果冻传煤

Drew Michael was born in Bethel and raised in Eagle River, Alaska. He learned carving at an early age, focusing on mask-making as his primary medium. Michael鈥檚 work pays tribute to his heritage and is influenced by the people and events encountered throughout his own life.

In August, Michael will begin work on a mural inspired by his heritage and Alaska Native culture. It will be displayed on the Kobuk building on the corner of W. 5^th Ave and E Street, a prominent location in the heart of the downtown 果冻传煤.

The planned mural depicts a colorful mask, which reflects Michael鈥檚 main body of work. Michael recently spoke with us about the mural鈥檚 meaning and his vision for it.

A draft rendering of Michael's planned mural for the Kobuk building in Downtown 果冻传煤.

AM: Share a little about your background and how that is reflected in your work.
DM: I was born a twin, in Bethel. We were adopted out of Bethel and raised by white parents along with a lot of siblings adopted from different families. Bethel is kind of a mixing pot of the Yup鈥檌k region. I鈥檓 both Inupiaq & Yup鈥檌k and my birth father is Polish, so I鈥檓 half Polish. I am a mask maker, so the Yup鈥檌k culture and the Inupiaq culture come out. I鈥榲e been to Poland looking for my family on that side but haven鈥檛 really allowed a lot of that culture to come through. It is inherently happening in some ways, with Western culture being in Alaska. I guess there鈥檚 kind of a blend 鈥� The piece that will be on the Kobuk is actually called Full Spectrum. It kind of fits in perfectly with the idea of all parts of oneself coming together.

AM: Did you workshop a few different ideas or was there anything specific you had in mind when the opportunity to do a mural came up?
DM: I know that building, we鈥檝e all been by it a million times 鈥� I wanted to think about a message that can be shared, that everybody could connect with in Alaska, that isn鈥檛 just Native. I came up with some ideas and absolutely hated how everything was flowing on the space and then I thought, 鈥淚鈥檓 a mask maker, I should just show my work.鈥�

The Full Spectrum mask on which the Kobuk building's mural is based.

AM: Have you ever created a large-scale work like this before?
DM: I鈥檝e never done painting on such a large scale and I am a little intimidated by the process, but I think that with the help of friends, (a little research), and the assistance of the museum, I think we can step right in 鈥μ� I felt really, kind of nervous about a new project, but that鈥檚 when some of the most exciting things come out sometimes鈥揵ecause you鈥檙e blending new ideas and new worlds together.

AM: That building is at the heart of downtown 果冻传煤. What are your thoughts on having a public work on display in an area that鈥檚 a first stop for a lot of visitors?
DM: I wanted to bring a lot of color to downtown. I think that influenced this piece, and I think part of the story of the Native people of Alaska is thinking about how everything has energy; and looking through the eyes of a mask, you can see into a way people lived that was connected to place. Having that space downtown will open the eyes of visitors to the beauty of the place and the culture.
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Michael鈥檚 work on the 鈥淔ull Spectrum鈥� mural is scheduled to begin Aug. 15-24.