State of the arts in Palmer is strong

PALMER - The arts are alive and well in Alaska, the state's poet laureate told a local nonprofit at its annual meeting Saturday.

"Traveling around the state has allowed me to see the vibrant and life-giving ways that Alaskans are keeping the arts and their spirits alive," said Peggy Shumaker of Fairbanks during her presentation to the Palmer Arts Council at Rusty's at Dahlia Street.

Shumaker highlighted notable Alaskan writers with new works out on shelves, including Marjorie Kowalski Cole, Joan Kane, Amber Flora Thomas and Palmer's own Eowyn Ivey, set to release the already critically acclaimed "Snow Child" in the United States next month.

Shumaker noted with some sadness the closure of a gallery in Fairbanks.

"Time and money. Those are the two elements that every arts organization always needs," Shumaker said.

Which, of course, is not a lesson lost on the arts council.

"The arts will never pay for themselves" is the opening line of a fundraising pitch included in the evening's program. But despite that, "all bills are paid and the PAC has accumulated equipment and assets necessary for successful operation. The PAC budget for 2012 calls for raising and expending over $130,000."

Rose Hendrickson, the council's recently installed president, said she didn't come to the council hoping to lead it.

"Everybody knows that the vice president is the best position to hold because you really don't do much," she said. But, having taken over for Bridgette Preston, who received an award at the banquet, she said, "I've done my best to make good decisions."

The evening also saw the installation of a handful of new board members as the council expanded its board from five to nine members and replaced departing members.

Hendrickson noted that a property the council bought in Palmer is among those the city of Palmer has decided to buy in the Mat-Maid block. The council is negotiating the sale with the city.

"Sometimes when a door closes, a window opens. We don't know what we're going to get," she told the members.

Shumaker urged the membership to keep Alaska's spirit alive in the art world.

"We're used to doing things ourselves. We're used to knowing that if no one else puts on the show, the show's not going to happen," she said.

In the vein of keeping art alive, she told a story about a series of book readings in Fairbanks. She said her group often asked the public which authors they'd like to host and got so many requests for dead authors - Faulkner, Hemingway - that they were inspired.

"About 20 years ago we established the dead writers' readings, where people dress up as their favorite dead writers," Shumaker said.

The readings raised enough money to bring in living writers. She told the council to make sure in the coming year to continue to work hard to keep art moving in Alaska, but to also take the time to appreciate what they've done.

"Let's savor art. Let's enjoy it," she said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.