The Governor's Arts and Humanities Awards is an annual partnership between the Alaska Humanities Forum, the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation, the Anchorage Museum, and the Office of the Governor to recognize and honor noteworthy contributions to the arts and humanities in Alaska. Award recipients are selected by the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Alaska Humanities Forum. The Office of the Governor is a presenting partner and host; it does not participate in selection.
Each year, ASCA and AHF select awardees, based on nominations submitted by the public. The partners present the awards.
2025 Awardees
Arts Awards
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Dr. Loralie (Lorrie) Gax̱.áan.sán Heagy | Individual Artist
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Yuxgitisiy George Demientieff Holly | Margaret Nick Cooke Award for Alaska Native Arts and Languages
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Trend Alaska Fashion Show | Arts Business Leadership
Humanities Awards
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MoHagani Magnetek | Community
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Jim Aqpayuk LaBelle | Education
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Melissa Shaginoff | Rising Humanities
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Dr. Shirley Holloway | Lifetime Service to the Humanities
Dr. Loralie (Lorrie) Gax̱.áan.sán Heagy (Indivudal Artist) is an esteemed music educator known for her innovative approaches in music education, cultural revitalization, and social change. Based at Sítʼ Eetí Shaanáx̱ Glacier Valley Elementary School in Juneau, Alaska, Dr. Heagy has profoundly impacted the field, both nationally and internationally. Her educational achievements include three master's degrees, a doctorate in Learning, Instruction & Innovation, a graduate certificate in Indigenous language revitalization, and numerous specialized certifications. Dr. Heagy's passion for education began early, marked by extensive experience teaching diverse student populations and mentoring future educators. In 2009, Dr. Heagy became an inaugural Sistema Fellow at the New England Conservatory, studying music as a catalyst for social transformation. Following this, she founded Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM), a groundbreaking program providing string instrument education to students from kindergarten through second grade, complemented by an afterschool program for older students. JAMM integrates culturally responsive education and Indigenous language revitalization, earning accolades such as the Lewis Prize for Music. Dr. Heagy’s excellence in teaching has been recognized through numerous prestigious awards, including Alaska Teacher of the Year, the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award, and the Kennedy Center Creative Ticket Award. Her contributions extend internationally through research funded by a Fulbright Distinguished Teaching Scholarship in the United Kingdom, emphasizing music pedagogies supporting identity, agency, creativity, and well-being. Committed to cultural and linguistic revitalization, Dr. Heagy has significantly advanced the integration of the Lingít language into music education, fostering a deeper cultural understanding and community cohesion. Her pioneering work embodies her belief in the transformative power of music education, positively influencing generations of students and educators alike.
Yuxgitisiy, G̱unanaa G̱ooch, George Demientieff Holly (Margaret Nick Cooke Award for Alaska Native Arts and Languages) is a self-described “songster,” composer, culture bearer, musician, educator, and storyteller dedicated to the revitalization of Alaska Native languages and cultures. Born into Alaska’s Deg Xitʼan Athabascan community and adopted into the Tlingit Kaagwaantaan clan, Holly is renowned for his ability to connect people to each other and to their ancestral lands through song, storytelling, and teaching.
For over three decades, Holly has woven traditional stories and cultural teachings into contemporary experiences. A speaker of Deg Xinag with a grounding in Lingít and Dena’ina, he composes songs rich in imagery of rivers, ravens, and other culturally significant elements. Holly has played a central role in the Lingít language revitalization initiative Ḵúx̱de Yaa Nas.áx̱ at Sítʼ Eetí Shaanáx̱ Glacier Valley Elementary School in Juneau. Through collaboration with Elders, cultural bearers, and scholars, his approach transforms the educational experience into profound cultural and linguistic enrichment.
Holly’s contributions extend beyond the classroom, including creating original music for cultural education projects and mentoring educators and students statewide. Through his relentless dedication, Holly continues to bridge generations, empowering Alaska Native communities with renewed linguistic and cultural vitality.
The Trend Alaska Fashion Show (Arts Business Leadership) is a vibrant, volunteer-led event renowned for blending high fashion, community empowerment, and philanthropy to uplift Alaska's creative and nonprofit sectors. Initiated in 2019 by a visionary group of friends, Trend quickly evolved from an inspired idea into a significant annual event showcasing a diverse array of designers, including emerging local talents and internationally recognized names featured in Vogue. Driven by the dedicated "Trendettes," primarily tourism industry executives, Trend Alaska has raised over $800,000 since its inception, benefiting multiple Alaska-based nonprofits. Each year, 100% of the proceeds beyond event production costs are directed to selected nonprofit partners, effectively combining glamour with generosity. Notably, Trend's initiatives have supported organizations such as Volunteers of America Alaska, Let Every Woman Know – Alaska, and Victims for Justice. Trend has also notably influenced legislation, contributing to the passage of HB66 in 2024, enhancing the rights of violent crime victims in Alaska, an achievement honored with a legislative citation. Trend Alaska exemplifies Alaskan innovation, inclusivity, and community spirit, utilizing fashion as a platform for social advocacy and cultural celebration. Its lasting impact is evident in both the funds raised and the strengthened community ties fostered through its extensive volunteer efforts, creative excellence, and unwavering commitment to local causes.
