Artists, authors converge at museum: crafts weekend spotlights Alaska-made creations.

• Author: Pounds, Nancy
• Position: Alaska This Month

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Imagine Sydney Laurence standing beside his famous, massive McKinley painting at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center to explain his methods and inspiration. During Thanksgiving weekend at the museum, today's masters--artists and authors--will answer questions about their creations of jewelry, pottery, woodwork and books.

This year's Crafts Weekend will feature 50 Alaska artists and more than 25 authors and illustrators. Booths fill the museum's atrium, lobby and gallery areas, which are decorated for the holiday season. Live music resounds throughout the high-ceiling corridors.

The 22nd annual Crafts Weekend at the Anchorage Museum runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 26-27; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28.

"The museum loves hosting an event where the community can come out and meet Alaska artists and authors and learn where they get their ideas and about their techniques and materials," said Sarah Henning, public relations coordinator for the museum. "A handmade object means that much more after you've met the creator and learned how much work went into it."

Artists scheduled to participate this year include Guitta Corey, Sonya Kelliher-Combs and Lisa McCormick.

"This is the only juried holiday crafts show in Anchorage," Henning said. "That means all the vendors are hand-picked by museum staff. That way, Crafts Weekend visitors are guaranteed to find the best quality, most unique, handcrafted work made in Alaska. Crafts Weekend has always been a 'buy-local' event."

Crafts Weekend started in 1989 with six artists in the museum lobby, Henning said. Artists were added throughout the years as the event's popularity grew, requiring expansion to other parts of the museum. Since 1994, the ReadAlaska Book Fair has been conducted alongside Crafts Weekend. The Book Fair features Alaska publishers, authors and illustrators signing...