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CRAZY WOLF STUDIO: Smeltzer. months,” she laughed.
Today, his work spans drums, paddles, bentwood
Where Art, Heritage and Healing boxes, carvings, prints, and totem poles, though Art as Healing
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of Crazy Wolf
Meet on Alaska’s Coast drum making remains his greatest passion. Studio is not the object itself, but what it represents
The Language of Formline Art to younger generations. Apprenticeships continue
Along Alaska’s Inside Passage lies the island Northwest Coast Native art possesses a to be an important way to keep the cultural
community of Ketchikan. It is a place where mist visual identity unlike anything else in the world. knowledge alive.
drapes over the towering trees and totem poles Composed of bold, curved lines of varying widths, Nearby master carvers continue mentoring
rise like storytellers against the blue sky, beckoning the use of negative space, and emphasis on balance apprentices in traditional carving sheds, ensuring
travelers to stop and listen to the ancient ones. and harmony, the art is not merely decorative but the craft survives for future generations. Schools
Nestled within this community is Crazy Wolf Studio. evokes deep cultural significance. throughout Ketchikan also incorporate Native arts
More than an art gallery, it is a living expression Among the Tlingit and Haida peoples, the two education into classrooms, helping younger artists
of Northwest Coast design art, Native culture, principal crests are Eagle and Raven. The Tsimshian connect with their identity and heritage.
heritage, and craftsmanship passed from one add Wolf and Killer Whale, creating four primary “There is so much healing in art,” she said. “It’s
generation to the next. crests woven throughout their art and cultural nice to see these young people with troubled
For over 20 years, the gallery has served as identity. backgrounds pick up the art and find their place in
both a creative space and gathering place for Traditionally, the art relied heavily on black and the world through the designs.”
the work of Tsimshian artist Kenneth Decker, red pigments, with blue introduced later through Beyond the Gallery Walls
along with pieces from other Alaska and British contact with European explorers. Walk into the gallery, and visitors are immersed
Columbia Native artists. Descended from the Wolf “The black came from charcoal and the red from in authentic Alaskan and Northwest Coast art,
Clan, Kenneth’s bold, striking red and black colors berries,” Decker explained. “The blue got introduced supporting both established and emerging
reflect the traditional workmanship of Northwest when explorers came over.” creators. While Kenneth’s work anchors the gallery,
Coast formline art—art steeped in the values and Though many artists still honor those traditional Crazy Wolf Studio also showcases an impressive
traditions of his heritage. palettes, newer generations are beginning to range of Alaska Native artistry, including hand-
“Ken’s extremely proud of his heritage and experiment with vibrant purples, pinks, and other carved silver and gold jewelry, ivory carvings, cedar
creates art to keep the culture going,” said Monica contemporary colors while remaining rooted in and spruce-root baskets, baleen baskets, and
Decker, who co-owns the gallery with her husband. ancestral design traditions. intricate woven kelp baskets.
Rooted in Tsimshian Heritage Totem Poles and the Stories They Carry And somewhere in the gallery, Kenneth Decker
As a member of one of the three major Native Totem poles remain among the most iconic will be carving, painting, or visiting with tourists,
groups of Southeast Alaska, the others being Tlingit artistic traditions of Southeast Alaska, but Decker is sharing the traditions of his art.
and Haida, Kenneth’s family history stretches back quick to point out they are deeply cultural objects, “Kenneth loves to spend time with people,
to the 1887 migration, when the Tsimshian people not simply decorative sculptures. explaining things to them. We try to keep him in
migrated from Old Metlakatla, British Columbia, “They always tell a story,” she said. the corner busy creating, but he will usually dump
to the present-day site of Metlakatla, Alaska. Traditionally, the top figure represents the main us about mid-day and comes out and shares with
Kenneth’s grandfather traveled in the first canoe crest of the individual or family being honored. Pole visitors the stories of his pieces,” said Decker.
during that migration. raisings themselves are ceremonial community In stores and galleries filled with mass-produced
That connection to ancestry and tradition informs events rooted in protocol and respect. souvenirs, Crazy Wolf Studio offers something far
every aspect of Kenneth’s work. After serving in Kenneth has carved totems as large as 12 feet, more meaningful—tradition, stories, and connection
Vietnam, he returned home and immersed himself though Decker admits the scale and physical to culture, one brushstroke at a time.
in art classes and traditional carving techniques, demands of large poles can be overwhelming. For more information, hours, and location, visit
eventually apprenticing under master carver Ernist “He was in the garage for what felt like eight www.crazywolfstudio.com

Crazy Wolf

Studio

Traditional Northwest Coastal Native Art

Ceremonial Drums • Dance Paddles
Bentwood Boxes & Chests
Hand Carved Silver & Gold Jewelry

Cedar & Spruce Root Baskets
Ulus, Apparel & More!

Locally Owned-Open Year-Around
633 Mission Street • (907) 225-9653
CrazyWolfStudio.com

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