Wild Scoops founder and author Lael Morgan launch new cookbooks

Two art happenings are scheduled this week at the Olympic Center (Arctic Boulevard and 36th Avenue). Two that we know about, that is. One's about books and the other involves art. Counterintuitively, perhaps, the book event takes place at the Blue.Hollomon art gallery at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4. "Wild Women in the Kitchen" is timed for Alaska Book Week and features a new book from author Lael Morgan ("Good Time Girls of the Alaska-Yukon Gold Rush," "Eskimo Star: From Tundra to Tinseltown: The Ray Mala Story") titled  "Kitchen Stories Cookbook: Comfort Cookin' Made Fascinating and Easy." The book focuses on regional recipes that use six ingredients or less.

At the same time, Elissa Brown, co-founder of Anchorage's Wild Scoops ice cream company, will introduce her new book, "The Wild Scoops Alaskan Ice Cream Book." It includes recipes for frozen confections that are "adventurous, locally-sourced and wildly delicious." And it's illustrated with cartoons.

Blue.Hollomon shares space with Fromagio's Artisan Cheese -– so perhaps the books release party isn't as counterintuitive as it seems. Fromagio owner Helen Howarth will join Morgan and Brown at the event. She defined the quintessential "wild woman in the kitchen" as a cook who prefers to take chances and explore ingredients rather than follow strict recipes. She'll also share some recipe tips.

At 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7, University of Alaska Anchorage art professor Thomas Chung will open an exhibit of photographic work at Becky Gallery, which recently located in the Olympic Center. The show, "1F14: That's not God" is the result of an Individual Artist Award from the Rasmuson Foundation that helped Chung travel around Alaska and work on the project. He'll share the show with his friend Thomas Betthauser, who supplies detailed and surreal drawings of fantastical scenes. The show will remain on display through October.