Monday, May 20, 2013

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Made in Alaska: Dos Manos
Spenard gallery featureswork by over 100 local artists
By Lacie Grosvold


ANCHORAGE - "Dos Manos" is Spanish for "two hands," but in Spenard, it also means "local art."
The small store on Northern Lights Boulevard started with two artists about six years ago. Now it's grown to over 100 mostly Alaskan artists.

To Jade Rickard, this is a fun place. She has a quick smile and an infectious laugh. She volunteers at Dos Manos. "There are really a lot of different people doing a lot of different things; there's something to look at in every corner. Our space is a spiral staircase which is really cool. People get lost up there, it takes 'em a while."

And she's right. The store is four small stories, every nook and cranny decorated with colorful art pieces, clothing, jewelry and accessories.

Rickard said, "We just have kind of an eclectic gathering of a different people. we don't just showcase one artist in one area, we kind of spread it around."

Marne Lastufka designs screen prints, hoodies and the "tough girl toolbelt," all under the brand Alaska Love. Lastufka didn't start out dreaming of being a fashion designer. She says it started out as an experiment and Dos Manos was a good place to test out the market. Now it's now a full time job. "It was just an idea that got into my head and I couldn't get it out -- it expanded from there into its own living kind of being." she said.

Not just professionals get a chance to show off thier skills. This can be a place for hobbyists to share what they've got. Sara Murr makes quirky earrings with bright beads. "I hang out next door at the bead shop and buy beads, then I go home and make earrings with a glass of wine." She said she used to spend more time at the store when her son, Zeke was younger. Now she just brings in the ocasional handicrafts.

Both artists said that one of the most rewarding parts of the process is seeing people out wearing their clothes or jewlery. It's proof not just the artists love what they make, and it doesn't have to hang on a wall to be considered art.