It’s Time For Movie Monday!

Movie Monday: Artfest: Sparks of Creativity

It’s time for Movie Monday!

What happens when young artists from across Southeast Alaska come together to create, collaborate, and celebrate art? Artfest: Sparks of Creativity captures the energy and inspiration of the 2025 Southeast Alaska Art Festival in Wrangell, through the eyes of youth filmmakers Avery, Jordan, and Nikki from Yakutat.

Featuring an interview with Artfest founder Kirk Garbisch, the film highlights the magic of collaboration and the importance of connection in Alaska’s vibrant youth arts community. From glass mosaics and beading to found-object painting, the workshops brought students together not to compete, but to grow and learn alongside one another — reminding us that art thrives through community.

“Art is not a competitive thing… it’s a cooperative thing.”

🎬 Artfest: Sparks of Creativity was produced during the 2025 Yakutat Middle School “100 Years From Now” youth film workshop, made possible with funding from the National Park Service, the Alaska Mental Health Trust, and the Alaska State Council on the Arts.

🎥 Watch Artfest: Sparks of Creativity here or click the still below:

 

Discussion Questions

  1. What do you think makes collaboration in art so powerful, especially for young creators?
  2. How might events like Artfest strengthen connections between different Alaska communities?
  3. The film mentions that “art is not competitive—it’s cooperative.” What does that idea mean to you?

Check out our growing library of lesson plans on our Teacher Tools online community! Register today to access for educators who want to bring cultural storytelling into the classroom! If you’re an educator interested in integrating storytelling and cultural preservation into your classroom, check out Teacher Tools—our online community where educators can access free lesson plans, digital storytelling resources, and more.

Find our new TeacherTools online community here: See Stories Teacher Tools Community

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