Introducing the Arctic Winter Games 2024 Animal Ambassador

Introducing the Arctic Winter Games 2024 Animal Ambassador

Contributed by Bea Adler

Chickadee-dee-dee! Chickadee-dee-dee! We’ve all heard that cheerful call announcing the presence of the black headed chickadee, a tiny bird that makes its year-round home here in south-central Alaska. They’re feisty, vocal, and live all around us. It is said that when you meet a chickadee while out on the trail, a friend is thinking of you. This tiny bird has been chosen as the Animal Ambassador for the 2024 Arctic Winter Games to be held in the Mat-Su Borough in March.

Looking out my kitchen window, I’m following the antics of a chickadee perched on a bare tree branch while downstairs in my studio an entire banditry (a gathering of chickadees) is taking shape. Maybe a gathering of chickadees is known as a banditry because their black face markings resemble a bandit’s mask. Over the last several months, a small team of volunteer artists has been busily building this banditry of Arctic Winter Games chickadees.

The costumes’ rotund flexible support frames lay nested like so many fish traps. Actually, their construction was inspired by the cage-like supports under women’s gowns of the Civil War era, think Gone With the Wind. The frames are made of plastic strapping recycled from the lumber department trash cans at Lowe’s with the help of their bemused staff.

The hard plastic strapping which originally held bundles of lumber during transport, was cut to form hoops of varying sizes and riveted together. The frame is supported by a web harness worn over the shoulders. The entire assemblage is encased in a white fluffy cover cut from soft blankets. And I do mean fluffy. My studio will be months recovering from the onslaught of airborne fluff. While I fabricated the frames and covers, the rest of the team focused on making the heads, wings, and tails.

The official colors of the Arctic Winter Games are royal blue, fuchsia, and teal. The host society added acid green for the Mat-Su 2024 games. An odd grouping perhaps but visualize the Northern Lights and you’ll immediately see where the inspiration came from. These signature colors are incorporated into the feathers of the wings and tails. But I can hear you saying, “Aren’t our little chickadee friends white with black markings and a bit of grey and tan?” Well, yes, but have you ever seen a five-foot-tall chickadee? So, you see, we were granted a great deal of artistic license.

The process was collaborative from the start. Telsche Overby, Arts & Culture Coordinator for AWG called with the news that I’d been recommended to design and make the costumes for the opening and closing ceremonies of the games. I happily agreed to take it on, knowing who I needed to have on my team. I started by calling Linda Lockhart, a veteran creative theatrical costumer who readily accepted. Linda and I developed the design and brainstormed on construction options. I then asked Colleen Wake, another Valley Arts Alliance Wearable Art regular to join the team. We worked over several months, making a prototype, and finding appropriate materials in sufficient quantities.

A total of 2,290 feathers for the wings and tails were individually cut from varying materials including underlayment for flexible flooring. More than 800 hot glue sticks were used to adhere the feathers to a support structure. The largest feathers are supported by 260 long pipe cleaners. The body frames consist of 280 feet of lumber strapping held together by 390 rivets.

We invite you to cheer on the chickadees as they make their debut on February 17 on the runway at the Wearable Art Fashion Show in the Palmer Depot. Then plan to join our entire Mat-Su community for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Arctic Winter Games on March 10 at the Menard Sports Complex in Wasilla. Go to awg2024.org for details.

Chickadee-dee-dee indeed!