By Alaska Pacific University
Published: Sept. 19, 2023
Alaska Pacific University’s Grant Hall has a new look. Thanks to a collaboration between APU faculty and staff, APU project facilitator James Temte (Northern Cheyenne/Norwegian), and local artist Sebastian Garber (Dena’ina/Columbian), a vibrant mural now covers the front-facing panels of the building.
Sebastian Garber’s inspiration came from a chief’s coat of moosehide and beaver fur from the Athabascan culture and dated to the mid-20th century. The decorative design includes references to fringe, plant leaves, flowers, and stems.
The project began last year during APU’s annual faculty retreat. Attendees painted individual panels of Garber’s design that were then applied onto Grant Hall by Temte earlier this month.
The result is a colorful and diverse collection of shapes and lines, which now complement “Raven & Swan,” a previously completed mural designed by Holly Nordlum (Inuit), Sarah Whalen-Lunn (Inupiaq), Melissa Shaginoff (Udzisyu (caribou), and Cui Ui Ticutta (fish-eater) clans, on the upper half of the building.
Garber and Temte’s work intends to create a visual identity that recognizes the traditional inhabitants of the Anchorage area.
Check out the photo slider below for highlights of the mural’s curation since its inception:
