Cannery Art

“Cannery Art” explores the various artistic expressions of cannery workers in Naknek, Alaska during the summer fishing season. Forms of art include music, poetry, architecture, graffiti, and more. The film features interviews from local community members and former cannery workers in Naknek, as well as historian Dr. Katie Ringsmuth.

Lesson Plans

Classroom Guide

Essential Questions

  • What role does art play in the day-to-day of cannery work in Naknek?
  • What is the impact of cannery art on Alaska’s larger story and history?
  • How does art express our cultures and identities?

Standards

  • Common Core College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, 7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
  • Common Core College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing, Research to Build and Present Knowledge, 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
  • Alaska Arts Standards, Anchor Standard #11, Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context.

Resources

Workshop Info

The NN Cannery History Project Workshop was held in Naknek, Alaska in the Fall of 2018. The student filmmakers made their film during a two-week digital storytelling workshop entitled, “Voices of the Past, Digital Storytelling for the future,” which took place at the Bristol Bay High School in Naknek from September 24 through October 6, 2018 and introduced students to research methodology and historic narrative using engaging/interactive digital mediums.

More videos from this workshop:

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Land Acknowledgement

This video was filmed on Yup'ik/Cup'ik Land. Learn more about land acknowledgements at native-land.ca.