Writer, painter, set designer and Tide Watcher: these are just a few of the things Christine Kleinhenz is known for. Her acrylic paintings of ocean life don walls, water bottles and tea towels in homes all across Southeast Alaska, bringing all the undersea goodness of Alaska’s coastlines up to the surface.
Recently however, this seafarer has taken to the waves on a new journey: that of gallery owner.
“Last summer, in August, Kathy VanderJack called me,” said Kleinhenz. “She was the previous owner of the Bear’s Lair, and mentioned that my name had come up twice in two different conversations that morning. She knew it was meant to be, so she was calling to tell me I needed to buy her store.”
Opened in 1996, the Bear’s Lair is a cornerstone of the local art scene here in Juneau. Known for its carefully curated selection of hand-made, rustic Alaskana goods, a transition in ownership after 28 years wasn’t something either VanderJack or Kleinhenz were taking lightly. Following this phone call, a ferry-ride and roadtrip through Canada, the interior and down to the Kenai with her family offered Kleinhenz the needed time for reflection. For her, this would be a transition away from her full-time art career.
“The whole time my family and I were just processing together,” Kleinhenz said. “We would stop at beautiful vistas, and we’d say, ‘What would this mean?’ You know, we wrote lists together as a family, pros and cons.”
After five days, clarity finally came and she called VanderJack to seal the deal.
With the help of Christine Carpenter, Kleinhenz quickly got to work redoing the layout of the space in preparation for a re-opening on the upcoming April 2025 First Friday. Essential to the transition was making sure the heart of the store remained intact.
“The Bear’s Lair is still here,” Kleinhenz shared. “We’ve got our wicker moose and our wicker bears, our mascots. We have all the merchandise that Kathy carried, all the town’s favorites are in here. With the new layout, there’s been more nooks and crannies provided, so I’ve been able to add more local work, more statewide work and then more work that I’ve just found through connecting with people.”
Adorning the ceilings of the space are wooden fish carved by local artist Bo Anderson. After purchasing one piece from Anderson during the pandemic, Kleinhenz quickly reached out again to see if he might be interested in scaling up and selling at the Bear’s Lair. The idea continued to grow until they decided to hang Anderson’s carvings from the ceiling. Walking through the gallery is like a trip into those same tide pools that have inspired Kleinhenz’s work for years.
“Working with Christine has been wonderful,” Anderson said. “She’s super sweet and amazingly supportive for me, someone who is just a new person on the art scene.”
Kleinhenz’s own journey as an artist started years ago with earrings. She then moved to block prints with foam and pen, then to acrylic pours, and finally landed on acrylic painting about seven years ago. For her, the support she received in Juneau made all the difference.
“I had many people in this community that believed in me even when I wasn’t that good,” she said. “They gave me a venue and a chance to sell my things, and I remember that feeling. The reason why I’m here now is because I had people that believed in me and took a chance on me.”
For her, owning the Bear’s Lair is a full circle kind of moment where now she is able to offer a venue of her own to small-scale artists. The shelves are lined with unique pieces by local favorites, along with a diverse selection from creators across the state.
A walk around the store reveals all kinds of treasures. Bear-inspired woven earrings by Bobbie Bush adorn the walls next to whimsical relief prints by local artists CJ Harrell and Grace Kelley. Wire wrapped otolith studs and resin-encased salmon roe earrings by Salmon Seas glow orange next to glass sea animals by Living in Glass Houses.
“My hope is to continue to promote local artists, just in a new way,” she said. “I want to provide a space where people can try new things, and I want to provide a comfortable space for artists where they feel appreciated.”
Rachel Levy is a Juneau-based photojournalist whose work culminates at the intersections of environmental justice, arts and culture, and sustainable tourism. A 2022 graduate of Harvard University's Environmental Policy program, she is also the director of the award-winning documentary "Hidden in Plain Sight" that exposes the labor exploitation and colonial framework burdening Tanzania's safari industry.
