Museum offers snow drawing event

March 5, 2015

Theresa Bakker

Theresa Bakker
907-474-6941
3/6/15

The University of Alaska Museum of the North will offer a snow drawing event for adults and teens on Saturday, March 14, at 10:30 a.m. Participants aged 14 and up are invited to the Fairbanks Experiment Farm to join artist Sonja Hinrichsen in creating a large-scale art project using snow as the canvas.

Snow drawings by Sonja Hinrichsen in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France
Snow drawings by Sonja Hinrichsen in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France


Hinrichsen is an artist-in-residence at Denali National Park and Preserve. She has created snow art with community partners all over the world. Participants will need to bring snowshoes, warm layers and enough water and food to last a full, active day. A few snowshoes are available for loan from the museum’s teaching collection.

Jennifer Arseneau, the museum’s manager of education and public programs, said the museum was approached by partners at the National Park Service to work on a project that would be accessible to more people in Fairbanks. She said the timing was serendipitous, as the museum is celebrating art this month in its family programming.

“Families coming to the museum for Family Day: Art will be able to see the work in progress and witness changes throughout the afternoon. The museum's lobby windows are the perfect viewing location for the fields,” Arseneau said.

Advance registration at bit.ly/uamnadulted is required to participate.

Arseneau said the event is presented along with the National Park Service and the UAF Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station. "This will be a great opportunity for community members to work with an experienced artist, as well as family and friends to collaboratively create something. I love that it's outdoor art and that no one, including Sonja, knows what the end product will be,” she said.

The Denali Park artist-in-residence program has hosted more than 50 writers, composers and artists since 2002. Following a ten-day residency, each artist volunteers to lead a public outreach activity with visitors.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Jennifer Arseneau, education and public programs manager, at 907-474-6948 or via email at j.arseneau@alaska.edu

ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/museum/education/adults/

TB/3-6-15/214-15