Another Way You Can Celebrate Women’s History Month!
by francesca dubrock
March is Women’s History Month, and the Extra Tough: Women of the North exhibition currently on view at the Anchorage Museum is a great way to celebrate! Come experience the art, archival photos, objects, community stories, and videos, and explore the ways women’s creativity, labor, and love has shaped Northern places for generations.
With colonization and the arrival of Western cultures, the North became seen as a masculine testing ground, a place to be explored, exploited and developed. Artists, mothers, scientists and makers included in this exhibition confront and dismantle this myth, testifying to the vital role that both Indigenous and newcomer women have held, and continue to hold, in Northern communities.
In the exhibition, and online with the hashtag #ExtraToughWomenAK, you can find stories of women from Alaska’s history. Learn about the incredible contributions of individuals like Carmen Longoria, Thelma Bucholdt, Ada Blackjack, and others…or contribute to the project by suggesting the name of a woman who you think should be included (please email suggestions to [email protected]).
You can also sit back and listen to the affirmations and stories of women from throughout the state in an installation called The Affirmation Chair. Each person self-recorded a guiding mantra or piece of advice that has helped them in their lives. Many reference the wisdom of their mothers, grandmothers, and elders. Affirmations are in English as well as other languages, including Yup’ik, Spanish, Turkish, Italian, and Iñupiaq. Learn more about the exhibition here: https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/exhibits/extra-tough-women-of-the-north/ and learn about upcoming events and programs on the Anchorage Museum calendar here: https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/visit/calendar/
