New public art project sparks discussion of history, land, and community

In late February, a new mural project was introduced to the public in an online meeting over Zoom. There were seventeen people present at the meeting, including the artists and coordinators, who were looking for feedback to advise artistic decisions. The project is being organized by members of the Anchorage Museum, the Alaska Mural Project, Alaska Pacific University (APU), and the Anchorage Downtown Partnership (ADP).

The public art piece will be located Downtown on 645 G Street, replacing the mural that has occupied the side of an office building since 1997. The original mural, “Anchorage History,” was painted by Bob Patterson, depicting a timeline of events and changes through Alaska’s history. While the original mural accurately depicts events throughout Anchorage’s history, it fails to include the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples; this is where the new mural will serve the community.

With an Indigenous artist, Crystal Worl, the new mural will showcase a different side of Anchorage, incorporating a more expansive view of the village’s history. While the current project will focus on including Indigenous perspectives, the online meeting aimed to gather a variety of public opinions to find how the mural could best serve the community.

The February meeting was opened by the APU Project Manager, James Temte, giving an overview on the project. The idea was first put into motion three years ago, pre-pandemic. One of the goals of the mural is to make downtown more inclusive and amplify Indigenous identities.

Temte shared images from library archives that celebrated the identity of Anchorage, including photos of blanket tosses, dances, totem carvings, and dog sled races. Temte spoke about community and spurred attendees to think about how public art can benefit Anchorage.

In gathering input for the mural, three key questions were asked: what are some themes that come to mind when you reflect on Anchorage’s rich Indigenous history, what are some values that we want Anchorage to be known for, and what is the feeling or energy that we want the mural to convey?

“One of the really important things that’s been really recent is just to communicate that we have this incredibly rich history and that Anchorage is a really diverse place,” Michael Fredericks voiced as part of the project management team.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to really look at the longer history of this space,” Anchorage resident, Amanda Moser, added. “Alaska’s Indigenous people are still here and still driving change and moving things forward in Anchorage.”

Melissa Shaginoff, a cultural consultant for the project, said that the mural should reflect how varying ideas and groups can come together and how Anchorage “can be a place for everyone.” She noted that “having more public art—more stories pulled through art that talks about that complexity and that duality—can be a way for us to teach people about who we are.”

With this opportunity to honor Anchorage’s uncelebrated history and bring new art to the community, Temte shared how this project can become a leading example in public art: “We can inspire the world. We can be a leader through what we choose to celebrate in our community and celebrate through art.”

With the input gathered from the meeting, Worl drafted ideas for Anchorage’s new art piece.

Highlighting Alaska’s Roots

From a young age, Worl was encouraged by her family to pursue her artistic talent with beadwork, sewing regalia, and painting drum designs. Worl also took classes on painting and figure drawing, and then went on to complete a degree at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM, giving her an artistic skillset with both traditional and modern techniques. After university, Worl and her brother started the Trickster Company, which takes traditional Native art and places it on contemporary objects like skateboards and athletic clothing.

Worl’s art features a lot of Tlingit formline design, which she practiced while apprenticing under Robert Davidson, who heavily impacted Worl’s understanding of the practice.

“A lot of philosophy around it [formline design] applies not just to the art, but how you carry yourself; your life,” Worl explained. She said that formline helps you visualize the future to understand when, what, and how you can get something done.

Worl also takes inspiration from artists like Allison Bremner and Jill Kaasteen who use vibrant colors and bring contemporary elements into their traditional craft. In melding together Indigenous and modern art, Worl enjoys trying new things and mixing styles and mediums together, which is a key component in the way she designed the G Street Mural. However, even with her Tlingit and Athabascan heritage, Worl wants her art to be seen as more than just Native.

“I really try to encourage people not to categorize or put me into a category or define what my art is or who I am,” Worl said. “I also do a lot of styles of artwork that’s not formline design, it’s not beadwork patterns, it’s just purely design and art.”

Regarding the G Street mural, Worl says that she wants “everyone to really feel excited, and proud, and remind people that this is Dena’ina territory and it’s a beautiful culture. We’re all here coexisting, living this beautiful life, and we’re all in it together.”

For her design, Worl researched and worked to combine aspects from many different Alaskan cultures, including imagery and motifs that encapsulate varying Indigenous groups. The mural design includes salmon and berries, which are important for subsistence practices across the state. Animals like caribou, foxes, and beavers are also found in the mural, each one with a Yupik inua symbol, which represents the inner spirit of each being. These elements are all brought together with Worl’s expressive Tlingit formline style against a backdrop of scenery.

Beyond the different parts of the design, Worl wanted to show the history of the city unlike the way it was depicted before. The previous mural portrayed history in a very linear, date-based way, but the new mural aims to show Anchorage’s connection to the land and the stories of Indigenous Peoples who have always called Alaska their home.

In thinking about the future of her art, Worl explained that she doesn’t mind if her mural is painted over someday to make room for new art as the city develops. Worl wants Anchorage to be colorful and adaptive while embracing and loving the culture and diversity.

“I really hope I’m creating a platform and space for more Indigenous artists, or artists of color, or local artists to step up to the playing field and start creating art publicly,” Worl shared. “It’s a huge, massive, intimidating field that discourages a lot of locals from applying … I really hope to change that.”