New carving facility nearly complete; WCA prepares for Phase 3 TotemsBy AARON ANGERMAN
August 27, 2014
The Wrangell Cooperative Association's (WCA) new carving facility has zoomed past the 80 percent completion mark. The exterior was completed last fall, before work was halted around the 65 percent mark due to lack of funds. Now, after new funding, the interior is getting buttoned up, with mud and tape being applied to the 4,500 square foot future home of Wrangell carving. Project Manager Todd White expects to have the interior painted before the end of August.
Dancers celebrate the carving facility's progress.
The building will be not only shelter the carvers as they recreate totems for Shakes Island, but totems will be stored out of the elements in the south half of the facility. A classroom sits near the rear exit, where master carvers can discuss Shakes totems prior to adzing, or students can receive hands-on training from some of the great native artists. In the front of the facility, visitors will be met with a gift shop, featuring one of a kind works from local artists. White did acknowledge that some concessions were made to get to that 80 percent completion figure. In order to make the funding dollars stretch, nearly $100,000 in cedar siding and flooring was scrapped. Cedar only graces the front entrance of the building exterior, instead of the entire structure as originally planned. Also, the carvers will work atop carving mats, rather than cedar flooring. White continues to march along, making the dollars stretch.
Totems and Tribal House
"The goal all along was the get the totems re-carved," said Wrangell Cooperative Association's (WCA) Carol Snoddy. "When an inspection revealed the poor condition of the Tribal House, we found it necessary to take care of it immediately. Originally, the priority was a new facility to give us a place to carve. Now the totems are Phase 3." Phase 3 Totems With the yet un-named carving facility in its latter stages of construction, attention has turned to getting the totems back up on Shakes Island. With eight totems needing serious attention from master carvers, the cost of the final phase may prove to be even greater than the Tribal House or carving facility. In an estimate compiled by Master Carver Steve Brown’s Ethnographic Consultation, it was revealed that each totem was due for a complete re-carve. The totems, which would total nearly 250 ft. laid end to end, have deteriorated in the harsh Southeast Alaskan weather past the point of saving them with partial restoration, which may only extend the life of the totems a matter of years, compared to decades from a replication.
Rendering of the completed Carving Facility from Front Street WCA is in the process of securing giant cedar logs for Steve Brown, and possibly other master carvers, to lay adzes to. Sealaska generously donated logs large enough to create corner posts and sill beams for the Tribal House, but with the tallest totem (Sun Totem) standing 53 ft. high, some awesome trees will have to be located. Funding for the carving facility has been provided by the Rasmuson Foundation, Murdock Charitable Trust, Sealaska Corporation, Tlingit & Haida Housing Authority, Paul Allen, State of Alaska and the City of Wrangell. Wrangell Cooperative Association (WCA) is the federally recognized tribe of the Stikine River region. WCA’s charter was approved by the Department of the Interior in 1942. Of the 2,000 residents of Wrangell, approximately 800 are tribal members.
For more information on all three phases of the project,
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