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Blogs:  Around the Mall

Blog: Around the Mall

May 8, 2008 - All In A Word

A New Poster Exhibition Opens at the Portrait Gallery

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5th Annual Photo Contest

5th Annual Photo Contest

Review and discuss the 50 finalists now at Smithsonian.com

Review and Discuss>>

hp_In the News

Smithsonian Bound
Thursday May 1, 2008, By Eric Morrison, Juneau Empire
The copper sun embedded in the mouth of the raven carved into the canoe's prow glistened Wednesday as the paddles from nine men rhythmically sliced through the water of Twin Lakes.

Observing from the dock on the lake's edge, lead artist Doug Chilton noted that many of the men testing the unnamed 26-foot canoe bound for the Smithsonian Museum had never paddled before. "You naturally fall into that unity," he said as he watched them swiftly glide across the lake in the red-and-black-painted canoe.

Chilton, a Tlingit of the Raven moiety from the Deisheetaan Clan, and other Alaska Native artists spent nearly 10 months carving and finishing the canoe at the Sealaska Plaza downtown.

"We had quite a few people come in and work on it, but I have no idea how many man hours it took," Chilton said. Sealaska Corp. donated the red cedar tree used for the canoe, which is bound for Washington, D.C., sometime this month. The canoe will be part of the permanent display in Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The hall exhibition is scheduled to open in September.

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