Althea Meer worked as an intern with the Office of Public Affairs at the museum in New York during the summer of 2017. In the fall she began her junior year at New York University, where she's studying English, Spanish, and web programming.
In May 2018, when the museum in New York opens its new imagiNATIONS Activity Center (iAC), one highlight will be a traditional Yup’ik kayak frame—15 feet of historically correct white spruce driftwood—made at the Qayanek Qayak Preservation Center in Kwigillingok, Alaska. The New York iAC will offer young museum-goers hands-on experiences that make vivid the origins and outcomes of Native innovation, including the genius of kayak-building.
From our museum in New York: Native designers, artists, and entrepreneurs who are making their mark on fashion take a day off to work with young people hoping to become a part of that world. Some pointers? Communicate, collaborate, and support each other. Expect creative fields to be an ongoing struggle—keep working! And remember, perfection is not the goal.