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Two Alaska Native artists bring new color to the Anchorage streetscape

This summer, Anchorage visitors can seek out two new public murals created by forerunners in Alaska Native art. 

The first is located on G Street on the east side of the RIM Architecture building and was painted by Crystal Worl, a Tlingit, Athabaskan, Yup’ik, and Filipino artist based in Juneau. Worl has emerged as a prominent Alaskan artist whose work is featured in public spaces in Juneau and has appeared as a Doodle on Google’s homepage. Her new mural, completed in August 2022, honors several Alaska Native groups and highlights Anchorage as a cultural gathering place.

The second mural graces the The Kobuk building on the corner of 5th Avenue and E Street. Painted by Yup’ik and Inupiaq artist Drew Michael, its vivid colors recreate a mask he carved in 2019 and celebrate the rich cultural traditions of the north. Michael’s work is featured at the Stonington Gallery in Seattle, and this is his first public mural using paint.

“I think we can make our city beautiful and tell a story at the same time,” he says of the new murals.

Painting the murals was supported by the building owners, Anchorage Museum, Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Alaska Pacific University, and others.

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