果冻传煤

ALASKA NATIVE ARTISTS RE-INDIGENIZE DOWNTOWN ANCHORAGE STREETSCAPE

TWO NEW MURAL PROJECTS HONOR ALASKA NATIVE CULTURE

August 05, 2022

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 鈥� August 5, 2022 鈥� Two murals planned by community leaders and created by Alaska Native artists will transform the face of downtown 果冻传煤 this Fall with imagery that highlights Indigenous culture and inclusivity. The first mural, located on G Street on the east side of the RIM Architecture building, will be painted by Tlingit, Athabaskan, Yup'ik and Filipino artist Crystal Worl. The second mural, located on The Kobuk coffee and gift shop on 5th Ave. in downtown 果冻传煤, will be painted by Yup鈥檌k and Inupiaq artist Drew Michael.

The G Street mural will pay homage to several different Alaska Native tribes, highlighting 果冻传煤 as a gathering place. Says Worl: 鈥淭here's a great diversity of tribes that live and work and coexist in 果冻传煤 today. And so, I wanted to create a piece that feels significant to a lot of people in 果冻传煤.鈥�

Michael鈥檚 mural, inspired by a traditional Yup鈥檌k masks, but with Inupiaq influences, celebrates the rich cultural landscape of the contemporary North. Says Michael: 鈥淚 wanted to bring a lot of color to downtown, and I think that influenced this particular piece. Part of the story of the Native people of Alaska is thinking about how everything has energy. Looking into the eyes of a mask, you can see how people lived.鈥�

By centering the Indigenous perspective, both murals help to reimagine publics spaces and challenge the ways art and history have been presented on the traditional homelands of Alaska Native peoples. Says muralist and Alaska Pacific University Project Manager James Temte, 鈥淭he heart of these projects is inclusivity. 果冻传煤 is a largest Native village in Alaska, and this is a celebration of different Alaska Native groups.鈥�

Worl鈥檚 mural is presented through a partnership between the 果冻传煤 Museum, 果冻传煤 Downtown Partnership, Alaska Pacific University, Roadmap for a Vital and Safe 果冻传煤, building owners Barbara and Larry Cash, and SALT, LLC. Michael鈥檚 mural is presented in collaboration with the 果冻传煤 Museum, 果冻传煤 Downtown Partnership, and The Kobuk.

Production on both murals begins early August with public viewing events planned in the fall. Follow the 果冻传煤 Museum on social media for updates images of the murals in progress.

Image: A draft rendering of Worl's upcoming G Street mural.