Clarissa Hudson

BIOGRAPHY | RESUME' | ARTIST STATEMENT

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Full Name: Clarissa Rizal Lampe Hudson

Clan: Tlingit Raven T’akDeinTaan (Sea Tern), Snail House in Hoonah, AK; born and raised in Juneau, Alaska

Mother: Irene Sarabia Lampe, originally from Hoonah.

Father: William Boyd Lampe

Maternal Grandmother & Grandfather: Mary Wilson Sarabia & Juan Sarabia

Paternal Grandmother & Grandfather: Patricia Rizal Lampe & Fred Lampe, Sr.

Clarissa Hudson and her husband, Bill, have three grown children: Kahlil, Lily and Ursala.

Art & Cultural Background: Introduced to Tlingit song and drumming with grandmother Mary Sarabia; studied Native art, song and culture with Harry K. Bremner, Sr.; A.P. Johnson; Cy Peck, Sr.; Selina Peratrovich; Delores Churchill

Apprenticed in Chilkat weaving with Jennie Thlunaut

Sudied metalsmithing with Preston Duywenie, fashion design with Wendy Ponca, creative writing with Arthur Zhe at the Institute of American Indian Arts

Studied glass-casting with Preston Singletary and David Svenson at the Pilchuck School of Glass

Studied painting and collage with Cecil Touchon

Attended Glacier Bay Tlingit Language Immersion Camp; attended Ft. Lewis College, majoring in art, minor in languages

Cultural Contributions: Since 1989, Clarissa has annually conducted Chilkat weaving workshops and apprenticeships to aspiring Native women with classes in Alaska and Canada, and at her winter home in Colorado. President of non-profit organization Artstream Cultural Resources (www.artstream.net) sponsors various projects including a 6-yr project documenting Northwest Coast tribal regalia via portraits and video; costume designer and co-producer in theatre company; monthly house concerts, hosting musicians/singer-songwriters from around the nation and, spearheaded 1st Northwest Coast NativeArtists’ Gathering and Evening Concert in May 2006 in Juneau Alaska (which inspired the first Artists' Summit during the Alaska Federation of Natives in October 2006!).

With husband, Bill, Clarissa is Owner/Manager for online daily local news web site at PagosaDailyPost.com.

Full-time Artist since 1980: Clarissa’s creations are in various private, corporate, public art collections nationwide and internationally. She specializes in designing and creating Alaskan Tlingit ceremonial robes, including Chilkat and buttonblanket robes and other regalia; works in acrylic paintings, silkscreened prints, and collages; in collaboration with her husband, created numerous Percent-for-the-Arts commissions in public places featuring beaded aerial sculptures and carved wall murals (visit www.hudsonhudson.com)

Featured in several publications and documentary films; received full fellowships from the Pilchuck School of Glass, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian Visiting Artist’s Award; won Best of Show awards including the Heard Museum Art Show & Sale, the Santa Fe Indian Market, the Lawrence Indian Market, the Alaska Native Heritage Center Art Show, and the Sealaska Juried Native Art Show; a costume designer and actress, she worked with Perseverance Theatre and NaaKahidi Theatre in Juneau, Alaska and Pagosa Pretenders Family Theatre.

Artist Statement: The artist invents a tradition. The Craftsman maintains and preserves the tradition. This definition shields against any criticism a “contemporary” Native artist may face when compared to a “traditional” craftsman artist. I view myself as a contemporary traditionalist, creating works in the “now” branching from traditional art forms. The Future will protect my work if it “feeds” others, inspires others. Artists will take it up and create new works, a synthesis, a new form for the future. If my work creates no inspiration and impetus for others, then the work is “dead” and shall be forgotten.

The work is a reflection of my internal world where a part of me has “stepped into a light”, one that may be colorful and bright----I delight in the discoveries and perspective; exploring new ways of seeing the present world, always at the threshold of the future, while acknowledging the “traditional” foundation from where I come.

