, with participating instructors delivering 15 hours each. Subjects will include such crafts as soft sculpture, paper automata, still life in acrylics, leather work and making simple pottery tools.
The festival will culminate with an art show April 11 inside the Nolan Center, from 5-7:30 p.m. Each class will have a table, with students' works represented.
Submissions will then be judged and awards distributed for the best piece of each class and for the Best of Show and Best Brought categories. The latter covers exhibits brought by students attending the festival.
A silent auction will also be held, featuring the works of participating instructors. The money raised will provide funds for next year's Artfest, which will be held in Haines.
Hot appetizers will be served up by the Girl Scouts as well. At $10 a plate, the troop is raising money for its trip to Peru next year.
"The gathering of student-artists and art teachers is a small sample of the creativity that we have here in Southeast," Luetkemeyer said. "As a teacher, to see the students that are so interested and so passionate about making art is amazing."
The region's arts economy was measured last year for Southeast Conference by Juneau-based researchers RainCoast Data, finding the arts brought in nearly $58 million in 2013. This includes visual and tangible arts, as well as performances and educational categories. The average profit for artists living in Wrangell that year was $4,629.
Artfest 2015 will be made possible in part through the assistance of volunteers providing transport, setting up exhibits and preparing meals. Trident Seafoods has given the event a hand, lending out use of its bunkhouse for visiting teachers and students.
Luetkemeyer is still looking for volunteers and snacks for the hospitality room, which will cater to teachers and chaperones during Artfest. Additional information on the event, schedules and fees are available at http://wrangellartfest2015.weebly.com/. Questions can also be fielded by Luetkemeyer at 874-3395 ex. 244 or by by calling school activities director Jack Carney at extension 246.
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