Article Archives

Sitka Is…

Where Artistic Energy Converges

You do not have to look for art in Sitka. It finds you. Often when you are heading somewhere else.

On a summer day in Sitka, inside a darkened theater, a voice begins, and within seconds the audience is pulled into a tale that stretches across centuries.
A volcanic mountain looms. Ships appear on the horizon. A culture shifts. Then, without warning, the story stands up and starts moving.

Island Artists Gallery

All For One and One For All

In the heart of downtown Sitka, Island Artists Gallery is one of the community’s longest-running creative collaborations. As a cooperative, it is shaped by trust, a shared purpose, and the belief that Sitka’s artists should have a place to shine.

Sitka Jazz Week

Connecting Musicians Across Generations

Each August, Sitka Jazz Week brings together world-class musicians and local players for a week of performance and collaboration. Now in its fourth year, the event was started by Christian Fabian as a “prayer of thanks to jazz.”

Rach Roach

An Artist Profile

Rach Roach has quickly become a driving force in Sitka’s theater community, building a reputation as both a skilled technician and an emerging director. They arrived in 2023 to work at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, seeking adventure and artistic growth. It proved to be a perfect fit. They’re now a steady and influential presence behind the scenes and on stage.

Sitka Is…

A Perennial Garden of Artistic Expression

In Sitka, “bloom where you’re planted” takes on a life of its own. While some may view the long, dark winter as a time to hibernate, Sitkans know better. Winter is when creative energy begins to stir. Beneath the rain and overcast skies, the community becomes a fertile ground for imagination, collaboration, and artistic risk-taking.

Belly Meat

200 Years of Making Music

At the center of Sitka’s vibrant music scene, three men carry a sound as local as the tide and as timeless as a good story. Belly Meat, the trio of Ted Howard, Ernie Eggleston, and Gary Gouker, has been playing together for about 15 years. They blend blues, rock and roll, and folk with Southeast Alaska humor to make a uniquely homegrown sound.

Christian Litten

An Artist Profile

When Christian Litten walks into a room, the temperature changes. The laughter loosens. Nerves settle. Ideas multiply. Again and again, those who know him use the same words: generous, passionate, fearless, kind.

The Art of the Unexpected

Zeke & Cassidy Present Two Nights of Improv

“Just so you know – this is insane, what I’m about to tell you,” warns Cassidy Russell, long-time improv and sketch comedy teacher at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, recounting an absurd and memorable performance at camp this summer.

Art in Your Backyard

The Watchman Kootéeyaas – Part II

In the summer 2025 issue of the Sitka Arts Guide, we introduced the story of two remarkable totem poles taking shape right here in Sitka – The Watchman Kootéeyaas. Featured under the “Art in Your Backyard” banner, these poles were actually born in our neighbors’ backyard.