UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN: Following and Drawing Alaskan Migrations.

In spring of 2023, I was named a Lily Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellow for my proposal, Mimesis of Migrations: Following and Drawing Great Alaskan Migrations. What started as an opportunity to see a variety of Alaskan wildlife turned into a summer like no other, experiencing different areas of the Great North and witnessing some of the greatest natural phenomena on our planet. I was able to backpack through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, from the Brooks Range to the Arctic Coast, following the Porcupine Caribou herd as they migrate to their calving grounds. I went to Katmai National Park to hopefully see the Salmon run - but, being too early, I got to witness the energy and anticipation felt as everyone (including the brown bears) waited for their arrival. Lastly, I kayaked through Glacier Bay National Park with an abundance of marine mammals, including Humpback Whales breaching and feeding in the glacial waters. I was lucky enough to end my time in Alaska as an Artist in Residence at the Gruening Cabin Historic State Park, birthplace of Alaska’s statehood. I spent ten days soaking in Southeast Alaska, hiking through the Tongass National Forest, seeing glaciers, watching whales feed, and hanging out every day with my black bear friends. My summer in Alaska was inspiring, and is sure to spur more creativity.

I am grateful to have walked in the traditional lands of the Inupiat, Gwich’in, Alutiiq/Sugpiag, and Haida Tlingit people. Living with harmony and respect for the land as they did will see that these places stay wild for centuries to come - we have much to learn from them.

Click the links below to experience the wild places I visited through my lense!