Juneau tourists misled: Art `made in Alaska' often isn't

JUNEAU - Half of Juneau's downtown tourist shops use cheap, foreign knockoffs to mislead customers seeking Alaska-made Native art, an investigation by the Juneau Empire showed.

"Made in Indonesia" stickers are removed or covered, sometimes replaced with "Made in Alaska" stickers. Non-Native artists are presented as Native, and imported products are passed off as locally made, reporters discovered in repeated visits to 26 shops this summer.

"The misrepresentation is rampant," said Kathy Ellis, co-owner of The Raven's Journey Gallery in downtown Juneau. "The stores in this town are packed with made-in-Bali art. It's hurting local artists, I think, big time."

Juneau artist and art collector Michael Hunter worries that misrepresenting art could destroy the community's credibility among travelers, who spend more than $60 million a year in Juneau on souvenirs and tours.

The deceptions also hurt Alaska artists, many from cash-strapped villages.

"That has had some real impacts on individual artists who make a living selling their own artwork," said Rose Atuk Fosdick, a member of the new Bering Strait Inuit Cooperative.

"There are very few jobs available in small communities, and people have relied on their abilities to make arts and crafts," said Fosdick, of Nome.

Earlier this month, shop owner Norma Carandang pitched her wares at the Billiken Gift Shop. She pointed out soapstone carvings signed by Chupak, a Native Alaskan artist. She showed off a carved antler made by Bob Merry, a local artist. She pointed out bowls made by a Native carver from Anchorage named Larry.

In reality, Chupak is Chivly Chup, a Cambodian immigrant. Bob Merry lives in Anchorage. Larry is Larry Lynd, an Anchorage wholesale art dealer who is not Native and does not carve bowls.

Lynd wasn't surprised that a retailer had misrepresented his work. The Anchorage wholesaler operates a factory in Indonesia that produces Alaska-style art. He sells Alaska-made and Native-made crafts as well, and said all his merchandise made overseas is marked.

"It's stamped when we sell it," Lynd said.

At Frontier Gifts, a reporter saw two masks made by Lynd's Indonesian factory bearing "Made in Alaska" stickers. Hours later, the tags had been removed. Shop owner Naya Lazaro admitted the masks were made overseas but denied they were ever tagged "Made in Alaska." When pressed, she admitted to painting over "Made in Indonesia" tags on some of the totems she sells.

In virtually every Juneau shop selling imported art and souvenirs, reporters saw dozens of items that were made overseas but displayed with the tags removed or covered.

At Timberwolf, Erlinda's Gift Shop, Treasures of Alaska and the Alaska Gift Cache, price stickers were placed directly over the "Made in China" tag, or the label had been removed.

Retailers and wholesalers are clever in their ability to imply artists are Native without lying, or that products are Alaska-made when they are not, said Steven Rouse, who administered the state's Made in Alaska program from 1994 until last January.

Rouse visited Juneau at least twice a year to make sure retailers were not abusing the Made in Alaska symbol of a mother bear and cub. When confronted, many shopkeepers claimed ignorance or misunderstanding, he said.

Shopkeepers often hedge about the identity of Chupak, one of Juneau's most prolific Native-style artists.

Carol Carlson, owner of Goldmine Gifts, said there is no excuse for not knowing Chup is from Cambodia. She said he includes a biography with each art piece that clearly states his history.

"If they want to make a sale, they will say he's Native. We've lost a lot of sales because we tell them he's from Cambodia, even if they love the piece." Carlson said. "People will lie to make the sale."

"It's packaging and marketing," said Rouse. "Is it ethical? No. Is it filling a needed market niche because there is a lack of authentic carved products? Yes."

Hunter, the Juneau artist and collector, said he hopes merchants in his city will police themselves to protect the town's reputation.

"People may not pay attention here, but they sure do back in New England," Hunter said. "And they're planning their vacations."