UPENN DEEP DIG SERIES
Since 2017 I have been collaborating with Native artists across the Arctic from Alaska, Iceland, Scandinavia, Siberia, Northeast China to Hokkaido. They have shared with me their traditional knowledge and ways of interacting with the environment. We have been welcomed by generous and knowledgeable curators at North America, European and Asian museum collections, providing a wealth of environmental, economic, cultural, social and historical information.
In partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s Arctic Studies Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, we present a four-week program exploring the rich cultural heritage and sustainable innovations of Arctic Fashion. Hear from Indigenous artists, scholars, and museum experts as we share how traditional practices connect communities to their environment and inspire contemporary approaches to sustainability.
April 3: Arctic Fashion: Sustainability, Identity, and Healing
Dr. Elisa Palomino PhD and Dr. Stephen Loring share how Indigenous artists from the circumpolar world transformed materials like fur, gut, and fish skin into clothing that embodies beauty, resilience, and cultural heritage. Explore how these traditional practices inspire modern sustainability movements and challenge the environmental impacts of Western fashion.
April 10: Salmon Entanglements: Fish Skin Material Culture
Dr. Elisa Palomino PhD and June Simeonoff Pardue dive into the rich cultural and material connections between wild salmon and Arctic Native societies. Learn how fish skin was used for sustenance, clothing, and spiritual practices, and how Indigenous resilience continues to adapt these traditions amidst environmental and cultural challenges.