Alaska State Council on the Arts

Alaska State Council on the Arts ASCA asks that participants present information in a courteous and respectful manner that is on topic. Thank you for connecting with ASCA.

The Alaska State Council on the Arts is a state arts agency, the mission of which is to represent, support and advance the creative endeavors of individuals, organizations and agencies throughout Alaska. As a public corporation within The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, The Alaska State Council on the Arts’ (ASCA) social media pages are for the purposes of sharing information

and building a supportive and engaging community regarding the arts in Alaska. ASCA’s social media pages are not intended to be a substitute for information shared on ASCA’s website nor for official state processes used for soliciting public comment on regulations. ASCA does not endorse posted comments, images, and external hyperlinks by others, and they do not necessarily represent the views of ASCA, its staff, the Board of Trustees, and Early Development, or the State of Alaska. ASCA has the right to review, edit, or delete any information or material submitted to its social media pages. Posts that are found to be in violation of the following standards are subject to removal without notification to the author:

• Any posts containing obscene, graphic, explicit, or racial comments will be removed, including any comments that are abusive, hateful, or potentially libelous.
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• Any posts deemed inconsistent with the purpose of this page may be removed. ASCA reserves the right to ban from its social media pages, without warning or notification, a user who violates the post standards or who does not engage in a courteous or respectful manner. If you have questions, please contact our Community Arts Program Director 907-269-6610. The State of Alaska is not responsible for the content on any site outside of a State of Alaska department.

09/08/2026

If you are not already following along with the journey of “Kutulagaaw: The Tlingit — Russian Battles,” please visit Perseverance Theatre, Sealaska Heritage Institute, and Alaska State Writer Vera Starbard, T’set Kwei, to learn more about the process. Here, in a panel hosted by Sealaska Heritage Institute, Composer Ed Littlefield talks about the process of composing a Tlingit Opera. Thank you to all the artists and community members working so hard. Gunalchéesh!

Update! We have extended the deadline to respond to our Request for Qualifications for a contracted Creativity in Teachi...
09/04/2026

Update! We have extended the deadline to respond to our Request for Qualifications for a contracted Creativity in Teaching Project Manager to September 10, 2026. Please visit the website at https://arts.alaska.gov/press/creativity-in-teaching-project-manager-contract-available/ for full information about the project and to download the RFQ. Creativity in Teaching is an initiative which seeks to grow teacher cohort partnerships in and through Alaska’s arts and cultures.

161 Klevin Street, Suite 102 Anchorage, AK 99508-1506Telephone: 907-269-6610 Toll-free: 1-888-278-7424Fax: 907-269-6601 TTY: [email protected]

09/04/2026

A big thank you to Chairman Mary Anne Carter and the NEA team for coming to spend time with Alaskans!

We hope you will take time to read about Alaska State Writer Vera Starbard, T’set Kwei, and the many creators involved w...
09/03/2026

We hope you will take time to read about Alaska State Writer Vera Starbard, T’set Kwei, and the many creators involved with the Tlingit Opera “Kutulagaaw: The Tlingit — Russian Battles”. Thank you to Sealaska Heritage Institute and many others for supporting this work. You can find more information about the creators and Kutulagaaw at https://sealaskaheritage.org/shi-arts-department/tlingit-opera/. Visit partner Perseverance Theatre at https://www.ptalaska.org/kutulagaaw/ to find out how to attend the opera in Juneau. Gunalchéesh to all involved for bringing the first Tlingit opera in recorded history to the stage, Gunalchéesh Vera Starbard!

CREATOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES: Vera Starbard, T’set Kwei

Every week in August, SHI will highlight one of the creative forces behind “Kutulagaaw: The Tlingit — Russian Battles,” which opens in September.

Starbard is the Tlingit Opera’s librettist and the current Alaska State Writer Laureate. Her work as a writer and story editor on “Molly of Denali” has earned her four Emmy nominations, and she was the editor of First Alaskans Magazine for over a decade. She has worked as Playwright-in-Residence at Perseverance Theatre through the Andrew W. Mellon National Playwright Residency Program and spent a year writing for the ABC show “Alaska Daily.” Scholastic will also publish her middle-grade novel “Park Survival: Lost in Alaska” this November.