Resumé

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1980-present Full-time multi-media artist, cultural facilitator/director

2004-present Pagosa Daily Post, Pagosa Sprs., CO, owner/production manager/writer

1989-1993 NaaKahidi Theatre, Juneau, AK; designer/actress/musician/stage & tour manager

1981-1993 Kahtahah Landscape Gardeners; owner/landscaper/gardener

1980-1981 Sealaska Heritage Institute, Juneau, AK; Scholarship Coordinator

1979-1981 Sealaska Corp., Juneau, AK; Div of Communications Secretary

1974-78 Office of the Governor, Juneau; Div of Policy Development, Clerk typist

1974-77 Bureau of Indian Affairs, Div. of Contracting, Clerk typist

1970-74 Alaska Homemakers Home-Health Service, Juneau; Home-health aide

Education

2002-03 Ft. Lewis College, Durango, CO; majoring in art, minor in languages
1988-1989 Attended Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, N.M.
1985-1986 Apprenticeship w/Jennie Thlunaut, Chilkat weaving
1974 Graduated, Juneau-Douglas High School, Juneau, AK
1972-1993 Native Arts & Culture classes; teachers included A.P. Johnson, Cy Peck, Sr.
Selina Peratrovich, Delores Churchill, Cheryl Samuel, Jennie Thlunaut
1973-77 Apprenticeship w/Harry K. Bremner Sr., Yakutat Tlingit songs & dance

Exhibits

2006 “HOLD IT!” Contemporary "Containers" Art Show, Pagosa Springs, Colorado

2006 “Raven & Hundred-Pace Viper” Commission on Indigenous Affairs, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

2005 “Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation: Part 2” Museum of Art & Design, NYC

2002-06 “Sealaska Juried Native Art Show”, Sealaska Plaza, Juneau, AK

2002 “Fusing Traditions” Native Americans in Glass, Ft. Marcy Center, San Francisco, CA

2001 “Alaska Native Art Show & Sale”, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage, AK

1999 “Blanket Statements”, Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff, Alberta

2001 thru 2005 Institute of American Indian Art Contemporary Show & Sale

Awards & Fellowships

2002 & 2006 “Best of Show,” Sealaska Juried Native Art Show, Juneau, AK
2003 “Best of Show” & “Peoples’ Choice,” Alaska Native Heritage Center, AK
2001 “Best of Show,” Heard Museum Indian Art Fair & Market, Phoenix, AZ
2000 “Best of Class,” SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market, NM
1996 & 1992 “Best of Show,” Lawrence Indian Art Show, Lawrence, KS
1994 “Best of Show,” SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market, NM

2006 Visiting Artist Fellowship, NMAI, Smithsonian Institute, Wash., D.C.
2002 Vermont Studio Center Fellowship, Johnson, Vermont
2001 Pilchuck School of Glass, full scholarship, Stanwood, Washington

Major Public & Private Collections

“Northern Migration” 30-ft beaded aerial sculpture, Anchorage Senior Center, AK
“Dancing Northern Lights” 26-ft beaded aerial sculpture, Anchorage Elder Housing, AK
“Salmon Run” 24-ft beaded aerial sculpture, Mt. Juneau Tramway, Juneau, AK
“Going to the Potlatch” 15’x4’ carved/painted/beaded wall panel, MV Kennicott, WA/AK
“Shaman With Spirit Guides” 15’x4’ carved/painted/button robe wall mural, Southeast Alaska
Regional Health Consortium, Sitka, AK
“Following Our Ancestors’ Trail” 11’x9’ carved/painted/copper wall mural, Alaska Native Medical Center, Anchorage, AK
“Wrestling With Angels” 7’ x 9’ carved wall mural, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks
“Copper Woman” 5-piece Chilkat/Ravenstail woven ensemble, Anchorage Museum, AK
“Raven” Chilkat robe, private collection, Seattle, WA
“The Diamonds Robe” Northern Geometric woven robe, private collection, Sitka, AK
“Sea Grizzly” Chilkat robe, private collection, Vancouver, B.C.
“Thomas Schulz Bear II” Buttonblanket robe, Private Collection, Vancouver, BC
“Thunderbird Sun II” Buttonblanket robe, Highsmith, Inc., Ft. Adkinson, WI
“Blind Uncle Bear Learns to See” Buttonblanket robe, Boston, Mass
“Having To Look Closely” Buttonblanket robe, private collection, New York, NY
“Athapaskan Fiddler’s Festival” Buttonblanket wall mural, Doyon, Ltd., Fairbanks, AK
“Northwest by Southwest” Buttonblanket wall mural, private collection, Portland, OR
“Emergence II” Buttonblanket healing robe, private collection, Paris, France

