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      2022 Statewide Postcard Contest Winners!

      2022 Statewide Postcard Contest Winners!

      Kindred Post is so happy to be a part of this year’s statewide postcard competition! Each year we relish in the beauty, creativity, and amazing community we have here in Alaska. It is always a joy to promote artists in such a personal way that shares their many perspectives. 

      Here is our announcement about the artists and why the postcard contest was born.

      _________________________________________________________________________

      July 15 

      Today Kindred Post announced the ten winners of their statewide postcard art contest, all Alaskan artists. Each winning artist will receive $100 and their work will be printed on 1000 postcards to be featured at Kindred Post. 

      The contest winners were chosen from nearly 300 submissions from across the state — representing the largest pool of submissions since the biennial contest began in 2017. Selections are made by a panel of judges composed by community members. This year's judges included Lily Ayau, Angela Cox, Tripp Crouse, Brita Fagerstrom, Jill Kaasteen, Maka Monture, and Mercedes Muñoz.

      The art depicted in the submissions represented a diversity of mediums as well as identities. "What I love about this contest is it shows us the many ways Alaskans experience Alaska through their work," says Kindred Post owner Christy NaMee Eriksen. "Not only do we receive different types of art, but we receive different types of worldviews. Why people take photos of what they do, paint what they do, examine what they do - it's all influenced by their experience as women, as queer, as indigenous, as Asian Americam, etc. Of course they all have this in common: they love Alaska."

      Tens of thousands of postcards are sent from Kindred Post, a post office and gift shop, each year. "I love that we get to help showcase a more inclusive picture of this place as people are visiting and writing home," Eriksen says. 

      2022 Statewide Postcard Art Contest winners:

      "Fungi Family" by Cammie May, who has lived on Prince of Wales Island for the majority of her life and is primarily inspired by the beautiful nature surrounding her in Southeast Alaska

      "Pumphouse" by Crystal Jackson, an Iñupiaq painter, illustrator, and graphic designer from Anchorage and a recent transplant to Juneau

      "Pride" by Chloey Cavanaugh, an LGBTQ+ indigenous artist and a child of the Was’ineidi Tax’Hit, Eagle Wolf clan in Kake

      "Night Lights" by Christine Carpenter, an artist and designer who lives in Juneau and creates art primarily for herself as emotional therapy, but hopes you love it, too

      "Girl Group" by Madelyn Boman, a 17 year old artist from Juneau

      "Southeast Mushrooms" by Rebecca Hsieh, an Asian-American artist, aerialist, and educator

      "Vibing Seal" by Emily Pastore, a self-taught artist living in Juneau who is constantly inspired by the nature and beauty of Southeast Alaska and is honored to be a visitor on Lingit Aani land

      "Soft Lights No. 1" by Veronica Bunnies, who combines slow stitching and fun fabrics to create quilted art for modern tastes

      "Chilkat Protector Masks" by Lily Wooshkindein Da.áat Hope, a Tlingit ceremonial regalia maker, prolific weaving teacher, entrepreneur, tradition bearer and enthuser for other creatives to thrive as artists, too

      "Power to the People" by Jessica Thornton, a multimedia artist and community organizer living on Ahtna and Dena’ina lands in Palmer

       

      Postcards are available for sale individually and as a set. The collection is available at their storefront at 145 South Franklin in Juneau and online at www.kindredpost.com

      Our New Look

       

       When we first opened, we got right to work curating art, producing events, and hustling mail. Admittedly, we didn't spend a lot of time crafting our visual brand. We made a logo and kept things simple, and tried to be a backdrop for everything else.

      Seven years later, we asked our new friends at Young Jerks to help upgrade our look into something that represented our role as curators, producers, and community builders. It's fun being a small business, where you make everything up - from your business cards to your purchase orders to the values you come home to. Some things change, but some things don't. We have a new logo, but we are still the same open-door, open-armed Kindred Post. 

      We love its warmth, elegance, and playfulness all in one. We love that it mixes classic utility with a bit of handmade charm. And did you know the bird holding the letter is a ptarmigan (the Alaska state bird)?? We love its head nod to both peace doves and to the USPS eagle. We spent months working on this, crafting every little detail. Honestly, stop by and nerd out about it with us anytime. 🤗  We hope you like it!  

      Mask policy update!

      Mask policy update!

      WHEW

      Raise your hand if you feel like the world is changing faster than you are! 

