Alvin Eli Amason facts for kids

Alvin Eli Amason (born in 1948) is a talented Sugpiaq Alaskan artist. He is known for his amazing paintings and sculptures. Alvin grew up in Kodiak and is part of the Alutiiq people.

He learned a lot about art, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree from Arizona State University. He also taught art for many years. He helped create and lead the Alaska Native Art studies program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Even after he retired, he was asked to help start a new Alaska Native Art program at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

Alvin was raised by his grandfather, who was a guide for bear hunters. Before becoming an artist, Alvin thought about other jobs, like engineering. But he chose art! He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts, in 1973 from Central Washington University. Then, in 1976, he got his Master of Fine Arts degree from Arizona State University.

Alvin Amason's Journey in Art

Early Career and Teaching

After finishing his studies, Alvin Amason worked as a painter and art teacher in the American Southwest. From 1976 to 1978, he was in charge of the Art Department at Navajo Community College. In 1978, he became a teacher at the University of Great Falls in Montana.

He later moved back to Alaska. In 1984, he started working at the University of Alaska. He also worked at the Visual Arts Center of Alaska in 1989. In 1992, he became the director of the Native Art Center at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, Alaska. He retired from this role in 2009. After that, he joined the Art Department at the University of Alaska Anchorage. There, he helped create a special program and studio for Alaska Native Arts.

Awards and Public Art

Alvin Amason has been a part of important art groups. He served on the Alaska State Council on the Arts. He also helped lead the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Alaska Native Arts Foundation. In 2018, he received a special honor. He was given the Governor's Individual Artist Award for Arts and Humanities. This award recognized his great contributions to art.

Alvin has created many artworks for public places. You can see his paintings and mixed-media art at the Anchorage International Airport. His art is also in the U.S. Federal Courthouse Building in Anchorage. He has also made art for public schools across Alaska.

Where to See His Art

Alvin Amason's art has been shown in many places. These include Alaska, Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Oklahoma, and Washington, DC. His works are also part of permanent collections in famous museums. These include the Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum in Denmark. You can also find his art at the University of Alaska Museum of the North. Other places include the Alaska State Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Heard Museum.

Exhibitions

Alvin Amason's art has been featured in many shows over the years:

• 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

Alvin Amason's artworks are held in many important 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, Corporate Collection, Anchorage, AK
• Koniag Native Corporation, Anchorage, AK
• Doyon Corporation, Anchorage, AK
• I Grew Up with Them Birds; One of a Kind, University of Alaska Museum of the North, Fairbanks, AK
• Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN
• His Holiness, Patriarch Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia
• Bull, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
• Raven, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 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, Kansas City, MO
• So Tall, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
• Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ
• State of Alaska Art Bank, Anchorage, AK
• Alaska State Museum, 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 Heart; Humpy Catcher; Happy Humpy Catcher Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, AK