Master carver to share his craft with students at University of Alaska Southeast

Tlingit artist Wayne Price teaches a formline design class sponsored by SHI in Haines. (Photo by Emily Files/KHNS)
Tlingit artist Wayne Price teaches a formline design class sponsored by SHI in Haines. (Photo by Emily Files/KHNS)

Haines resident and master carver Wayne Price will teach his craft this fall to University of Alaska Southeast students. Classes start Aug 27.

Alaska Native languages associate professor Lance Twitchell first approached Price, who will be working with the university as a professor for the first time.

“We thought that having a chance to merge language with the art and the culture would maybe be a real good fit,” Price said.

Price, who will teach design and drawing of Pacific Northwest Coast Native art, said UAS has been very supportive throughout the whole process.

In a short period of time, he has set up shop in Juneau and organized classes for the coming term.

In this class, the students will create their own artwork while exploring some of the distinctions between designs from different cultures in the region.

“The meaning of it, the form of it, and the language of Northwest Coast two-dimensional design and what makes it Tlingit or Haida or Tsimshian,” Price said. “Because they’re all really close but sometimes we don’t really know which one makes what, and I want to bring that to attention.”

Price also will teach a carving class. Part of the course will guide students through the process of making a canoe paddle, Price’s specialty.

“Hopefully, we finish the completed paddle and that will then get to have some use in the jibba dugout, which is also here on campus. I brought it down from Haines,” Price said. “A lot of what we’re going to do is going to include the healthy lifestyle with adventures with the jibba dugout and hopefully the creation of other dugouts in the near future.”

Price will be living on campus while he teaches classes. He said he is excited to get started.

“I think the work I’m doing with Lance to combine the art that I’m doing with the language that he’s doing — there’s some Tlingit immersion that’s going to create some new opportunities,” Price said. “I bring a whole lifetime of what I know about wood. We’ll see if we can put it to good use for my time while I’m here in Juneau.”

KHNS - Haines

KHNS is our partner station in Haines. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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