SouthWest Alaska Arts Group

SWAAG is a vibrant nonprofit working to support, promote, and preserve the arts in the Yukon Kuskokwim region. SWAAG has a long history of presenting performing arts, concerts, and the beloved Cama’i Dance Festival, supporting regional artists/culture bearers, providing arts educational opportunities for all ages, and promoting intergenerational knowledge transfer with Indigenous arts
classes. The largest event that SWAAG sponsors each year is the Cama’i Dance Festival, which has a long history of celebrating Yup’ik culture through dance, song, arts/crafts sales and gathering together as a region.The beloved event has been a staple for the region for over 35 years, and has an attendance of more
than 4,000 people over the festival weekend. SWAAG hosts such a fun art camp each summer for kids which is a great way to introduce kids to art
concepts, dumpster mural painting, working with clay, Indigenous arts, and a fun time to express creativity. Each year, rain, shine, or snow, the kids head outside to paint beautiful murals on the side of the dumpsters throughout town.
The SWAAG Gift Shop should be on your list to swing by and visit while in Bethel. The gift shop, located in the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center, has been a safe and secure place for regional artists to sell their artwork. SWAAG’s newest artist award program, The Best in the West,is an annual competition that provides
training and financial reward to selected artist entrepreneurs ready to move their business ideas forward in the Y-K region. By supporting and promoting the arts, SWAAG works alongside other community partners and individuals to ensure traditional arts and contemporary expressions thrive for future generations.