It is the vision of the Alaska Art Colony to create a vibrant creative space that makes the experience of art and culture fun and easy to everyone in Skagway.
In the olden days an Art Colony was a place where an artist went to get inspired and work. She may be tossing ideas on and off a canvass with other artists or she may be there for silence and seclusion. Usually these mysterious places grow up where the wild flowers grow and mountains make up the distance. This crashing of artistic expression amongst natural beauty is no accident.
Great art picks up where nature ends.
– Marc Chagall
As the world changes many old ideas need to be rethought. It has always been the role of art to usher in new Ages. We are leaving the Age where art is only for “artists.” We are entering an age where artistic creation is a human right, a deep longing, and an urgent need. In this age, the experience of art must become accessible to everyone – “artist” or not.
I do not want art for a few any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.
– William Morris
The Ten Principles of the Alaska Art Colony
- Everyone has an “artist” inside of them
- Art enriches culture and communities
- Art is a fun social activity
- Art is a visual creation of a person’s innermost beauty
- Beauty is an expression of the human spirit
- Skagway, Alaska’s natural beauty inspires deep creativity
- Art should be experienced not just looked at
- Native art should be celebrated and supported
- Art makes peoples lives better
- Everything we do should contribute to the world