Washington, DC—Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, will visit Alaska August 28–September 2, 2015. As part of her trip, she will visit arts organizations and meet with arts leaders in Anchorage, Palmer, Juneau, and Sitka. Follow @NEAJaneChu on Twitter for updates and photos on her trip to Alaska. Chairman Chu will be available for short interviews following these site visits and where noted below. Media who wish to request an interview with Chairman Chu should contact Liz Auclair in advance at auclaire@arts.gov or 202-682-5744.

On Friday, August 28, Chairman Chu will begin her day in Palmer, where Matanuska-Susitna College and Alaska State Council on the Arts will host a reception with the local arts community at Glenn Massey Theatre. At this event, Chairman Chu will make short remarks and take questions from those in attendance.

That afternoon, Chairman Chu will visit Anchorage Museum where she will tour the museum and learn more about Polar Lab, which the NEA supports. Following this tour, Chairman Chu will be available for short one-on-one media interviews. Media wishing to interview Chairman Chu must submit a request to Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov or 202-682-5744.

At 5:00pm at the Anchorage Museum, Alaska State Council on the Arts will host a town hall event with Chairman Chu. At this event, Chairman Chu will make remarks and take part in a Q&A with the audience about the arts in Alaska, moderated by Shannon Daut, executive director of the Alaska State Council on the Arts. This event is open to the public but RSVPs are requested. More information is available here. Media who wish to attend should contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov or 202-682-5744.

On Monday, August 31, Chairman Chu will visit Alaska Native Heritage Center. Her visit will begin with attending an Alaska Native dance performance in the Gathering Place, which is supported by the NEA. She will also tour some of the village sites as well as the Mabel Pike Education Center.

On Tuesday, September 1, Chairman Chu will begin her day in Juneau by visiting Perseverance Theatre. She will tour the theater and meet with their staff and actors rehearsing for upcoming productions.

That afternoon, Chairman Chu will visit Sealaska Heritage Institute at the Walter Soboleff Building. Chairman Chu will tour the building and learn more about the institute’s programs before seeing two Tlingit totem poles at the Gajaa Hit building, which were commissioned and installed with support from the NEA.

Next, Chairman Chu will visit Juneau Arts & Cultural Center. She will tour the center and meet with members of the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council and Juneau Jazz & Classics staff. That evening, Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council will host a reception for Chairman Chu to meet the larger arts community.

On Wednesday, September 2, Chairman Chu will visit Sitka. She will begin her day by visiting the studio of Teri Rofkar, recipient of a 2009 NEA National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

That afternoon, Chairman Chu will meet with NEA grantees at Sheldon Jackson College campus—Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Sheldon Jackson Museum, and Sitka Summer Music Festival. At each stop, Chairman Chu will tour their building(s) and learn more about how the NEA has supported their organizations.

For her last stop of the day, Chairman Chu will visit Island Institute for a discussion about their artist residency programs, which the NEA supported in 2015, and their creative writing and storytelling program for youth, the Sitka Story Lab.

The following events are closed to the public (except where noted) but open to media. Media must contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov or 202-682-5744 if they would like to attend.

Friday, August 28, 2015—Palmer & Anchorage

10:30–11:30am Reception with local arts community, hosted by Matanuska-Susitna College and Alaska State Council on the Arts

Location: Glenn Massay Theatre, East, 8295 College Drive, Palmer, AK

Participants:      

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Ben Brown, chairman, Alaska State Council on the Arts

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3:30–3:50pm Photo opportunity: Tour of Anchorage Museum

Location: 625 C St, Anchorage, AK

Participants:      

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Ben Brown, chairman, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Julie Decker, museum director and CEO, Anchorage Museum

Ann Hale, chief development officer, Anchorage Museum

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4:30–5:00pm Media availability. Media wishing to interview Chairman Chu must submit a request to Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov or 202-682-5744.

Location:Anchorage Museum, 625 C St, Anchorage, AK

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5:00–6:00pm Town hall, hosted by Alaska State Council on the Arts. Open to the public.

