Juneau designer Chloe Kavanaugh tells committee her business grew from family art and Spruce Root support

Chloe Kavanaugh, owner of Black and White Ribbon Company, told the House Tribal Affairs Committee on March 5 that she launched her business in 2020 to honor the work of her grandfather, Tlingit carver Archie Kavanaugh, and to create opportunities for Indigenous artists and youth in Southeast Alaska.

Kavanaugh said she digitized carving templates from her grandfather’s materials and turned them into designs and products. "I started my business really honoring him," she said on the record, and described using proceeds to pay community fees and support youth activities in her hometown.

The committee heard examples of Kavanaugh’s design work: the "All Are Welcome Here" piece used in schools and community spaces, a coffee bag design for local roasters, branding for a healing center in Hoonah (KiKs Kwan Healing Center), and other community projects. She said much of her work is commissioned by community requests and aims to balance traditional imagery with contemporary Indigenous expression.

Kavanaugh described taking Spruce Root’s indigenous artists class and credited the organization with contract opportunities and training that helped her business expand. "I've taken the indigenous artists class through Spruce Root," she told the committee, and said the Path/Possible Futures booklet project was her first booklet design.

Committee members asked about education and youth engagement. Kavanaugh and members discussed the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, which she said has faced funding cuts; she and legislators emphasized early community programs and mentorship as pivotal to youth success and pathways into arts and business careers.

Kavanaugh also described practical work teaching design to young people (including an 8‑year‑old who created a logo used in the community), organizing art shows that included artists aged 8 to elders, and producing events such as pop‑ups and a recent indigenous film festival.

Representatives praised the work as a model for how arts, small business training and place‑based investment can create opportunity for youth and Indigenous creators. The committee then moved on to other agenda items and adjourned at 09:32 AM.