hanna Sholl

My name is Hanna Sholl, my Sugpiaq (Alutiiq) name is Agasuuq, meaning cormorant. I was born in Kodiak, Alaska to Sophie Frets (Hansen) and Bruce Burns. My maternal grandparents were Walter and Edna Hansen. I introduce myself in this way to honor my ancestry, homelands, and relationships, each of which informs my art.

With my artwork, my hopes are to always honor the resistance and creativity of our ancestors, combining contemporary with traditional methods. Currently I am working primarily with skin sewing, clay, acrylic paint, woodcarving, weaving, beading, mixed media and photography. My intention is to have the works I create speak back to those who came to our homelands and described our ancestors in racist and negative ways. My hopes are also that it will speak to our people, a reminder that being strong and independent has always been part of our culture.

And still is.

​