Alvin Eli Amason (born 1948) is a

Sugpiaq The Alutiiq people (pronounced in English; from Promyshlenniki Russian Алеутъ, "Aleut"; plural often "Alutiit"), also called by their ancestral name ( or ; plural often "Sugpiat"), as well as Pacific Eskimo or Pacific Yupik, are a sout ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

n painter and

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. He was raised in Kodiak and is of

Alutiiq The Alutiiq people (pronounced in English; from Promyshlenniki Russian Алеутъ, "Aleut"; plural often "Alutiit"), also called by their ancestral name ( or ; plural often "Sugpiat"), as well as Pacific Eskimo or Pacific Yupik, are a so ...

ancestry. He received his Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University and taught for several years at Navajo Community College. For seventeen years, he taught at the

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for c ...

and was the head of the Alaska Native Art studies program there. After retiring, he was asked to join the Department of Art at the

University of Alaska, Anchorage The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna College, and Pr ...

and develop an Alaska Native Art curriculum. Amason was raised by his grandfather, a bear guide. He considered other careers, including

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, before becoming an artist and sculptor. In 1973, he received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from

Central Washington University Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academic and Student Lif ...

and received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Arizona State University in 1976. After graduation, he painted and taught art in the American Southwest. He was the chair of Navajo Community College's Art Department from 1976 to 1978. In 1978, he took a position as a lecturer at

University of Great Falls The University of Providence (UP, formerly University of Great Falls) is a private Roman Catholic university in Great Falls, Montana. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History The University of Provide ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. He received a position at the University of Alaska in 1984, and the Visual Arts Center of Alaska in 1989. In 1992 he took a position as director of the Native Art Center of the University of Alaska in

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

, from which he retired in 2009. He then joined the Art Department at the

University of Alaska Anchorage The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna College, and Pr ...

to develop an Alaska Native Arts curriculum and studio. Amason has served on the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the boards of the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Alaska Native Arts Foundation. In 2018, Amason was recognized with the Governor’s Individual Artist Award for Arts and Humanities. Amason has created paintings and multi-media artworks for Anchorage International Airport and the U.S. Federal Courthouse Building in Anchorage, as well as public schools in Alaska. Amason's work has been in invitational shows in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, Oklahoma, and

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, and his works are in the Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, the

University of Alaska Museum of the North The University of Alaska Museum of the North is a cultural and historical museum on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Mission The museum's mission is to acquire, conserve, investigate, and interpret specimens and collections relating to ...

, the

Alaska State Museum The Alaska State Museum is a museum in Juneau, Alaska, United States. The museum's collections include cultural materials from the people of the Northwest Coast (Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian), the Athabascan cultures of Interior Alaska, the Inupia ...

, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the

Heard Museum The Heard Museum is a private, not-for-profit museum in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art. It presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitio ...

Exhibitions

* 2019 “Place of Origin” Rovaniemi Museum, Finland *2019 Aiviq and Nanuq exhibition, Anchorage Museum, Anchorage, AK *2019 “The Inspirations” Alaska State Museum, Juneau, AK *2016 "UAA Faculty Exhibition" Kimura Gallery, Anchorage, AK * 2013 "Re/Marks, works from the collection of the Anchorage Museum" Rasmusen Center, Anchorage, AK * 2012 "Open House" Magpie Artworks, Anchorage, AK * 2012 "Amason and Eaton" Magpie Artworks, Anchorage, AK * 2011 "The Alaskans, Masks" Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA * 2009 "Brothers on the Water" Alaska House, New York, NY * 2009 "United Nation’s Permanent Forum on Indigenous" New York, NY * 2007 "Alvin and Lena Amason" Artique Gallery, Anchorage, AK * 2005 "N.Y.C Alaska" New York, NY * 2005 "Native Arts Now" Kenai Culture Center, Kenai, AK * 2004 "Alvin Amason & Kesler Woodward" Well Street Art Gallery, Fairbanks, AK * 2004 "Native Art Invitational" Well Street Art Gallery, Fairbanks, AK * 2003 "Heart of My Home" Decker Morris Gallery, Anchorage, AK * 2003 "Gallery Artist" Well Street Art Company, Fairbanks, AK * 2003 "Shaped by Design" Anchorage Museum at Rasmusen Center, Anchorage, AK * 2001 "Alaska Native Contemporary Art" Anchorage Museum at Rasmusen Center, Anchorage, AK * 2001 "Gallery Artist Show" Decker/Morris Gallery, Anchorage, AK * 2000 "Art in Two Worlds" Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ * 1990 "New Art of the West" Eitelijorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN * 1989 "Multi-Media Work" Carnegie Art Center, Walla Walla, WA * 1985-87 "Alaska Native Heritage Festival" Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Anchorage AK * 1985 "Western States Prints Invitational" Portland Art Museum, Portland OR * 1984 "50 States, 50 Artists" Fuller Goldeen Gallery, San Francisco * 1984 "Innovations" Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ * 1984 "Uniquely American: The West Coast" Art Train, Detroit, Michigan * 1981 "Magic Images" Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, OK * 1981 "Art of the States: Nine Alaskans" Alaska State Museum, AK * 1980 "Across the Nation: Fine Art for Federal Buildings 1972-1979" Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, TN * 1980 "Spirit of the Earth" Native American Center of Living Arts, Niagara Falls, NY

