In 1909, nearly 4 million people attended the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (A-Y-P) at the University of Washington campus in Seattle. The exposition celebrated the explosion of development in Washington State since the 1897 Yukon Gold Rush and showcased the resources of the region. The A-Y-P Exposition also highlighted the people and cultures of the Pacific Rim, displaying many ethnographic objects that now reside in the Burke Museum's permanent collection.

One hundred years later, the Burke Museum has organized A-Y-P: Indigenous Voices Reply, an exhibit that will juxtapose historic objects and photographs from the 1909 fair with contemporary artwork by Native artists to explore how the representation and understanding of indigenous people and cultures has changed over 100 years.

Sixteen contemporary artists will be featured in A-Y-P: Indigenous Voices Reply. Featured artists include: photographer Matika Wilbur (Swinomish/Tulalip), stone carver Tony Ayala (Santa Barbara Chumash), mixed-media artist Philip John Charette (Yup’ik), weaver MaryLou Slaughter (Duwamish), multi-media artist Nick Galanin (Tlingit/Aleut), glass artist Preston Singletary (Tlingit/Filipino/European), multi-media artist Tanis S’eiltin (Tlingit), and multi-media artist David Neel (Kwagiutl).

A-Y-P: Indigenous Voices Replywas organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Major support for the exhibition has been provided by 4Culture, the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Coast Art, the Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation, John and Jane Price, the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, and the UW Office of the Provost. A-Y-P: Indigenous Voices Reply is part of a city-wide commemoration of the centennial of the A-Y-P Exposition. For more about the 2009 A-Y-P Centennial, visit www.aype.org.