Ronald Senungetuk

Ronald Senungetuk ( ; 1933 – January 21, 2020) (last name pronounced Sinuŋituk in Iñupiaq) was an Iñupiaq artist originally from Wales, Alaska, who worked primarily in wood and metal.

Background and education He is a citizen of the Native Village of Wales, a federally recognized Alaska Native tribe. Senungetuk was a sculptor and silversmith and was known for his abstractions of animal figures. He attended the Bureau of Indian Affairs school in Sitka, Alaska before training at the School for American Craftsmen at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and received his B.A. in 1960. Senungetuk received a Fulbright Fellowship to study at Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole in Oslo, Norway.

He and his wife, Turid, an accomplished silversmith, lived in Homer.

Education career Senungetuk taught at the University of Alaska Fairbanks beginning in 1961. He founded their metalsmithing program and served as director of its Native Art Center. During his teaching career, he emphasized modern styles of jewelry-making, avant-garde concepts, and respect for Native traditional imagery.

Art career alt=Man bending over a wooden, painted sculpture with a tool in his hand. Senungetuk working on a Tingmeaqpuk (a giant bird) for the Denali Visitor Center exhibit. The art piece is a component of a large border surrounding the topographic model at the visitor center. The piece represents the Western/Beringia portion of Alaska. Senungetuk preferred not to be identified solely as a Native artist and said: "A lot of people will call you an Eskimo artist. I'd rather be an artist who happened to be Inupiat."

His work was exhibited at the Anchorage Museum, the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Native Medical Center in Anchorage, and the Pratt Museum in Homer.

Awards and recognition 1979: State of Alaska Governor's Award for the Arts 2008: Denali National Park Artist-in-Residence 2008: Rasmuson Foundation Distinguished Artist Award