The artwork of four young artists from the Bering Strait School District was featured recently in the state capital at “Alaska’s Heart Through Student Art,” the 4th Annual Student Art & Technology Legislative Reception.
The Juneau event last Monday was organized by the Alaska Council of School Board Administrators (ACSA), which called it “an opportunity to showcase all the creative work going on in education in Alaska through student work.”
Representing BSSD were Jevon Annogiyuk of Savoonga, Tyler Milligrock of Little Diomede, Lindsey Sinnok of Shishmaref, and Jeremy Koozaata of Gambell. Each took a unique approach on how their piece represented their communities, a submission guideline.
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Hand-etched ulu by fifth grader Tyler Milligrock from Little Diomede featured at Alaska’s Heart Through Student Art in Juneau. Photo: Bobby Bolen, BSSD. Used with permission. 
Jevon Annogiyuk, an eleventh grader from Savoonga, emulates Salvador Dali’s surrealist style with a twist — the addition of bowhead whales — in his painting featured at Alaska’s Heart Through Student Art. Photo: Bobby Bolen, used with permission. 
Handmade, beaded maklaks crafted by twelfth-grader Lindsay Sinnok, from Shishmaref. Photo: Bobby Bolen, used with permission. 
“Three Masks”, a piece featured in the Alaska’s Heart Through Student Art Silent Auction by Gambell ninth grader Jeremy Koozaata. Photo: Bobby Bolen, used with permission.
Twelfth-grader Lindsay Sinnok’s handmade beaded Kammak (maklaks) pay homage to Inupiaq skin-sewing and beadwork taught by her teacher Bessi Sinnok. Tyler Milligrock, a fifth grader from Little Diomede, submitted a hand-etched ulu, with the help from his teacher Rob Michaud, who teaches kids metal etching techniques and traditional tool-making.
The featured painting by eleventh grader Jevon Annogiyuk came about from a unit in art teacher Aaron Freeman’s class in which students were to emulate a famous artist. Jevon took on Salvador Dali’s surrealist style and added bowhead whales to the painting to represent his community’s reliance on the marine mammal.
Jeremy Koozaata, in ninth grade, designed his piece featuring three St. Lawrence Island Yup’ik masks using what he learned from an art class unit taught by Sally Grimsrud on traditional ink drawings.
Three of the four student artists opted to have their work featured in a silent auction during the event in Juneau (the other option was to have their art sent home). The young artists will receive 60% of the final bid.
ACSA, in partnership with the Alaska Arts Education Consortium (AAEC), plans to set up an arts and art supply scholarship fund with the remaining funds to be raffled off to one of the student artists who participated.
Image at top: Jevon Annogiyuk, an eleventh grader from Savoonga, emulates Salvador Dali’s surrealist style with a twist — the addition of bowhead whales — in his painting featured at Alaska’s Heart Through Student Art. Photo: Bobby Bolen, used with permission.
