This is Tongass Voices, a series from KTOO sharing weekly perspectives from the homelands of the Áak’w Kwáan and beyond.

Svitlana Bell moved to Juneau from Ukraine after a few years of seasonal work to marry her husband and send more money back to her family.

Bell cleans houses during the day, but in the evenings, she spends hours quilting. Her quilts are intricate and full of color, with soft, curved lines. She sells her quilts — which are based on works by Ukrainian artist Lyubov Panchenko — to raise money for supplies for her brother Serhii Matviichuk who’s fighting on the front lines in Ukraine.

Bell will be showing her quilts at Changing Tides this Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. during Gallery Walk.

Listen: https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/TV_LanaFir

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