Anchorage artist wins Alaska license plate contest

PALMER — Anchorage artist Sabrina Kessakorn won the 2023 Artistic License Plate Competition. Kessakorn’s work was unveiled to the public with the help of Governor Mike Dunleavy and other guest speakers at the Colony Stage within the Alaska State Fairgrounds Saturday, Aug. 26.

“I was so excited and extremely grateful," Kessakorn said. “I'm really excited to bring some happiness and some joy into people's lives.”

The Alaska Legislature established this annual competition in 2016 to promote local talent. The Alaska State Council on the Arts hosts the competition each year.

Kessakorn said that she spent several weeks working on her project. The final outcome depicts a landscape scene with fireweed in the foreground and the Denali mountain in the background. She said that she was very intentional with her design choices, focusing on capturing Alaska as a whole while paying close attention to the restrictions of a license plate format.

“I really wanted it to be its own artwork for the license plate and meant for the Alaskans I'm so grateful for,” Kessakorn said.

Kessakorn was born and raised in Anchorage. She’s currently spending her time building up her art business, Fetching Constellations in her hometown. She said that she takes a lot of pride in her state and she’s always loved the mountains, salmon, northern lights, and all the other classic things that people think of when Alaska comes to mind.

They get you. They're charismatic,” Kessakorn said. “To me, one of the biggest things is being a steward of this land.”

To view Kessakorn’s winning piece titled, “Fireweed in Denali” and other entries, visit akarts.org/vote.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com