SHI lecture to explore equity though personal narrative
Visual artist to examine creative expression, representation in contemporary Native art
May 19, 2025
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor a presentation tomorrow as part of its spring lecture series featuring prominent voices in Native knowledge, art, culture and language.
Da-ka-xeen Mehner, a visual artist known for his exploration of identity and power through personal narrative, will present his talk, “A Life of Creative Adventure.”
Mehner will reflect on how lived experience, community and cultural heritage have shaped his creative path. His work challenges dominant structures and assumptions through a deeply personal lens—showing how storytelling can foster understanding, visibility and connection.
Born in Fairbanks to a Tlingit/Nisga’a mother and an American father, Mehner’s work stems from his own multicultural background and upbringing in Alaska. His interdisciplinary practice spans photography, video, sculpture and installation and often addresses questions of representation, equity and belonging.
The lecture is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 20, in Shuká Hít within the Walter Soboleff Building, 105 Heritage Way, in Juneau. The event will be livestreamed and posted on SHI’s YouTube channel.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a tribal organization founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee, a Southeast Regional Language Committee and a newly formed Education Committee.
CONTACT: Kathy Dye, SHI Communications and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com.