UAS Offers Fall Northwest Coast Arts and Language Classes; Sealaska Heritage Scholarships Available for NWC Arts

The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) is offering Tlingit language and Northwest Coast Arts classes this fall. Scholarships are available.

Juneau, Alaska

Date of Press Release: August 9, 2019

The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) is offering Tlingit language and Northwest Coast Arts classes this fall. Scholarships are available for Northwest Coast Arts classes through Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), with applications due Wednesday, August 14.

Language classes include Tlingit at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, as well as beginning Haida. Distance options are available for language classes. Alaska Native Languages and Studies at UAS examines three primary components of modern and historical Alaska Native life: language, art, and society. Taught by Alaska Native professors, language study courses focus on language revitalization through learning, documentation, and community activities.

Northwest Coast (NWC) Arts classes in design and carving will be offered on the Juneau Campus, taught by master carver Wayne Price. UAS courses in art include Northwest Coast formline design, carving, weaving, and textiles. They examine modern and historical material from diverse perspectives, seek an understanding of what it means to live in Alaska today, and connect with the lands, languages, and peoples of Southeast Alaska.

For Northwest Coast Arts classes, SHI and UAS offer the “Sharing our Box of Treasures Scholarship,” intended to provide scholarships to Alaska Native students enrolling in the NWC art courses, but anyone may apply. The scholarship is meant to partially or fully cover tuition, course fees and other fees directly connected to the study of NWC Arts at the UAS Juneau Campus. Provided by SHI and UAS, the scholarship is funded by the US Department of Education ANEP Grant. The application can be found online, with a deadline of August 14.

Both language and arts courses can be taken for credit, or as a non-credit class at a discounted rate. For help enrolling or more information, contact Davina Cole at drcole3@alaska.edu. Learn more about Alaska Native Studies and other degree programs at UAS at the UAS Areas of Study page.