Two Wrangell creatives have been awarded Arts Ambassadors for the State of Alaska. That’s according to a press release provided by Vivian Faith Prescott. Laura Davies, a public-school teacher, and Vivian Faith Prescott, a local author, are part of a cohort of a dozen Arts Ambassadors, all Alaska-based artists, culture bearers, educators, and community leaders who are actively practicing, teaching, and inspiring others through arts and cultural traditions across rural and urban Alaska. Cohort members serve as ambassadors for creativity in their communities and contribute to a growing network of professionals committed to integrating the arts and culture into public education.
The Ambassadorship is a partnership between the How Are You Creative? Initiate of the Alaska State Council on the Arts. The award supports the Ambassador’s creative, cultural, and community-based work.
Laura Davies, a middle and high school teacher in Wrangell, founded a thriving place-based documentary program for local youth following her 2023 training with See Stories. By engaging in photography, community interviews, and youth-led film production, students strengthen key skills in communication, collaboration, creativity, and confidence. Under her leadership, Wrangell students have produced over 45 films since 2024. She and her students have traveled to festivals in Vancouver and Banff to screen their work, building lasting relationships with professional filmmakers who continue to mentor Davies and inspire her teaching. Davies’ long-term goal is to build a sustainable, regional youth film festival that brings guest filmmakers to Wrangell to lead workshops for the broader community.
Vivian Faith Prescott is a local writer and author of fourteen books and is also a multi-media mosaic artist. She makes mosaic art to help support Wrangell’s Food Pantry. Prescott’s approach to creative, cultural, community, and arts practices is sharing knowledge through mentoring. Working with the guidelines of the grant, she’s looking to re-establishing the Wrangell Arts Council that would be aligned with the How Are You Creative? (HAYC?) goals of bringing people together to support individuals and the community of Wrangell through the arts. “Regarding my small community, one of my main missions is to help revitalize our arts council.” Anyone who wants to assist with re-establishing a Wrangell’s Arts Council may contact Vivian Faith Prescott via Facebook Messenger, email: doctorviv@hotmail.com, or phone (text) 907-738-0083.