Cultural Facilitator

2006-2008, President, Artstream Cultural Resources: non-profit arts organization promoting artist research, performances, seminars, art gatherings

Chilkat & Ravenstail Weaving Instructor: since 1989, teaching annual Chilkat weaving workshops throughout the Northwest Coast; Chilkat/Ravenstail weaving apprenticeships in my home; the Chilkat Weavers’ Gatherings, once or twice a year, in Southeast Alaska, Yukon Territory, British Columbia and Colorado

Dance Regalia Documentary Project: Co-Director/Producer/Photographer with Donna Foulke and a production team: photo and video documentary of Northwest Coast dancers in regalia during the biennial Native event “Celebration” in Juneau, Alaska; providing a documentary to the general public and future generations the importance of the stories, history and culture in each individual’s and/or clan’s Native dance regalia

Northwest Coast Native Artists’ Symposium & Performance Night: In 2006, an inaugural biennial event held the day and night before Celebration 2006 in Juneau, Alaska, bringing together Northwest Coast Native artists and scholars from the visual and performance art genres to become acquainted with one another and their work, share ideas, presentations, issues; create a network for artists to expand their connections professionally and personally, inspire and support present and future generations of artists, thereby strengthening the Northwest Coast Native Art community. Artstream, in collaboration with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian will host the 2nd Biennial Northwest Coast Artists' Gathering, June 3 & 4, 2008.

"Jennie Weaves An Apprentice — A Chilkat Weaver’s Handbook" by Clarissa Hudson: This handbook provides Chilkat weavers of all experience levels pertinent information gained from Clarissa’s apprenticeship in 1986 with the last traditional Chilkat weaver, Jennie Thlunaut, combined with Clarissa’s experiences as a weaver and teacher of this traditional art form. With color photos and drawings, some of the information includes: Jennie’s astounding fingering technique (for speed, accuracy, & tension), her philosophies, traditions, values and tricks-of-the-trade, Clarissa’s story of her apprenticeship with Jennie, preparation of materials & supplies, natural & commercial dyeing, weft color samples, and more; and, keeping with tradition, some of the information is shared with a touch of storytelling.

Demonstrations/Presentations

2005 Univ. of Washington,“Fusing Traditions” Artists Panel, Seattle, WA
2005 Univ. of Alaska. Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, Teach Math thru weaving, Juneau,
2004 “Folklife Festival” & Grand Opening Festivities of NMAI, Smithsonian, Wash., D.C.
2003 “Art Walk” Fundraiser for Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM
2002 “Tapestry” Show, Native & Western Science Convention, Dine’ College, Tsaile, AZ
2000, ’99, ’93, ’91 U.S. Forest Service, Juneau, Alaska
1996 “Made in America” Exhibit, Nelson Atkins Museum, St. Louis, MO.
1993 “Artist on Board”, Alaska Marine Highway, Juneau, AK

