Today Kindred Post announced the ten winners of their statewide postcard art contest. Each of the 10 top finalists picked by judges from all over Alaska will receive $100 and have their work printed on 1000 postcards to be featured at Kindred Post. This year we included a public voting portion between the 10 finalists where 3 winners were picked by the community. The top three finalists receive various cash prizes, KP swag, and more!

The contest winners were chosen from nearly 70 submissions from across the state. Selections are made by a panel of judges composed by community members. This year's judges included Lance (X̱’unei) A. Twitchell, June Pardue, Mariano Gonzales, and Bonilyn Parker. 

The art depicted in the submissions represented a diversity of mediums as well as identities. “This contest is so fun and interesting because it gives us a chance to see how a wide range of people are experiencing Alaska,” says Kindred Post owner Tressa Furner.  “There were many different ages, worldviews and mediums present in these submissions - we were very impressed with the work and are excited for these to be sent all over the world.”

Tens of thousands of postcards are sent from Kindred Post, a post office and gift shop, each year. “I love that we have the opportunity to represent a larger picture of Alaska to our many visitors,” Furner says.

2024 Statewide Postcard Art Contest winners:

"Curiosities of Alaska" by Junnie Chup, an Alaskan artist who loves painting landscapes with different mediums. (1st place winner)

"Choir of Herring" by Christine Kleinhenz, who lives and plays in Juneau, Alaska where she and her family explore the natural surroundings to find inspiration for her art. (2nd place winner) 

"Kindred Post" by Rick Kauzlarich, a multidisciplinary artist who is currently based in his hometown Juneau. He encompasses the realms of painting and more recently, digital art. (3rd place winner)

"I Woke Up Like This #aplineglow" by Xochiyollotl, a mixed media artist from Homer, AK. 

"Bus Stop" by Kathryn Gray, a studying illustrator living in Juneau, Alaska who takes inspiration from their queer identity, passion for sequential arts and her home to explore the world around them.

“Porcupine Dreams" by Juliana Cornett, a self-taught artist who moved to Juenau after acquiring a master's in marine science. 

"Alaska is a Dream" by MK Repetski, an artist who lives on Dena'ina lands and is inspired by the plants on the land and our relationship with them.

"Freerange Alaskan" by Cynthia Lagoudakis, a printmaker, painter, and photographer, sharing my patch oios.com forest by the sea with creatures great and small.

"Alaskan Scenes" by Gizmo Skaggs, a digital art creator that enjoys using their art to help people through life changes. 

"Berries & Contrasts" by Rosie Frankowski, a self-taught artist inspired by the light and natural space of Alaska and beyond. 

Postcards will be available for sale individually and as a set in June at their storefront at 145 South Franklin in Juneau and online at www.thekindredpostshop.com. 

About Kindred Post

Kindred Post is a post office, gift shop, and gathering space rooted in connection. We strive to cultivate a sense of belonging in our neighborhood and beyond. We put art at the center of our work because we believe in the power of artists to tell our stories, bring people together, and lead positive social change. 

To learn more about Kindred Post, visit www.thekindredpostshop.com

Kindred Post is so happy to be a part of this year’s statewide postcard competition! Each year we relish in the beauty, creativity, and amazing community we have here in Alaska. It is always a joy to promote artists in such a personal way that shares their many perspectives. 

Read about the artists and why the postcard contest was born.

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July 15 

Today Kindred Post announced the ten winners of their statewide postcard art contest, all Alaskan artists. Each winning artist will receive $100 and their work will be printed on 1000 postcards to be featured at Kindred Post. 

The contest winners were chosen from nearly 300 submissions from across the state — representing the largest pool of submissions since the biennial contest began in 2017. Selections are made by a panel of judges composed by community members. This year's judges included Lily Ayau, Angela Cox, Tripp Crouse, Brita Fagerstrom, Jill Kaasteen, Maka Monture, and Mercedes Muñoz.

The art depicted in the submissions represented a diversity of mediums as well as identities. "What I love about this contest is it shows us the many ways Alaskans experience Alaska through their work," says Kindred Post owner Christy NaMee Eriksen. "Not only do we receive different types of art, but we receive different types of worldviews. Why people take photos of what they do, paint what they do, examine what they do - it's all influenced by their experience as women, as queer, as indigenous, as Asian Americam, etc. Of course they all have this in common: they love Alaska."

Tens of thousands of postcards are sent from Kindred Post, a post office and gift shop, each year. "I love that we get to help showcase a more inclusive picture of this place as people are visiting and writing home," Eriksen says. 

