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By Gretchen Wehmhoff

A few weeks before the Skagway July 4 celebration, Skagway Visitors Department (SVD) Director, Jaime Bricker received an unexpected phone call that landed a large scenic display of Dyea Flats and iris blooms in the Toronto airport for a year.

Randy, Austin and Spencer VanDerStarren, father and sons of the art phenomenon Take Your Seat, were in Whitehorse working an event at the end of June. They wanted to include Skagway, their first Alaska location, in their gallery.

If you saw a few men carrying a red director’s chair through the streets, you probably saw them.

Randy and Spencer see sharing their mission of creating meaningful photographs of locations with a single, red director’s chair quietly resting in the photo, inviting viewers to “Take a Seat” and experience, imagine and reflect on the surroundings. One People, One Planet, One Life.

“I fell in love with their “ONE” mission and knew I had to find a way to make this happen,” said Bricker.

It wasn’t simple. The VanDerStarrens had to file for state and municipal business licenses, apply for a film permit and submit proof of liability insurance. Bricker scrambled to get approval from City Hall for the contract – all as Bricker and her department were preparing for July 4.

Finding housing and transportation over the holiday was challenging, but Skagway businesses came through.

Kaitlyn Jared and her team at Chilkoot Trail Outpost outfitted a cabin to fit all three of them.

“Their kitchen staff learned how to accommodate vegan guests on the fly. Working closely with Temsco, we were able to secure a helicopter and an incredibly accommodating pilot, Kelly Healy, for the shoot at Upper Dewey. White Pass & Yukon Route took them to Denver Glacier so they could walk in the Tongass National Forest. Valerie Jensen graciously let them shoot the 4th of July parade from her Skagway Zen LLC massage studio window,” said Bricker.

The July 4 parade photo shows the red chair empty, surrounded by parade enthusiasts in front of AB Hall. Have a seat and enjoy the parade.

With the local assistance, the VanDerStarrens reached deep into the heart of Skagway.

Pictures on their website https://www.takeyourseat.art/skagway show the chair resting in the rain forest near the trail to Denver Glacier, amongst the irises in Dyea, on Yakutania Point and above Upper Dewey Lake among others.

The VanDerStarrens included the iris photo in their art exhibit. The photo was printed on 4’x6’ silk and placed over illumination in the T1 Terminal of the Toronto airport. The photo features a QR code that leads to skagway.com

Because the photo is placed as part of an art installation, it is not restricted by most marketing requirements. For instance, the photo also features the Lingít word “Deiyáa,” a rarity since English and French are usually both required on signage.

For the same reason, there were no Skagway marketing dollars spent for this placement. But the value is palpable.

An independent assessment was done to determine what ad space like this would be worth. They estimated the cost to be approximately $11,000 per week. The exhibit will be displayed for 12 months. It is estimated to be seen by three million travelers over that time.

The SVD also selected a few of their photos to use in marketing ads, social media and brochures. They chose a shot from the “Take Your Seat” collection for the cover of the 2025 Skagway Visitor Guide.

Recently a friend of Bricker’s was traveling through the Toronto airport and saw the display.

She texted a photo a few days later.

“Nice to know it’s already catching people’s eye,” said Bricker.

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