2019 Six-week Spotlight
Katie Ione Craney
Left to right: Artist Katie Craney with authors Heather Lende, Ernestine Hayes, and Krista Christensen. Landfalls Artist Talk and Author Readings event, October 2019.
Working primarily with found and discarded materials, Katie Ione Craney’s work explores the urgency of a rapidly changing northern landscape. In her exhibit Landfalls: Dedications to Alaskan Women Writers and Storytellers, Craney reflects on the complexities of living in the North and the words that resonate with us when we talk, hear, and read about the places we call home. A series of encaustic assemblages, each artwork is a response to the words and works of Alaskan Women Writers such as Ernestine Haye, Heather Lende, Vivian Faith Prescott, and Krista Christensen. In her words: “These works are dedications to women who have helped shape my understanding of the physical, mental, and literary landscape that is as broad as Alaska is in size. This series will continue to grow and unfold as I read and listen. I hope this work inspires you to pick up a book, read a poem, and find solace and solidarity within the words.”