“The Lingit people have known how to perform stories and histories for millennia with compelling drama, excitement, and power. We also placed a premium on relaying our stories and clans with respect, detail, and careful context,” Starbard said. “It’s the honor of a lifetime to be work with this group of Lingit creators and Indigenous artists. This opera may be the ‘first’ Lingit opera, but it joins an extraordinary history of performance art I’m incredibly proud to be part of. As librettist, my role was to bring an extraordinary few years of collaborative effort on the part of our ancestors into just a few hours of story. Then the collaboration of today’s artists took over and made it this gorgeous work I can’t wait for everyone to experience. The importance of both respect for the ancestors and clans involved has weighed on all of us for years, but seeing it so close to life now, the excitement is really setting in."

For more information on the Tlingit Opera, visit https://sealaskaheritage.org/shi-arts-department/tlingit-opera/.

08/06/2026

National Endowment for the Arts Workshops
Aug. 13 & 14, 2026. Free, in-person, No RSVP required.

Join staff from the National Endowment for the Arts to learn more about grant opportunities and the process for applying for federal grants to support arts projects. Staff from the Alaska State Council on the Arts will also join to share information on additional grant opportunities to support artists and arts organizations throughout Alaska.

Anchorage Workshop
Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 2:15pm – 3:15pm
The Nave, 3502 Spenard Road, Anchorage, AK

Wasilla Workshop
Friday, August 14, 2026 at 10:30am – 11:30am
Valley Performing Arts - Fred Machetanz Theatre, 251 W Swanson Ave, Wasilla, AK

The Alaska Literary Awards recognize and support writers of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwri...
07/10/2026

The Alaska Literary Awards recognize and support writers of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and mixed genres. A select number of $5,000 awards will be awarded annually. 

Awards are made through the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation.
📅 Deadline: August 17, 2026 9:59PM Alaska Time
🔗 Link in Bio

The Alaska Literary Awards recognize and support writers of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwri...
07/10/2026

The Alaska Literary Awards recognize and support writers of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and mixed genres. Awards are made through the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation.

Any Alaska writer over the age of 18 who is not a full-time student is eligible to apply. A select number of $5,000 awards will be awarded annually.

The Alaska Literary Awards were established in 2014 by the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation, through a generous gift from Peggy Shumaker and Joe Usibelli.

Deadline: August 17, 2026 9:59PM Alaska Time
https://www.akarts.org/arts-programs/alaska-literary-awards

If you weren't able to join the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest Semifinals and Finals this week to hear Cas...
05/02/2026

If you weren't able to join the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest Semifinals and Finals this week to hear Cassie Lumba--the 2026 Alaska State Poetry Out Loud Champion--and 53 other state and jurisdictional champions recite poetry, we hope you will take a few minutes to watch this video of Cassie's recitation of "Longings" by Nellie Rathbone Bright. To Cassie: we are so grateful for your beautiful work this week, and we hope you had a wonderful experience representing Alaska in Washington DC. Congratulations on your accomplishments, and we are so proud of you! Congratulations to 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Champion Jayda Dawn from Indiana, and thank you to all the students who've brightened our minds with your strong voices this Poetry Out Loud season!

2026 Poetry Out Loud: Cassie Lumba (AK) recites “Longings" by Nellie Rathbone Bright

Please join us today at 3pm AKT/7pm ET at https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/poetry-out-loud to hear Cassie Lumba, the Ala...
04/29/2026

Please join us today at 3pm AKT/7pm ET at https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/poetry-out-loud to hear Cassie Lumba, the Alaska State Poetry Out Loud Champion recite in the National Finals along with eight other National Finalists. We are wishing you all a beautiful experience, and our gratitude goes out to all the State and Jurisdictional Champions who have given us such joy and inspiration over the last two days. Your voices lift us up!

Image of Cassie Lumba of Juneau Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé reciting in the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest in Washington, DC. Image by James Kegley courtesy National Endowment for the Arts.

Address

161 Klevin Street, Ste 102
Anchorage, AK
99508

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+19072696610

Website

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