The CIRI Foundation is excited to announce our latest endeavor within the “A Journey to What Matters: Increased Alaska Native Art & Culture” grant program (Learn More). In collaboration with the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository, this initiative supports a cohort of skilled grass weavers.

Over the next year, these artists will engage in a journey of cultural preservation and creative expression featuring esteemed mentor-mentee pairs:

• Cup’ik mentor Neva Mathias with mentee Jolene Umugak
• Alutiiq/Sugpiaq mentor Hanna Sholl and mentee Mariah Stapleton
• Unangax̂ mentor Tina Gauen alongside mentee Haliehana Stepetin
• Yup’ik mentor Kelly Lincoln with mentee Alissa Rogers

We are delighted to share snapshots of this artistic venture: Kelly Lincoln’s recent grass harvest, a testament to the raw beauty of Yup’ik weaving, and a photo capturing the initial stages of Unangax̂ basketry by Haliehana Stepetin, photographed by Rochelle Smallwood.