Friends of the Arts at UAA
The College of Arts and Sciences has been working with community partners to make our vision for growing, strengthening, and revitalizing the Arts at UAA a reality. We believe that a strong arts program at UAA means a more vibrant and lasting arts community in Alaska and contributes to Anchorage being a place where people want to live. The College is an incubator for the Arts, as we have faculty, students, and alumni who perform with groups across the city, including the Anchorage Symphony and Anchorage Concert Chorus. We have exciting new programs in the Arts, like our certificates in Event Production and in Graphic Design, and the revitalization of the Alaska Native Arts program.
The College has worked to create the Friends of the Arts membership program, as members of the community have expressed interest in additional ways to support the Arts. In the past, we have focused on highlighting our programming, our partnerships, our students, and our performances. Now, we want to expand our focus to include what our community supporters have highlighted as top-priority: how can they join in and support the Arts at UAA? Throughout the past year, we have had success in supporting programs, including hiring new faculty in Dance and in Alaska Native Art, and in developing community partnerships that bring members of our community to campus and allow us to bring our programs out into the community. A prime example of this is through our partnership with the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (PAC). We co-hosted the CAS Community Lecture featuring David Brooks at the PAC, and followed that event up with a Come From Away Panel hosted in the Fine Arts Recital Hall.
The Friends of the Arts will be an avenue through which members of our community can support the Arts at UAA directly. The ideas behind the program are to 1) provide funding to the Arts at UAA so that they can thrive, 2) engage our supporters in more meaningful ways, and 3) maintain a strong membership so that decision makers in the future know that Alaskans support the Arts at UAA. Membership in the Friends of the Arts program includes benefits like member communications, early access to tickets, invitations to pre and post show receptions, behind the scenes tour of the Fine Arts Building, invitations to special events, and special access to Friends of the Arts merchandise. Members will also have early or VIP access to events like Symphony of Sounds, Dance Recitals, and Art Exhibitions.
Some of our Spring events are described below to give a preview of what types of activities the Friends of the Arts funds will support.
Symphony of Sounds
One of the most unique concert experiences of the year, the Symphony of Sounds concert delivers an extravaganza of musical entertainment in a non-stop collage format. Every taste in music is satisfied with a wide range of musical styles that include classical, jazz, opera and musical theatre. The concert features performances by the University Singers, Opera Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble, Early Music Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble and Sinfonia. Soloists, chamber ensembles, and faculty performances can also be heard.
The Symphony of Sounds concert is the Department of Music’s annual fundraising concert that benefits the Excellence in Music fund, which includes student scholarships.
Tickets are on sale now at centertix.com and 907-263-ARTS.
June Pardue Solo Exhibition
Alaska Native Arts Faculty Member June Pardue, is hosting a solo exhibition in the Kimura Gallery (Fine Arts Building Room 220). The exhibition "Sugpiak Art Renaissance" highlights the work of June (Simeonoff) Pardue, an Alutiiq and Inupiaq artist who resides in remote Sutton, Alaska. Originally from Old Harbor Village on Kodiak Island, June is recognized as an Alutiiq grass weaver, fish skin tanner, fish leather and sea mammal skin sewer, jeweler, and beader.
The exhibition will run from February 23, 2024 until April 5, 2024. There is an opening reception being held in the Fine Arts Building Second Floor lobby on Friday, February 23 starting at 5:00 PM.
Dance Recitals
With the return of the Dance Minor, dance recitals and dance performances on campus have also returned. These dance recitals will feature performances by students enrolled in one of the active dance classes. In addition to these UAA recitals, the College’s continued collaborations with community partners like Momentum Dance Collective and Pulse Dance Company have brought UAA alumni back to campus to perform.
From April 12 to April 14, Momentum Dance Collective will have their Spring Concert “On My Way” in the UAA Mainstage Theater. The concert is a celebration of the beauty found in the spaces between departure and arrival and the choreography serves as a powerful expression of our shared human experience and what we learn in embracing the unknown. Momentum Dance Collective features many UAA Dance alumni, and we are excited that they are back on campus for these performances.
In addition to "The Velvet Box" performances throughout February, Pulse Dance Collective is collaborating with UAA Dance in the upcoming show "Bloom", an artist in residence program and showcase. "Bloom" will showcase new works from choreographers in the Anchorage community, as well as work by Katie O'Loughlin, dance faculty at UAA, and Kara Komarnitsky, UAA Dance guest artist, who are choreographing for UAA dance students. Information for the Bloom Artist in Residence program can be found on the Pulse Dance Company website and the final showcase will be held April 19-20 at the UAA Mainstage Theater.
If you are interested in our full schedule of Arts events, you can find that information on our Spring schedule showing all of the CAS music, art, and dance performances.