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ANAF is dedicated to supporting Alaska Native artists by addressing identified gaps, such as the absence of a directory for sustainable economic opportunities in Alaska’s most remote regions. ANAF brings Alaska Native art to the global marketplace by increasing awareness of the cultural expressions of Alaska’s Indigenous peoples and stimulating demand for Native works of art.
The services and opportunities ANAF provides to its diverse artist population cannot be underestimated. Many artists registered with ANAF reside in some of Alaska’s most remote and economically challenged communities. The tenacity and self-determination of these individuals, who express and share their personal and cultural information through tangible works of art, are twofold.
Indigenous art often embodies culturally specific knowledge (methodologies and doctrines about worldview). The creation and understanding of this art inform the public of this knowledge and helps to distinguish one culture (or artist) from the next. Within Alaska’s communities, Native art is frequently used to inspire healing, for diplomatic and ceremonial purposes, as well as show respect and honor the elements of one’s natural surroundings including other people. Contemporary Alaska Native art is essential for the survival of the Alaska Native worldviews.
In many of Alaska’s communities, the production and sale of Alaska Native art are the primary income sources for an artist and their family. Direct and fair procurement helps to improve economic conditions for families throughout the state.
With increased demand for art, more production buy the existing Alaska Native artists will inspire youth to consider ‘art’ as an option for a livable income and reduce the reasons for out-migration.
Trina Landlord is the Artist Outreach Director and a board member for ANAF. She is also the Director of Business Development at Northwest Strategies, an Alaska Native- woman-owned full-service branding and marketing firm. She has worked in the development sector for Alaska Native advocacy and tribal health non-profits. Her work on Alaska Native issues earned her a position as a representative for the Indigenous Fellowship Programme at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. She assisted in coordinating the Arctic Imperative Summit, a network for international dialogue in the circumpolar Arctic. Trina worked at a cultural embassy in New York that elevated Alaska’s profile. She was selected as the first Alaskan to participate in the Global Women in Management in Washington, DC, which convened 28 women from 21 countries to cultivate leadership development. Trina serves on the board of the Alaska Native Arts Foundation and USS Ted Stevens Commissioning Committee. She was honored to be named to Alaska’s Top Forty Under 40. Trina is of Yup’ik heritage, originally from Mountain Village, and resides in Anchorage.