Publications & Films as a featured artist

Jan/Feb 2002 Native Peoples Magazine “Woman of the Cloth” by Suzette Brewer
featured artist profile
Nov/Dec 2001 Native Peoples Magazine “Cross-Cultural Fusion” glass & wood
totempole Pilchuck Glass School, 30-yr commemorative project
Sep 2001 Southwest Art “Clarissa Hudson” by Dottie Indyke
contemporary Northwest Coast painter
2001 “Trail of Painted Ponies” photo documentation of over 100 life-size ponies painted by various artists; book edited by Rod Barker
2001 “1999-2001 Biennial Report” University of Washington, Dept. of Environmental Health; cover artist
2001 “Gwishalaaty—The Spirit Wraps Around You” documentary film featuring 6 Chilkat Weavers of the NW Coast by Barb Cranmer, Nimpkish Wind Productions, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
2000 “Traditional Native American Artists & Activities” children’s book complied & edited by Arlette Braman, published by John Wiley & Sons; featuring textile artists
1999 “Art Textbook for Highschool Students” complied & edited by Nancy Bedau published by Davis Publications, Inc., Worcester, Mass; artist in textiles
1998 “Keeping the Spirit Alive” documentary film of 5 leading Northwest Coast Native Artists, Mimbres Productions, Los Angeles, CA

Narrative

Clarissa was born in 1956 in Juneau, Alaska, a few years before Alaska became the 49th state.  Her mother, Irene, is Tlingit Indian from the village of Hoonah, Alaska; her father, William, is Filipino American originally from the Phillipines. with Japanese, Chinese, German Jew and Finnish blood.  She was introduced to Alaskan Native art while in high school, when she produced her first carved and painted cedar box.  During the next year, she met master Tlingit dancer and regalia-maker Harry K. Bremner, Sr., who invited her to join his touring dance troupe, the Mt. St. Elias Dancers from Yakutat, Alaska.  During this same time, she met her future husband, Bill Hudson. 

In 1977, after the birth of their first child, she began making custom clothing and hats for family and friends.  Hudson and she started decorating their house and furniture with Northwest Coast Indian art, teaching themselves the intricacies of formline design along the way.  A few years later, she became interested in landscaping, and soon found herself the owner of Kahtahah Landscape Gardeners, a company which developed and maintained a lush, naturalized garden for Sealaska Corporation, one of Juneau's largest companies. (Note: In 1984, the garden received the City & Borough of Juneau's 1st Beautification Award and a year later was destroyed by the City's underground telephone street improvements and since, has never been the same.)

Since 1980, she has focused on artwork inspired by her Alaska Native heritage.  Her husband, Bill was a silk-screen printmaker, famous for his Alaska Folk Festival posters and other art events throughout Juneau. They collaborated together on various limited edition prints for various local Native organizations including Sealaska Corporation, Tlingit and Haida Central Council, the ANB/ANS, SEARHC and Sealaska Heritage Foundation. After apprenticing to master Chilkat weaver Jennie Thlunaut in 1986, she began teaching Chilkat weaving to local Native women.

In 1988-89, to enhance her self-taught talents in clothing and costume design, she studied clothing design and metalsmithing at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, NM. Between 1983 to 2005, she designed and created 50 traditional Alaskan ceremonial robes, including Chilkat, Ravenstail and Button Blanket robes as well as numerous traditionally-inspired carvings, paintings, small weavings, and collages. Many of her pieces have won awards at various shows around the country.

Between 1989-1993, she worked with the Naa Kahidi Native Theater, as costume & set designer, tour manager, stage manager, actress and singer/musician, touring the U.S., Canada, and Europe. 

Bill and she have collaborated on several large public art installations throughout Alaska.  In 2001, after 25 years of collaborating on a number of concerts and children's theater productions in Alaska and Colorado, they created a non-profit organization Artstream Cultural Resources. They continue running their on-going art marketing business, Hudson Hudson Ltd.

Her work is presently represented by Inuit Gallery in Vancouver, BC.

Contact the artist

Clarissa Hudson
970-903-8386