Unleashed: Paintings & Poems Exploring the Dog Culture of Juneau and Douglas

Featuring: Artist Elise Tomlinson & Poet Emily Wall

Exhibition Dates: November 7^th – 29^th, 2025

Opening Reception: First Friday | November 7^th 4:30– 7:00 p.m.

Artist Elise Tomlinson and Poet Emily Wall have collaborated to create original paintings and poems that explore their relationship with their dogs and Juneau/Douglas dog culture. Both Elise and Emily live in Douglas and have recently adopted rescue dogs. Unleashed explores how dogs create a sense of joy and safety for women who walk them, and how they connect dog owners to the rich and diverse community of local dog people with a special focus on Sandy Beach and historic Treadwell trails.

Elise and Emily invite the communities of Douglas and Juneau to join the visual and written conversation about how we live with dogs.  Please bring a small piece of work to contribute to a collage that will be created and displayed as part of this month-long show.  Any work of art (drawing, painting, weaving, photo, etc.) that can be pinned up, and any small piece of writing (poem, short memoir, flash fiction) is welcome. Please keep your work to a half page or smaller and sign your work.  Small cards and pencils will be available at the opening reception on November 7^th for those who would like to create something while viewing the show.

Elise Tomlinson is an artist and librarian. She holds a BFA and two master’s degrees (M.L.I.S and M.P.A) and currently serves as Library Dean at the University of Alaska Southeast. She has exhibited across Alaska, including solo shows at the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council Gallery, the Juneau Douglas City Museum, and at the Kimura Gallery and the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage. Her work has appeared on book covers and in numerous publications. She has sold paintings and prints to collectors around the country and overseas. Elise lives and works on Douglas Island with her rescue dog Freddie, and can be found online at: https://www.elisetomlinson.com/

Emily Wall is a poet and Professor of English at the University of Alaska. She holds an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Arizona. Her poems have been published in journals across the US including in Alaska Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, and Prairie Schooner.  She has six books of poetry, including her most recent books Breaking Into Air and Fig.   She has won two Rasmuson Individual Artist awards, two Juneau Arts & Humanities Council Artist Grants, and an Alaska Literary Award.  Emily lives on Douglas Island with her rescue dog Nani, and she can be found online at www.emily-wall.com.