Wayne Price poses for a photo in front of a dugout canoe that he built himself. (Photo by Henry Leasia)
The Rasmuson Foundation recognized Haines master carver Wayne Price as its 2020 Distinguished Artist on Monday. Each year the foundation presents the $40,000 award to an Alaskan who has made outstanding contributions to arts and culture in the state over the course of their life. KHNS’ Henry Leasia spoke with Price about his career and what this latest award means to him.
Price grew up in Haines and has been carving wood and making art since he was a teenager.
He got his start learning traditional Northwest Coast Art from Leo Jacobs, Ed Kasko and John Hagen. Now he owns and lives in the house where Alaska Indian Arts used to be.
“We’re having this conversation where I learned how to carve actually,” Price says. “These walls were full of a lot of artwork. I made my appearance sweeping up chips and emptying the trash cans.”
Price says he remembers working on his formline design skills for six months before he was allowed to start carving.
“It was really tough,” Price laughs. “Watching all the carving.”
He soon got hooked on the process of taking a chunk of wood and turning it into a fine piece of artwork.
Over the course of his career, Price has carved 38 totem poles and 12 dugout canoes among numerous other projects.
For Price, art isn’t just about making something that’s nice to look at. There is a healing power to it. He tackles issues like substance abuse, domestic violence and historical trauma through his carving. He also promotes healthy lifestyle choices with the North Tide Canoe Kwaan, a group that teaches carving and makes ocean voyages in traditional dugout canoes.
“Staying in touch with the art of the Northwest Coast keeps your days very full. We stay very busy. We do a lot of outreach and it touches a lot of people’s lives. We can make a difference out there,” Price says.
Recently, Price has been teaching Northwest Coast Art at the University of Alaska Southeast. He says the students have been very devoted to their work and were preparing for a First Friday exhibition in Juneau when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“It was going very well. We’ll see what this new chapter’s going to bring. I don’t quite have all the answers, but I do know that our culture and our art has survived much worse, and we’ll get through this too.”
The Rasmuson Foundation has organized a virtual celebration for Price using the application Zoom. The event takes place on Wednesday April 29 and will begin at 11 a.m.
Link for the Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/99033046161
Or telephone: 669.900.6833 (West Coast); 646.558.8656 (East Coast); 877.853.5257 (Toll Free)
If prompted, here is the webinar ID: 990 3304 6161
International phone numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/ad0WhwPH6D