Location: Anchorage Museum, 625 C St, Anchorage, AK

Participants:      

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

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Monday, August 31, 2015—Anchorage

3:30–4:30pm Site visit at Alaska Native Heritage Center

Location 8800 Heritage Center Drive, Anchorage, AK 99504

Participants:      

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Ben Brown, chairman, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Annette Evans Smith, president and CEO, Alaska Native Heritage Center

Steven Alvarez, director of Arts and Education, Alaska Native Heritage Center

Kyle Roberts, development manager, Alaska Native Heritage Center

Glenn Olson, director of Intern Programs, Alaska Native Heritage Center

Zoe Olson, major gifts officer, Alaska Native Heritage Center

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Tuesday, September 1, 2015—Juneau

12:00–12:30pm Discussion with Perseverance Theatre staff and actors

Location: 914 3rd Street, Douglas, AK 99824

Participants:      

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Ben Brown, chairman, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Art Rotch, artistic and executive director, Perseverance Theatre

Maggie Rabb, development director, Perseverance Theatre

Amy O'Neill Houck, outreach and development associate, Perseverance Theatre

Tom Robenolt, marketing director and director of Othello, Perseverance Theatre

Members of Board of Directors, Perseverance Theatre

Actors from Othello and Annapurna 

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2:00–3:00pm  Site visit at Sealaska Heritage Institute

Location: 105 South Seward Street, Juneau, AK 99801

Participants:      

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Ben Brown, chairman, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Marlene Johnson, chair, Sealaska Heritage Institute Board of Trustees

Rosita Worl, president, Sealaska Heritage Institute

Lee Kadinger, chief operating officer, Sealaska Heritage Institute

Kari Groven, art director, Sealaska Heritage Institute

Chuck Smythe, director of Culture and History, Sealaska Heritage Institute

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3:30–4:15pm  Site visit at Juneau Arts & Culture Center

Location: 350 Whittier Street #101, Juneau, AK

Participants:      

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Ben Brown, chairman, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Nancy DeCherney, executive director, Juneau Arts & Humanities Council

Cristine Crooks, president, board of trustees, Juneau Arts & Humanities Council

Mandy Mallott, vice president, board of trustees, Juneau Arts & Humanities Council

Sue Sloss, secretary, board of trustees, Juneau Arts & Humanities Council

Sara Radke Brown, education director, Juneau Arts & Humanities Council

Linda Rosenthal, artistic & executive director, Juneau Jazz & Classics

Reggie Schapp, administrator, Juneau Jazz & Classics

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5:00–6:00pm  Reception with local arts community, hosted by Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council.

Location: 350 Whittier Street #101, Juneau, AK

Participants:

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Ben Brown, chairman, Alaska State Council on the Arts

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Wednesday, September 2, 2015—Sitka

11:00am–12:00pm Visit to Teri Rofkar’s studio

Location: 820 Charles Street, Sitka, AK

Participants:      

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Ben Brown, chairman, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Teri Rofkar, artist

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1:30–3:00pm Site visit to arts organizations on Sheldon Jackson Campus: Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Sheldon Jackson Museum, and Sitka Summer Music Festival

Location: Visit will begin on campus in front of Odess Theater, 104 College Dr, Sitka, AK

Participants:      

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Ben Brown, chairman, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Roger Schmidt, executive dir., Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Alaska Arts Southeast, Inc. 

Kenley Jackson, program dir., Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Alaska Arts Southeast, Inc.

Representative Jonathan Kress-Tomkins, Alaska House of Representatives

Mark Gorman, city administrator

Jacqueline Fernandez, curator of collections, Sheldon Jackson Museum

Kayla Boettcher, director, Sitka Summer Music Festival

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3:10–3:30pm  Site visit to Island Institute                        

Location: 304 Baranof St., Sitka, AK

Participants:      

Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Shannon Daut, executive director, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Ben Brown, chairman, Alaska State Council on the Arts

Peter Bradley, executive director, Island Institute

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