MoHagani Magnetek (Community) (pronounced: mahogany magnetic) is a PhD student in Anthropology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In addition to her studies, she works in philanthropy at the Pride Foundation and serves as the CEO of Edutainment Nite Publishing. She holds several degrees, including a B.A. in Anthropology (2009), a Graduate Certificate in Forensic Death Investigation (2011), a B.A. in English (2016), and an MFA in Creative Writing and Literary Arts (2020).
Magnetek is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran from a military family. She graduated from Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School in 1994 and has called Alaska home since 2012. She is an advocate for mental wellness and human rights, promoting initiatives such as the $100 Cash
Prize Poetry Slam and the Annual Pride Block Party.
In 2023, she was honored with the Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Fellowship Award. Her published works include "The Mad Fantastic, 2098" (2020), "That One Magnetek Time I Jumped Over Five Cars" (2022), and "MoHagani vs. King Salmon" (2025). Currently, she is focusing on her family and getting her life together. Frying fish is her favorite pastime.
Jim Aqpayuk LaBelle, Sr. (Education) was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska. He is Iñupiaq and his family originated in Kotzebue, Alaska. He is a tribal member of the Native Village of Port Graham and a shareholder in the Chugach Alaska Corporation. He has been married for 50 years to his wife Susan T. LaBelle. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren. James is a boarding school survivor from 1955 to 1965. He is a Vietnam Era/US Navy veteran. James attended Alaska Methodist University from 1970 to 1973 receiving his bachelor’s degree and attended UAF and received his master’s degree in Rural Development in 2006. He retired as Term Instructor from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2011 in the Alaska Native Studies Department lecturing on Historical Trauma with an emphasis on boarding schools.
James has served on many different boards and commissions over the years, including Chugach Alaska Corporation, Alaska Federation of Natives, Bridge Builders, Boarding School National Native American Healing Coalition, and Alaska Native Veterans Council.
Melissa Shaginoff (Rising Humanities) is an Ahtna and Paiute citizen of the Chickaloon Village Traditional Council and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, and a member of the Udzisyu (caribou) clan. An interdisciplinary artist and museum specialist living on Dena’ina lands in Dghayitnu (Anchorage), her practice centers on conversation for understanding, gifting for survival, and creating access points to cultural knowledge. She has completed residencies in Alaska, Canada, Sweden, and New Mexico, and has curated for the International Folk Art Museum, the Coe Center, and the Anchorage Museum. Melissa operates Kuzuundze’ ts’eghaanden, “the place where we make/destroy pretty things,” an Indigenous-centered studio-gallery that supports Elders, youth, and emerging artists. Her writing appears in Material Intelligence, Alaska Humanities FORUM, First American Art, and Inuit Art Quarterly. She is also a founding member of Łuk’ae Tse’ Taas (Fish Head Soup) Comics and leads Dena’ina teh/theh eł Ahtna k’ae “This is a Dena’ina and Ahtna place,” a project promoting language visibility and cultural reclamation in Dghayitnu.
Dr. Shirley Holloway (Lifetime Service to the Humanities) has been a leader in Alaska education for over fifty years. Her career spans roles as a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, speech pathologist, principal, superintendent, college professor, college president, and Commissioner of Education and Early Development for the State of Alaska. She has served on the Alaska State Board of Education, as Regent of Charter College, president of the Sheldon Jackson College Board of Trustees, and as a board member for the Blood Bank of Alaska, Special Olympics, and the CIRI Foundation. Shirley has been honored by three Alaska legislatures, and has been named to the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame.
Nationally, Shirley is currently serving as President Emerita of both the NAMI National Board and the NAMI Alaska Board. Through her consulting firm, Leadership for Excellence, she advises on strengthening relationships, processes, and policies for governing boards and executive leaders.
Honored by the people of Utqiaġvik with the Inupiat name Quvian—meaning “person of joy”—Shirley is recognized not only for her expertise but also for her spirit of service and commitment to building strong, resilient communities.
Past Awardees
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