Jerome Saclamana is one of several local artists who have been awarded grants from the Rasmuson Foundation to cultivate their crafts.

Jerome carves ivory and bone with his interpretation of traditional King Island forms. He plans to use his fellowship to “research museum collections in the Lower 48 and study with other carvers in preparation for creating new work — in wood.”

The Rasmuson Foundation says Chevak artist Neva Mathias was also selected for a fellowship. She makes “traditional dolls of sealskin, leather, grass and other natural materials. She will prepare sealskins, travel to Anchorage for supplies, and seek opportunities to teach her craft to younger artists.”

Nome skin sewer Marjorie Kunaq Tahbone received a project grant to “create Iñupiaq fancy fur parkas with patterns from her ancestral homeland in Wales, Alaska, using hides from eight different Arctic animals. She will learn and teach traditional sewing, sustaining valuable cultural knowledge.”

Image at top: Jerome Saclamana saws ivory in a workshop. Photo: Mitch Borden, KNOM.