Earlier this month, AmeriCorps announced most of its staff had been placed on administrative leave as part of the Trump administration and DOGE’s push to cut government spending. At the time, Denali Arts Council Executive Director Michelle Crow was told it would be business as usual this year. That was until this past Tuesday, when she got the call that most AmeriCorps funds had been revoked across Alaska.
AmeriCorps provides funding and people power for various community efforts across the nation, including things like disaster response, education, and more. Last summer, funding from AmeriCorps allowed Crow to hire staff who hosted a number of events and programs aimed at engaging the community. These included things like hands-on art projects, classes on operating stage technology, and a youth music jam night.
According to Crow, working with AmeriCorps allowed her to open the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar seven days a week throughout the summer.
“There was so many people in here, including locals, using the bathrooms, looking at the art, getting out of the rain,” she said, “It just felt very vibrant, and I think a lot of us consider the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar as a community building.”
Without that funding from AmeriCorps, Crow said this summer will be different. She said the expenses of keeping the doors open every day of the week are just outside the Denali Arts Council’s reach.
She added she plans to still host some of the same programming as last year, but isn’t exactly sure what that will look like.
“We’re not shuttering our doors. It’s not to that extreme at this point,” she said, “Everything’s gonna have to shift[…] I just don’t know what it’s gonna look like, but it’s gonna look different.”
Crow said the Denali Arts Council will continue working hard to keep the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar open and host quality programming for the community.