Collections

* Institute of American Indian Art, Santa Fe, NM * National Collection of France at Chatau-Muse’e, Boulogne-sur-mer, France *''Know Your Birds'' series, Clark Middle School, Anchorage, AK *''Fish Mama'', William Tyson Elementary School, Anchorage, AK *''Looking Around'', Para Transit Center, Anchorage, AK *

Alyeska Pipeline Company The Alyeska consortium refers to the major oil companies that own and operate the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) through the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. History The Alaska corporation commonly known as Alyeska Pipeline Company was fou ...

, Corporate Collection, Anchorage, AK * Koniag Native Corporation, Anchorage, AK * Doyon Corporation, Anchorage, AK *
I Grew Up with Them Birds; One of a Kind
',

, Fairbanks, AK *

Eiteljorg Museum The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is an art museum in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The Eiteljorg houses an extensive collection of visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas as well as Western Ame ...

, Indianapolis, IN * His Holiness, Patriarch Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia *
Bull
'' Smithsonian American Art Museum,

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, Washington D.C.
Raven

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

, Washington D.C. *''Every day I'm loving you so much more'', Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg, Denmark *
Chignik Rose
', Federal Bldg., Anchorage, AK * Indian Arts and Craft Board, Department of Interior, Washington D.C. *

Kansas City Art Institute The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) is a private art school in Kansas City, Missouri. The college was founded in 1885 and is an accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and Higher Learning Commission. It has approx ...

, Kansas City, MO *
So Tall
',

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1994 in Kansas City, Missouri. With a $5 million annual budget and approximately 75,000 visitors each year, it is Missouri's first and largest contemporary museum. Founders The core of the museum's perm ...

, Kansas City, MO *

, Phoenix, AZ * State of Alaska Art Bank, Anchorage, AK *

, Juneau, AK *
Welcome to My World
', Ted Stevens Anchorage Int'l Airport, Anchorage, AK *
Pretty Close, Big Sum Bich #2
'' Alutiiq Museum, Kodiak, AK *
Everything I Love is Here; Grandma said the eyes are good medicine; Papa said seals are one bump, otters are two. There goes Steve Harvey
Good to See You
Oh My HeartHumpy CatcherHappy Humpy Catcher
'

Anchorage Museum The Anchorage Museum is a large art, history, ethnography, ecology and science museum located in a modern building in the heart of Anchorage, Alaska. It is dedicated to studying and exploring the land, peoples, art and history of Alaska. The mu ...

at Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, AK

(selected) Bibliography

* Conti, Michael (2017).
Artist Profile: Alvin Amason
'' Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. *Quinlan, Chelsea (2016).
"Our Story" Alvin Amason
'. Anchorage Museum. *Jonaitis, Aldona ed. (1998) ''Looking North: Art from the University of Alaska Museum.'' University of Washington Press. *Smith, Barbara Sweetland and Barnett, Raymond J. (1990). ''Russian America, the Forgotten Frontier.'' Washington State Historical Society. * Fitzhugh, William W. and Crowell, Aron (1988). ''Crossroads of Continents''. Smithsonian Institution Press. * Ray, Dorthy Jean (1981). ''Aleut and Eskimo Art''. University of Washington Press. * Thalacker, Donald (1980). ''The Place of Art in the World of Architecture''. Chelsea House.

References

External links used as sources

*"Alvin Amason." '' St. James Guide to Native North American Artists''. St. James Press, 1998.
University of Alaska Native Arts Program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amason, Alvin Eli 1948 births Living people Alaska Native people Artists from Alaska University of Providence People from Kodiak, Alaska University of Alaska Fairbanks faculty Central Washington University alumni Arizona State University alumni 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists Native American artists