dis/comfort in the North brings global artists together at UAF

Story by Amber McCain, photos by Lizzy Hahn

More than 50 artists from 16 countries invite audiences to explore the boundaries between comfort and unease in “dis/comfort in the North,” a new exhibition curated by University of Alaska Fairbanks master’s student Katie Ione Craney. 

The show, presented through UAF’s Arctic and Northern Studies program, is on display in the Fine Arts Complex’s University Art Gallery through Oct. 30, when a closing reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m.

The exhibition features video, photography, carving, embroidery, an interactive card game, a protest speech, and two-dimensional works printed on photo transparencies that reveal personal encounters and cultural connections with northern landscapes.

Craney was recently recognized as the College of Liberal Arts’ 2024–2025 Outstanding Graduate Student in Arctic and Northern Studies. She said that the project grew from a desire to create dialogue across boundaries of geography, discipline and experience.

“It can be simultaneously easy and difficult to hide inside our own comfort zones,” Craney said. “Finding and creating connections across disciplines, languages, and cultures is exactly why I decided to curate an exhibition rather than write a thesis.”

Working within the constraints of a student-led project, Craney faced challenges common to emerging curators, limited funding, logistical hurdles, and creative problem-solving.

“As a student, I am not able to apply for state-run or non-profit-based grants for working artists or curators,” she said. “One of the biggest challenges was not having a budget to support the exhibition or give featured artists honoraria for their contributions.” 

Instead, Craney turned resourcefulness into part of the exhibit’s story.

Craney said she often had to balance her creative ambitions with financial realities, adapting her plans to fit within budget constraints.  For instance, she chose to print many submissions on photo transparencies using her own printer and experience. And, ideally, she would have had beanbag chairs and carpets for a more comfortable viewing experience. 

“As a curator, I had to regularly pivot from what I ideally wanted to do versus what I could actually afford to do,” she said. “There are certain elements of the exhibition experience I would have liked to have incorporated that would have enhanced dis/comfort within the gallery,” Craney said. 

Originally from Southeast Alaska, Craney moved to Fairbanks from Haines last year to complete her degree in Arctic and Northern Studies, a program she first entered more than a decade ago.

“Southeast Alaska has been home longer than anywhere else,” she said. “Everything about being back has felt right, especially with a strong base of artist-friends who welcomed my return.”

That spirit of collaboration extended to the installation itself. Craney expressed a deep gratitude towards Klara Maish, whose volunteer time, adding up to over twenty hours, made the installation of dis/comfort possible.

Craney will give a short talk during the Oct. 30 closing reception, and, fittingly for the Halloween season, she promises candy for guests.