Denali Education Center hosts a collection of public events throughout the summer that promote the arts and sciences- featuring artists, naturalists, musicians, workshops, lectures, films and educational programs. These events are meant to inspire personal discovery, creativity, and intellectual inquiry.
Many of our public events are free and highlight the incredible talent, diversity, and depth of knowledge in our small gateway community. All programs are held in the Charles Sheldon Center, a post and beam building constructed and maintained with countless hours of volunteer effort.
Check out our Community Calendar for current event details and information. To stay up-to-date on all our offerings, subscribe to our Community Update and receive information on local events.
Are you interested in hosting an event in the Charles Sheldon Center?
Call us at 907-683-2597 for more information or write to info@denali.org.
2017 Upcoming Public Events
Denali National Park: Denali 100th Birthday Celebration
Saturday, June 17, 6pm
Happy Birthday, Denali National Park!
Denali Farmers & Artisans Market
Dates TBD
The Artisans and Farmers Market is a perfect venue for locals and visitors alike to buy gifts for friends and family and to stock up on home-made goodies. DEC markets often feature local artists, jewelers, potters, knitters, crafters, glass artists, quilters, and farmers. We want YOU to have the chance to sell your goods at our Denali Farmers & Artisans Market- hosted in our Charles Sheldon Center.
Registration information is available by emailing events@denali.org.
Volunteer Day
Saturday, June 17, 10am
Thank you all! DEC would not be able to continue to grow and develop as a non-profit without the continued support from our local community. We want to thank each and every person that was able to participate in our annual Volunteer Day!
One way our community continues to show its support of our organization is through DEC’s annual Volunteer Day. Whether you can only spend one hour or the whole day, come help us out with a variety of campus improvement projects.
As a thank you for your hard work, volunteers are invited to join us for a barbecue when the work is done!
2016 Events
Presentations, Readings, and Talks
Thank you! to the incredible line-up of scientists, historians, writers, activists, and more who stopped by the Charles Sheldon Center this summer to share their stories and research with our community. Topics this year ranged from dinosaurs to birds, sounds heard in the park to music inspired by the park, and the influence of Denali’s first visitors to modern environmentalists!
Performances and Concerts
Sounds of folk, Americana, and alt-country filled the Charles Sheldon Center with performances during this summer season. No matter what your age, music has the potential to bring people together. We were so happy to be able to host community concerts that featured Emma Hill and Bryan Daste, J Wagner, Caroline Cotter, Michael Howard, Pretty Gritty, and Small Souls during our 2016 summer season. We don’t know how we will be able to top sounds like this in 2017, but you can be sure we are going to try!
Art Shows and Film Screenings
The walls of the Charles Sheldon Center never looked better that they did this summer season. Throughout the summer months, the Center was adorned with work from artists that draw inspiration from all across Alaska. This year we were able to host work from Anchorage-based artists Matthew Bower and Melanie Lombard, textile artist Ree Nancarrow, as well as the photography, paintings, quilts, and other mixed media artwork from our very talented local Denali community. Also shown were the documentaries
This summer found DEC hosting film screenings in the Charles Sheldon Center. Two films were shown- This Changes Everything and The Super Salmon.
Our 2016 Films
This Changes
Everything–
Filmed over 211 shoot days in nine countries and five continents over four years, This Changes Everything is an epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change.
Directed by Avi Lewis, and inspired by Naomi Klein’s international non-fiction bestseller This Changes Everything, the film presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana’s Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond.
The Super Salmon–
Proponents of a plan to construct a $5.2-billion mega-dam on Alaska’s Susitna
River says it wouldn’t affect the watershed’s famous salmon runs because the site would be 184 miles upstream from where fish usually swim. Tell that to Super Salmon, one particularly determined king salmon that swam more than 300 miles, dodging hungry seals from Cook Inlet to the Susitna’s icy headwaters.
The Super Salmon highlights the tale of one fish to illustrate the importance of the river to the area’s wildlife, tourism, economy, and lifestyle. Told by passionate and animated Talkeetna fisherman and activist Mike Wood, the story examines the potential consequences of constructing an enormous and outdated technology to meet Alaska’s need for renewable energy.
Both of these films work to raise awareness for important environmental and conservation issues in Alaska and around the world.