      🙋🏻‍♀️

      So weird. 

      Btw our mask policy has changed.

      In the last few weeks we went from proudly requiring masks in order to visually show a sense of safety to feeling like the vestige of an old stubborn era. We found that unmasked individuals entering the store went from being a small minority to the vast majority (oh hey!), that they were all vaccinated (great!), and that their very first impression of Kindred Post was that they're not welcome (oof).


      I like the phrase "Come as you are." It means you are enough, you are prepared, we accept you, come in - and it is foundational to the way we do business. Friends, we don't want to greet you in the same breath that we ask you to change. Doing this every few minutes was creating a tension we normally wouldn't find at Kindred Post. Finally, we realized ….maybe it's us, maybe we had to change. 


      So. For the time being (high vaccination rates, low case numbers in our community), masks are only required if you are unvaccinated. 

      We continue to operate at about 30% capacity, only allowing 8 individuals (and some families) in the store at once. Additionally, our fully vaccinated staff will be wearing "I'M FULLY VAXXED" pins so that you will still have a visual indicator of safety. We will soon have more of these pins (thank you CBJ!) and we're going to place them at the door - if you are also vaccinated, we encourage you to take one and use it in our store and everywhere.

      Please know that we made this decision with the unvaccinated still in mind. If you are at risk and nervous about being at Kindred Post or anywhere out and about right now, we understand. Which is why we continue to offer two no-contact options for your peace of mind. 

      1) You can shop online and choose free curbside pickup (we bring it right out to your car!) and/or 

      2) you can open up a free neighborhood account service for your mailings, which can also be handled completely at the door. 

      My friend Liz Medicine Crow was in the shop the other day and, per usual, I'm still thinking about something she said. We were talking about the pandemic and our way of life changing and changing again, and she described the way she wanted to lead her own organization. She said, "we were slammed into this, but we're gonna ease our way out."

      Thanks for your patience. For easing out with us, allowing us to ride the wave of cultural shift and make changes to our policy that make the best sense at the time. We're not interested in "going back" so much as being thoughtful about how we move through. We will continue to monitor vaccination rates, case numbers, and our general feeling of safety and well-being. Even this policy is not for forever.

      We look forward to the day when the tides change completely, and we see this change, this moment - however awkward - as part of that overall shift.

      Unrelated but related,

      it feels good to smile at strangers again.

      Job Opening: Media Assistant Manager

      Job Opening: Media Assistant Manager

       

      Join our team! Kindred Post is a post office, gift shop, and gathering space in downtown Juneau, Alaska. We foster connection between art and community in order to cultivate a sense of belonging in our neighborhood and beyond. We’re a creative, quirky workplace rooted in art, community, and social justice. And we care very much about the people who work with us! Our team is fun, friendly, and hard-working - with each person making their unique mark on this big, beautiful world. We can't wait to meet you.

      OPEN POSITION:

      Media Assistant Manager 

      The Media Assistant Manager is a full-time, permanent position and has a leadership role in our digital operations, sales, and marketing. The ideal candidate will be adept in a variety of social media platforms, is comfortable photographing people and products, writing creatively, and will have an eye for good design. They must be highly organized, able to manage multiple priorities, and someone who enjoys the digital landscape. The scope of work can range between basic retail transactions to creating content for social media to developing innovative ideas for community engagement via media. If you had this job, you would have the opportunity to see the inner workings of our small business and be a key player in our growth. Plus, we care about what you are uniquely passionate about and want to find ways for you to explore and/or be mentored in that area, too. The Media Assistant Manager has the opportunity to grow into the Media Manager position. Let's build together!

      Pay starts at $16-19/hour, depending on experience.

      Full position description here.

      TO APPLY

      Please send a COVER LETTER, a RESUME, and ONE HAIKU to hello@kindredpost.com.

      We will begin interviews after Wednesday, July 28th; applications received by then will receive priority consideration. The position will remain open until we find the right fit.

      Please note: If you are interested in this job but unsure if you're qualified, we encourage you to apply anyway! We have been known to create ladder positions to help folks learn the skills and gain the experience necessary to move up within our company. Also, free yourself from imposter syndrome! Talk soon.

      Yes, we're open!

      Your health, our health, and our community's health is of the utmost importance to us! Thanks for your patience as we make changes to our public offerings. 

      Here's what's new: 

      Read more