Graham Dane

Graham Dane was born just west of London, studying art and art history at Brookes University (Oxford), St. Martins School of Art and Birkbeck College (both in London). He paints as near full-time as possibe, is an Adjunct Professor of Foundation Studies at UAA, an arts radio broadcaster and a buddng author. He is married to the artist Linda Infante Lyons, who he describes as "my business and creative partner and the love of my life."

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Melissa Shaginoff

Melissa Shaginoff is Ahtna and Paiute from Nay'dini'aa Na Kayax (Chickaloon Village, AK). Her work is shaped by the framework and intricacies of Indigenous ceremonies and social structures. Melissa utilizes visiting in her art practice, searching for deeper understanding through moments of exchange and reciprocity. Melissa has completed residencies in New Mexico, Sweden, Italy, Canada, and Alaska. She has curated and juried art exhibitions with the Anchorage Museum, Alaska Pacific University, the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Coe Center, the Fairbanks Art Association, and the International Folk Art Museum. Melissa is also curating and operating the Kuzuundze’ ts’eghaanden Gallery. An Indigenous-centered space that supports Elders, youth, and emerging artists interested in developing their exhibition readiness. Melissa has been published in the Alaska Humanities FORUM Magazine, First American Art Magazine, Inuit Art Quarterly, and the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center’s Learning Lab. She is a founding member of Luk’ae Tse’ Taas (fish head soup) Comics, a new media collective focused on BIPOC representation in printed narratives. Melissa reclaims power for Indigenous peoples through movements of Land Back on her traditional homelands. She is actively part of returning land to Indigenous ownership, creating educational tools, and facilitating projects aimed at settler-self education and acts of reparations.

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Christine Sundly

Christine has an absolute love of color and patterns as shown in experimenting both digitally and though mixed media. Earning her BFA in conceptual sculpture in 2007 from UW-Stout offered her strong bones in pushing her limits and asking the big “why” questions when creating.

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Mercedes Kashatok (Chix̂tax̂ Designs)

The Nave is thrilled to welcome artist and designer Mercedes Kashatok (Unangax̂ and Yupik) of Chix̂tax̂ Designs as the Nave’s newest studio artist in October 2023. Mercedes uses traditional methods and carefully sourced materials to create beautiful, contemporary Alaska Native art, jewelry, and fashion designs.

Born and raised on Dena’ina lands in Anchorage, Mercedes learned to bead and sew at the age of 12 from elders and mentors at the Urban Unangax̂ Culture Camp in Anchorage. The experience sparked a strong sense of cultural pride and a creative journey that continues to evolve, more than a decade later! In 2020, Mercedes launched their small business (now called Chix̂tax̂ Designs) as a space for art and community. Beaded earrings and jewelry sewn with dried seal gut and furs, and Unangax̂ regalia and qaspeqs, are just a few examples of Mercedes’ work.

Mercedes sees themselves as part of a “modern renaissance” of young Unangax̂ artists. After learning so much from their own community, Mercedes hopes to find opportunities to teach: “Sharing knowledge is so vital for the survival of this culture.” We can’t wait to see more of Chix̂tax̂ Designs out in the world, and on the runway.

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Emily Longbrake

Emily Longbrake is a born-and-raised Alaskan freelance artist from Anchorage. She finds joy in both analog and digital processes, and she enjoys combining craft and technology in a variety of media. Her work reflects the patterns, lines of connection, and constant change found in nature, and she’s especially inspired by the beauty of the mountains and plants near her home. Making art is her favorite form of meditation, whether she’s drawing on a tablet, using a laser cutter, sewing a book together, collecting ideas outdoors, or creating a colorful mess in her home studio.

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Julia Murakami - Coming Soon!