2022 Statewide Postcard Art Contest winners:

"Fungi Family" by Cammie May, who has lived on Prince of Wales Island for the majority of her life and is primarily inspired by the beautiful nature surrounding her in Southeast Alaska

"Pumphouse" by Crystal Jackson, an Iñupiaq painter, illustrator, and graphic designer from Anchorage and a recent transplant to Juneau

"Pride" by Chloey Cavanaugh, an LGBTQ+ indigenous artist and a child of the Was’ineidi Tax’Hit, Eagle Wolf clan in Kake

"Night Lights" by Christine Carpenter, an artist and designer who lives in Juneau and creates art primarily for herself as emotional therapy, but hopes you love it, too

"Girl Group" by Madelyn Boman, a 17 year old artist from Juneau

"Southeast Mushrooms" by Rebecca Hsieh, an Asian-American artist, aerialist, and educator

"Vibing Seal" by Emily Pastore, a self-taught artist living in Juneau who is constantly inspired by the nature and beauty of Southeast Alaska and is honored to be a visitor on Lingit Aani land

"Soft Lights No. 1" by Veronica Bunnies, who combines slow stitching and fun fabrics to create quilted art for modern tastes

"Chilkat Protector Masks" by Lily Wooshkindein Da.áat Hope, a Tlingit ceremonial regalia maker, prolific weaving teacher, entrepreneur, tradition bearer and enthuser for other creatives to thrive as artists, too

"Power to the People" by Jessica Thornton, a multimedia artist and community organizer living on Ahtna and Dena’ina lands in Palmer

Postcards are available for sale individually and as a set. The collection is available at their storefront at 145 South Franklin in Juneau and online at www.thekindredpostshop.com. 

WHEW

Raise your hand if you feel like the world is changing faster than you are! 

🙋🏻‍♀️

So weird. 

Btw our mask policy has changed.

In the last few weeks we went from proudly requiring masks in order to visually show a sense of safety to feeling like the vestige of an old stubborn era. We found that unmasked individuals entering the store went from being a small minority to the vast majority (oh hey!), that they were all vaccinated (great!), and that their very first impression of Kindred Post was that they're not welcome (oof).

I like the phrase "Come as you are." It means you are enough, you are prepared, we accept you, come in - and it is foundational to the way we do business. Friends, we don't want to greet you in the same breath that we ask you to change. Doing this every few minutes was creating a tension we normally wouldn't find at Kindred Post. Finally, we realized ….maybe it's us, maybe we had to change. 

So. For the time being (high vaccination rates, low case numbers in our community), masks are only required if you are unvaccinated. 

We continue to operate at about 30% capacity, only allowing 8 individuals (and some families) in the store at once. Additionally, our fully vaccinated staff will be wearing "I'M FULLY VAXXED" pins so that you will still have a visual indicator of safety. We will soon have more of these pins (thank you CBJ!) and we're going to place them at the door - if you are also vaccinated, we encourage you to take one and use it in our store and everywhere.

Please know that we made this decision with the unvaccinated still in mind. If you are at risk and nervous about being at Kindred Post or anywhere out and about right now, we understand. Which is why we continue to offer two no-contact options for your peace of mind. 

1) You can shop online and choose free curbside pickup (we bring it right out to your car!) and/or 

2) you can open up a free neighborhood account service for your mailings, which can also be handled completely at the door. 

My friend Liz Medicine Crow was in the shop the other day and, per usual, I'm still thinking about something she said. We were talking about the pandemic and our way of life changing and changing again, and she described the way she wanted to lead her own organization. She said, "we were slammed into this, but we're gonna ease our way out."

Thanks for your patience. For easing out with us, allowing us to ride the wave of cultural shift and make changes to our policy that make the best sense at the time. We're not interested in "going back" so much as being thoughtful about how we move through. We will continue to monitor vaccination rates, case numbers, and our general feeling of safety and well-being. Even this policy is not for forever.

We look forward to the day when the tides change completely, and we see this change, this moment - however awkward - as part of that overall shift.

Unrelated but related,

it feels good to smile at strangers again.

Join our team! Kindred Post is a post office, gift shop, and gathering space in downtown Juneau, Alaska. We foster connection between art and community in order to cultivate a sense of belonging in our neighborhood and beyond. We’re a creative, quirky workplace rooted in art, community, and social justice. And we care very much about the people who work with us! Our team is fun, friendly, and hard-working - with each person making their unique mark on this big, beautiful world. We can't wait to meet you.

OPEN POSITION:

Media Assistant Manager 

The Media Assistant Manager is a full-time, permanent position and has a leadership role in our digital operations, sales, and marketing. The ideal candidate will be adept in a variety of social media platforms, is comfortable photographing people and products, writing creatively, and will have an eye for good design. They must be highly organized, able to manage multiple priorities, and someone who enjoys the digital landscape. The scope of work can range between basic retail transactions to creating content for social media to developing innovative ideas for community engagement via media. If you had this job, you would have the opportunity to see the inner workings of our small business and be a key player in our growth. Plus, we care about what you are uniquely passionate about and want to find ways for you to explore and/or be mentored in that area, too. The Media Assistant Manager has the opportunity to grow into the Media Manager position. Let's build together!

Pay starts at $16-19/hour, depending on experience.

Full position description here.

TO APPLY: 

Please send a COVER LETTER, a RESUME, and ONE HAIKU to [email protected].

We will begin interviews after Wednesday, July 28th; applications received by then will receive priority consideration. The position will remain open until we find the right fit.

Please note: If you are interested in this job but unsure if you're qualified, we encourage you to apply anyway! We have been known to create ladder positions to help folks learn the skills and gain the experience necessary to move up within our company. Also, free yourself from imposter syndrome! Talk soon.